brillo
New Member
Hi folks,
Long time leg-powered biker. Don't feel old but guess I'm getting there. Must admit, not up to hundred+ mile days anymore. Maybe one day, but not ten... Knees. Have taken many long and short, self-contained road trips (panniers, camping, motels rarely) in Maine, Long Island, Arizona desert, So. Cal, Arkansas, Louisiana, Canadian Rockies, San Juans, Colorado Rockies, Cascades, Sierras, cross USA x 2, New Zealand, Kenya, South Africa. Love the road. Love the pace of a bicycle. See stuff, feel stuff, yack with locals.
Father was avid motor cycler, American Indian early and BMW later. Always hated motorcycles myself. Cowboyed on a motorbike for a couple summers during college. Thought my kidneys would fall out. Much prefer a horse.
Here's the deal. I want to continue riding a bike. Started researching motorized bicycles. Still pedal, don't go too fast. Many questions. Some basic, some specific, e.g., Can you really PEDAL these beasts? Why does the drive chain have to go to a wheel? Why can't a frame mounted engine have a short chain from drive shaft (clutch?) to the crank? See pic attached.
OK, this looks funky and is funky (WIDE crank arms, leg spread). Forget that part. I like the idea of a more compact unit. Apparently it works. Anyone here seen/ridden/built this kind of thing? Or is it totally nuts?
At this point, I'm thinking The Skyhawk Stage II Whopper Stopper (with the Honda GXH50QHA instead of Hua Sheng) or the EHO35 35cc Robin/Subaru Mini-4 from Golden Eagle or similar for the geared belt drive and ease of mounting/dismounting engine (but GE very pricey and rear mount) on a conventional road-touring bike frame with 1 3/4" - 2" tires, and front-fork suspension. Also including, of course, fenders, lights, huge floating seat, rear carrier and bags, handlebar bag, locks, speedo, FM/CD player, cruise control, AC, windshield, convertible roof, small refrigerator, handlebar streamers, the whole bit. Just kidding, no AC.
Pretty quick, that kind of thinking points like a flashing neon sign toward a Whizzer. Which is a lot like a motorcycle. :-/
I'm a little confused. (Long pause)
I want a solid, simple touring bicycle (e.g., like the Chinese rode before they got the Mercedes) that I can put a 4-cycle engine on (more dependable, no mixing, long life) and the touring stuff, too. I want the engine to be dependable, compact, quiet, and preferably (easily, quickly) dis-mountable for pedal-riding on gravel/dirt roads or good trails, and then (easily, quickly) re-mountable for the long road ride between Ulan Bator and Timbuktu. When the engine is mounted but not running, I want to be able to pedal the fully loaded bike at least a few miles, if desired (like wandering quietly through town) or necessary (like no gas or broken).
Is that scenario even possible in the real world? How close can I get?
Long time leg-powered biker. Don't feel old but guess I'm getting there. Must admit, not up to hundred+ mile days anymore. Maybe one day, but not ten... Knees. Have taken many long and short, self-contained road trips (panniers, camping, motels rarely) in Maine, Long Island, Arizona desert, So. Cal, Arkansas, Louisiana, Canadian Rockies, San Juans, Colorado Rockies, Cascades, Sierras, cross USA x 2, New Zealand, Kenya, South Africa. Love the road. Love the pace of a bicycle. See stuff, feel stuff, yack with locals.
Father was avid motor cycler, American Indian early and BMW later. Always hated motorcycles myself. Cowboyed on a motorbike for a couple summers during college. Thought my kidneys would fall out. Much prefer a horse.
Here's the deal. I want to continue riding a bike. Started researching motorized bicycles. Still pedal, don't go too fast. Many questions. Some basic, some specific, e.g., Can you really PEDAL these beasts? Why does the drive chain have to go to a wheel? Why can't a frame mounted engine have a short chain from drive shaft (clutch?) to the crank? See pic attached.
OK, this looks funky and is funky (WIDE crank arms, leg spread). Forget that part. I like the idea of a more compact unit. Apparently it works. Anyone here seen/ridden/built this kind of thing? Or is it totally nuts?
At this point, I'm thinking The Skyhawk Stage II Whopper Stopper (with the Honda GXH50QHA instead of Hua Sheng) or the EHO35 35cc Robin/Subaru Mini-4 from Golden Eagle or similar for the geared belt drive and ease of mounting/dismounting engine (but GE very pricey and rear mount) on a conventional road-touring bike frame with 1 3/4" - 2" tires, and front-fork suspension. Also including, of course, fenders, lights, huge floating seat, rear carrier and bags, handlebar bag, locks, speedo, FM/CD player, cruise control, AC, windshield, convertible roof, small refrigerator, handlebar streamers, the whole bit. Just kidding, no AC.
Pretty quick, that kind of thinking points like a flashing neon sign toward a Whizzer. Which is a lot like a motorcycle. :-/
I'm a little confused. (Long pause)
I want a solid, simple touring bicycle (e.g., like the Chinese rode before they got the Mercedes) that I can put a 4-cycle engine on (more dependable, no mixing, long life) and the touring stuff, too. I want the engine to be dependable, compact, quiet, and preferably (easily, quickly) dis-mountable for pedal-riding on gravel/dirt roads or good trails, and then (easily, quickly) re-mountable for the long road ride between Ulan Bator and Timbuktu. When the engine is mounted but not running, I want to be able to pedal the fully loaded bike at least a few miles, if desired (like wandering quietly through town) or necessary (like no gas or broken).
Is that scenario even possible in the real world? How close can I get?
Attachments
Last edited:
