I'm an MB'er, and it's all about ME!

[hurricane]

The bike I ride is a bit more powerful than stock, But I ride like a nerd. I stop at stop signs, make turn signals and wear a helmet.
mike

thats not being a nerd, its called responsible rider in my book.

 

[augidog]

i guess i'm a nerd too, then. you have a point, it's really about behavior more than equipment. but, when we tick someone off, equipment is a good weapon to wield against us. one of these days, some cop-shop will get hip to that "off-road motorcycle" label, and not knowing better lump us all together. we're unregulatable because we use so many different components to do the same thing. should we push folks too far, they won't have a choice but to ban ANY method of assist.

 

[quay1962]

Why don't you do some research and write a dissertation on that? With an attitude like yours we could all become victims of another holocaust.

I don't know why or what happened in AK to Augi, but dude u should do the research! Augidog used to be one of the lead administrators of this forum! Augi this is almost amusing and says it all in the thread how some foolio ruined it?? So far we have riden 3 times the usual wave or curious stare.. Hope they not giving u heck? Call anytime bro!

 

[motorpsycho]

i think this all comes down to common sense on the m.b. riders part.
ride like a moron, get treated like one.

 

[Hammond Egger]

"and not knowing better lump us all together." You mean like you did in your OP? Not sure what you mean with your "offroad motorcycle" statement but I have two bikes, a 66cc and a 48cc and I never get off a designated bike path. My bikes aren't registered because you can't register a bicycle here; but I do have insurance, a DL, and I ride with not only a helmet but also a flourescent safety vest, in addition to obeying traffic laws and riding extremely defensively.

"as i said, we publicly post negatives about the motorsport all the time, all i did was drive the point home with a big hammer. anyone who gets offended prolly has some thinking to do, eh?"

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on that. I think that someone that operates under the premise that everyone that rides a MB is a self-centered lawbreaker with total disregard for other people prolly has some thinking to do. I guess you must be a big fan of profiling too huh?

 

[augidog]

i think this all comes down to common sense on the m.b. riders part.
ride like a moron, get treated like one.

yup, but let's take it further...ride like a moron, and your fellow riders will be treated like morons, too.

hi lil'...hehe no nothing happened locally...i was reading the board and intro's, saw the same old stuff..."the cops are getting nervous, but instead of trying to get along i want to cheat"...it gets old, trying to promote all the positives and being buried with negatives...so i figured to call attention to the issue. looks like i did.

remember, nothing ever gets made illegal until it's abused.

edit: hammond egger, it's beyond you and i agreeing or disagreeing, you haven't given me the courtesy of learning who i am, or you would completely understand and appreciate my message: "if that's how you act, then people will think we're all like that."

you missed the point by a mile, and now you're embarrassing yourself & don't even know it...yup now i'm talking down to you, just as you've been to me.

 

[KevinK]

dear lawmaker,
i know you've said i can put an assist kit on my bicycle, i know you've set limits on how powerful it can be, how fast i can go. but, that's not good enough, i want it to be more powerful, and i want it to be faster. you see, it's all about ME.

dear rescue worker,
i know you don't want to worry about my welfare, or maybe have to scrape my body parts off the road. i know you'd feel better if i had adquate lighting and wore an effective helmet...but you forget one thing...it's all about ME.

dear lawman,
i know you like my MB but you have a job to do. i know you'd prefer i didn't give you a reason to mess with me. i know i'm supposed to behave myself like any motorist, use the proper lanes, obey signals and signs...but shoot guys, it's all about ME.

dear fellow motorist,
i know you are strictly regulated. i know you have to pay taxes and fees, and must fully document your vehicle. i know you have to carry insurance and bear financial responsibility in order to be on the road. i know it scares you when i zoom in between your cars, or blow through a stop-sign. i know you resent that i'm an undocumented and unregulated risk. i know all that, but don't forget, it's all about ME.

dear fellow MB'er,
i know you've built an MB that's within acceptable legal and mechanical guideliness. i know you depend on your MB to earn a living and support your family. i know you ride right, i know you have an appreciation for your place on the road. i know you've built a safe bike, and i know you wear a real helmet. i know you've worked hard to convince your community you can be trusted to do your part to keep everyone safe from harm and from financial ruin. i know that my oversize engine and lack of regard for safety and existing regulations put your right to ride at risk. but you need to know THIS my friend...

i don't care.

because it's all about ME.

