safe and fast.

[andreasklapp]

so i realize some of you may hate me for this, but i have some good reasons.
i would like to build a motorized bicycle that can SAFELY maintain 65 miles an hour over long periods of time that also requires pedaling full time. i see it as a serious option in the future of transportation being as you could get good mileage, stay in shape, etc. etc. realistically the only thing holding it back (aside from legal issues) are the tires and the general state of frames. but with the right engine, gearing, tires and frame, i see no reason why this couldn't be a reality. so i suppose a good place to start would be a few runs at bonneville and a whole lot of work. i like the three wheeled recumbant bikes out there (velo mobile??) i've heard they take those pretty serious over in holland. i'll have to look into it a little more, but they seem like a good platform to start with. the bike i'm building right now will be interesting, but really just a little round town runner. any thoughts?

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

Fast will be relatively easy. Reliability and dependability will be issues.

Safety will be the hardest to achieve. In order to prove that the bike is safe, you will have to experiment to see if bike and rider will survive more than one crash at 65mph.

Opinions, anyone?

 

[Hawaii_Ed]

The only way I see to do it is with a motorcycle engine/trans, etc.

 

[motorpsycho]

don't forget that if you get a bike to go that fast, you will need one heck of a set of brakes to stop it.
also consider the wheel bearings...i'm not sure they would withstand too many trips going 65 mph.
you should check this video out...
a guy i kind of know (a friend of a friend), built this 3 wheel recumbent, electric powered, that will do 55 + mph, and it will literally spin the back tire at will because it has so much torque.
he designed and machined ALL of the parts for this bike, and it's an incredible peice of work. he has a website dedicated to the build start to finish and it took him over a year to design and make everything.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKAMus3oSdw

 

[flyingpez]

are you planning to keep it under 50cc's or will you get it tagged as a special construction motorcycle with higher cc's?

 

[professor]

I don't think anyone here will hate you.
I did take a peek at your age, and there seems to be an inverse relationship between age and desired speed- the younger the age number- the higher the desired speed.
And of course. a lot of us older guys poke around at bike speed.

I have to ask- WHY NOT get something really designed to do what you want?
You know- strong brakes, strong everything. Long wheelbase for good handling at speed. An engine with enough suds to out run traffic if necessary.
You know what they are called.

 

[flyingpez]

A motorcycle.

 

[andreasklapp]

i'm not nessesarily (sp) trying to drive it on the street. and i've built several motorcycles in the past and also have some classic muscle sitting in my driveway right now. i don't drive to fast anymore. one that will get around town is fine, but another one to build and test and aim to go FAST and still be pedal powered is interesting. there is a little bike car around my town that is diesel assisted, makes 40+ miles per hour and 100+ mpg. road legal four seater. being as people already ride cross country on bicycles, and everything else has been done, it seems a reasonable direction to try to take things. even if it becomes a three wheeled recumbant. just seems like no one is trying to push it, but lots of people have an environmental concern right now. maybe the wave of the future will be electric bio-diesel pedal powered cars. who knows. if you could make one that could SAFELY clear 100 mph do you think people would start to look at you? that's my real question. most of the advances made in the automotive industry has come from racing. factory sponsored teams trying every possibility to push things to be more powerful, more reliable, more efficient. it all trickles down to the consumer eventually. i mean i don't really expect that everyone in the world would be pedaling and motoring everywhere they went, but maybe it would change the average commuter's daily drive. you never know. just seems like no one is doing it. and i'm not talking about just bolting in a motor and expecting it to hold together at 100, i mean building the frame and every other part from the ground up specifically for the purpose, and trying to make it solid. i love motorcycles, but that's not really what i'm trying to do with this.

 

[Klox]

What about this? http://www.motopeds.com/

The only thing you need to do is get it legal for road usage...

 

[andreasklapp]

that;s a cool one, but i've got my own ideas for the whole thing too. i'll try to mock something up.