$3200-$3800 for a motorized "Survival" bicycle?
I mean sure, you can pedal it if you have or want to but it looks heavy and the gear ratio to me looks like you would be pedaling your ass off to get anywhere.
Another thing I can't quite figure out is if there is any kind of clutch to disengage the pedals while you are motoring or are they flailing around like an egg beater from Hell all the time.
Still, it is pretty damn cool looking.
It also looks well built and sturdy.
I'm not seeing any kind of clutch mechanism here.
The rack is big enough to attach a pretty serious load to though..
It's a rolling firebomb.
Wreck it hard enough and I'm pretty sure those saddle tanks will come right the hell off and leak gas all over the place. I don't know if there are isolation valves to shut the lines off.
But hey, if you have money and calories to burn it would be a neat little gizmo to have stashed in the garage.
10 comments:
I like the THEORY behind using motorcycles after the World Turns, but in practice, riders pay strict attention to the roads / paths while driving off road and I think will become victims of anyone who is being ridden upon. Once the festivities have calmed down - yeah, a HUGE time saver, probably the only way the older / handicapped person will be able to travel long distances.
You had better have a well balanced load on that rear rack, as turning will become rather dicey I'm guessing. Then again - not an experience rider with heavy load behind (will you be riding a continuous wheelie, lol ?).
The 4th picture has the freewheel (or clutch) in it. It's the small gear above the crank arm on the outside of the cross-shaft. When the cross-shaft is running faster than the crankarm assembly, the freewheel allows the pedals to be stationary.
So what looks like a bearing to me must also have a Sprague or One Way clutch in it also then.
I really couldn't imagine it not being able to freewheel, it just wasn't obviously apparent to me how they went about it.
Thanks.
I built out one of those motors bicycle kits with a diamondback beach cruiser bike a few years ago. Kits are around 150 bucks. If I was to do it again I would spring for the upgraded real wheel assembly instead of bolting the sprocket to the spokes which is really hard to get right. I also upgraded,mine with rubber gasket material on the motor mounts and upgraded fuel lines. It would start easily even in the middle of winter. It was fairly fast and low profile. I used it on bike paths and the police never noticed. One thing I did notice is usng it on the road drivers would always try and pass me, no matter of the speed limit was 25mph and I was doing 30 they had this irresistible urge to always pass me. I could even beat them at the stoplights and they would gun their engines to get ahead assuming I was going slow. As far as long distance, I took mine on a 300 mile trip on a bike trail that ran from Indy north and back over the course of a day. Took about 12 hours
Comeandmakeit
I will stick with my electric bike. It could be recharged with solar panels.
That thing looks awfully heavy to be pedaling it. I think I would definitely go with a small motorscoot. 100 cc maximum.
built my own electric assist bicycle starting with a three speed wide tire from goodwill ($20), a portable 12 volt drill, and other items
that above is a marvelous toy that will break down fast in real world conditions
mine: built it, maintain it, and can be field repaired
that don't look like it can be field repaired at all
Wildflower
Looks like an over-running clutch in the small gear to the upper left of the big one in picture # 4
Yep, my eyes ain't that good anymore. They called those Sprague clutches when I worked for Ford. They use them in automatic transmissions.
We have a young guy at work who finds old fat tired bikes and builds them in to vintage race motorcycle reproductions. Stuff from the early 1900's. They turn out pretty cool and he gets anywhere from 6-900 bucks for them. He has some guy weld up a long round tank that fits over the frame and then bends a solid bar for a seat mount that puts the seat way the hell back over the rear tire.
I was talking to him the other day about the one he is currently building and he said the same thing about the motor kits, about a buck and a half each.
Post a Comment