Hey Augi,

Nice article BTW!
I am a very hard core ultra cyclist who has just recently took up the sport of a motorized bicycle. I live in the state of Wisconsin which has quite reasonable laws regarding motorized bikes or power assisted bikes.
When I started out on my GEBE project I was expecting some attention from law enforcement. But to my pleasent supprise I have been totally ignored by them! I act like a bicyclist while on the road. I wear a helment and have lots of lights for my nite riding. I also pedal assist quite a lot. My average speed for over 1500 miles of commuting is around 26 mph. Now, that includes some rural roads and some urban street riding with stop lights.
Honestly, I see no purpose in going any faster on a bicycle with a power assist. I can assure you that my bicycle is better for this purpose than just about all of you possess. With that said, my bike is a 21 year old high end Gary Fisher mountain bike. This was absolute state of the art bike tech 21 years ago. This frame is so bullet proof that my GEBE app is simply the most light duty demand put on it in its life time.
And with that said about this bullet proof frameset I sense that it is very unsafe and unwise to go any faster on a bicycle and that at least in Wisconsin the laws restricting the speeds and engine size appear reasonable. The Robin/Subaru I own the OHV 35 is rated at 33.5 cc displacement from the owners manual. This engine is plenty powerful for power assist with the GEBE set up.
In my short time on this site I have developed a distaste for the cheap china imported bike engines and kits. I do not even count my miles on my motorized bike as miles for training for my ultra cycling events. Motored bikes and Cycling are simply two differing activities. One is getting to work and back and the other is training miles for real bicycle racing. I think that I have managed with my build to combine the two activities and use the best from traditional cycling into the power assist commuter world.
I have valid reasons for everything I have mounted on my motorized commuter bicycle. And the "key" word here is bicycle!
My goal in the next year is 10000 miles of commuting on my Gary Fisher/GEBE motored bike. That is extreme but doable in my estimation.
I neither want nor need any attention from law enforcement. I prefer to look like a cyclist and to just blend in. My bike and system allows for this as I have personally experienced the last couple of months over 1500 miles of daily communing.
Of course this is just my personal opinion but I do think Augi is on to something with his thread!

Kevin

 

[Happy Valley]

What about MAB is hard to understand, motor assisted bicycle?

Over the years of riding MBs and being out and encountering folks who are curious about the bikes, the first question I've come to dread is "how fast does it go?"

When someone asks that first I just know they need something explained, IE: it's a bicycle with an assist motor not a motorcycle and as a lowball entry into 2 wheeled motor sports it ain't much.

My favorite first question is: "what's the mpg?"

 

[augidog]

be careful to not lose sight of the issue

since i started this slightly-controversial topic, i think i should take it upon myself to explain that, while i'm totally into behavior-bashing, i don't think we wanna get into any discussion about different engines, beyond how displacement may be an issue.

imo, an opinion that took time to be changed, the 48cc HT has become a decent entry-level option for the price.

and to avoid any flame (about engine-size) that may get the topic closed...before you get into this discussion, ask yourself this: IF there were ONLY 50cc or lower options available, would you still be an MB'er?

methinks in a large majority of cases the answer would be "yes." the "no" 's would be riding scooters, mopeds, and motorcycles.

 

[motorpsycho]

I personally don't look at my bikes as bicycles with motor assists on them. I never pedal or ride my bikes without using the motors.
I basdically ride my bikes like anyone would ride a scooter or a moped.
but again, i never go out into downtown streets or areas with a lot of traffic or people.
I live in a very rural area and i stick to riding around my neighborhood and on the back roads.
there are no police in my area, and if someone does call them, it takes over an hour for them to show up. we deal with the county sherrif, who is in no hurry to do anything.