How often do you encounter other motored-bike riders?

[fastboy9]

* The teen or college-age rider for whom a car is not a good option due to expense or practicality of owning/parking said car. If asked will generally admit that parent told them that a motorcycle was Right Out and that they were a Very Bad Idea. One or both parents may be mechanically inclined and supportive of building a motorized bike, or even actively involved in the build. Typically found in or near suburban and college-campus environments.


* Practical types (of all ages) with an inclination to tinker with and/or build stuff on their own. Lots of tools in the garage, likely to own a proper air compressor. Subscribes to MAKE magazine. Could be found anywhere, but more common in states friendly to motorized bikes.
-AG

I'm pretty much in between the two.
I've never ever seen anybody else on a motorized bike I wish I had though, I only know of one other person in the county who has one, and thats Jemma.


A wise man once said, theres only one thing better than riding a motorized bike, and thats riding with somebody else.

So so lonely lol

Fastboy

 

[Mountainman]

in regards to this poll taken

the last question asked should be -------- NEVER

instead of
Does looking at yourself in the rear-view mirror count ?

that question just messes the whole poll up

ride that thing

 

[AlphaGeek]

Hey, Mountainman -- read all the way to the end of the line for the last option in the poll. That's exactly why I included "(i.e. never)" for clarity.

Sorry if I exceeded your attention span with my poll options.

-AG

 

[Mountainman]

Sorry if I exceeded your attention span with my poll options.
-AG

sorry about that -- goes to show that today -- Iam not paying attention

focus - focus Mountainman

thank you -- as we all -- ride that thing

 

[Member 5549]

No I have never spotted the elusive M/B er. In the wild or in captivity for the matter !!!
But I did see a Bigfoot once !!! But thats for a different forum....

 

[beachcruiserD]

not too often

i've seen 2 guys at my college with them....seems like there ought to be more...but i guess alot of people are too dumb to realize how to build one, and how cost effective they are....oh well, more props for the rest of us!

 

[Sky High]

I took one of my MB`s to Virginia Beach , Va. a few weeks ago, as I was riding I hear a police siren & look behind me. Low and behold here`s this unmarked cruiser lights flashing, so I pull over and officer ask me " What are you doing ? " I answer " Riding my motorized bicycle... SIR " He says you can`t ride it like that in the trolly lane. So he says I see you have a helmet on & thats good so do you have ID ? I give him my DL and as he studies it I hear this familiar buzzing sound and another MB goes screaming past us . He looks & does a double take & yells at me " Did you see that !? " I answer Yes SIR I sure did , it was another bike like mine. " The officer says back " NO that dude had NO helmet on , he`s got more troubles than you !" With that he tosses my DL back at me & burns rubber to chase the guy down...

 

[beachcruiserD]

Another thought I've been wanting to bring up for discussion: the wildly varying demographics of people you find on motored bikes. There are a couple of archetypes (groups who can be easily characterized by a simple profile due to similarities) that I've seen involved in motorized bikes, either in person or online:

* The weathered-looking blue-collar guy with, shall we say, license and insurance issues that keep him from getting behind the wheel of a car/truck/motorcycle. Likely to be spotted riding an inexpensive low-speed/short-range electric bike around a particular city or town.

* The teen or college-age rider for whom a car is not a good option due to expense or practicality of owning/parking said car. If asked will generally admit that parent told them that a motorcycle was Right Out and that they were a Very Bad Idea. One or both parents may be mechanically inclined and supportive of building a motorized bike, or even actively involved in the build. Typically found in or near suburban and college-campus environments.

* Hard-core eco-geeks on battery-powered bikes. Given the short range of e-bikes, it takes a special kind of lazy to justify needing motor power for a local commute -- especially when most of these critters live near where they work to keep their carbon footprint down.

* Retirees with more time than pedaling power. What's better than a nice bike ride on a fall day? How about one where you don't have to power-pedal up the hill to your house with both knees twinging from arthritis/tendonitis/etc.? Not likely to be spotted doing anything excessively stupid.

* Practical types (of all ages) with an inclination to tinker with and/or build stuff on their own. Lots of tools in the garage, likely to own a proper air compressor. Subscribes to MAKE magazine. Could be found anywhere, but more common in states friendly to motorized bikes.

Have I missed anyone?

-AG

yeah im the weathered guy with the license issues...but you know, i get more looks and thumbs up from guys in construction trucks/vans....the rest are guys my age asking where and how to pick up an engine.....despite my legal issues and insurance being high, i find that the motorized bicycle is the perfect loophole for anyone who thinks that they have to be "stranded" because the law tells them so.....
this is not the case, just build up your bike, and with some mechanical know how and some courage, you can get to where you need to be without a bus fare, and your dignity.....plus half of the dudes i run into are amazed that i put it on my bike myself anyway, without professional help....haha

 

[beachcruiserD]

I took one of my MB`s to Virginia Beach , Va. a few weeks ago, as I was riding I hear a police siren & look behind me. Low and behold here`s this unmarked cruiser lights flashing, so I pull over and officer ask me " What are you doing ? " I answer " Riding my motorized bicycle... SIR " He says you can`t ride it like that in the trolly lane. So he says I see you have a helmet on & thats good so do you have ID ? I give him my DL and as he studies it I hear this familiar buzzing sound and another MB goes screaming past us . He looks & does a double take & yells at me " Did you see that !? " I answer Yes SIR I sure did , it was another bike like mine. " The officer says back " NO that dude had NO helmet on , he`s got more troubles than you !" With that he tosses my DL back at me & burns rubber to chase the guy down...

yeah, youre only as guilty as the police make you seem, lucky you caught a break that day...ride in the bicycle lane if you have one, that should keep you out of trouble....but if you are like most of the east coast, maybe you ought to consider all of the bike only areas where a cruiser cannot fit, and then if you encounter them again, just go down a bike trail or something....not trying to promote a cop chase here, just trying to say that if they want to get you for anything, and you hear them, dont look at them, and say your engine was too loud and you couldnt hear them.....wink wink. lol//// these things are barely legal as it is....so you dont want to get caught and impounded

 

[Mountainman]

fully legal in Calif -- to -- ride that thing

these things are barely legal as it is....so you dont want to get caught and impounded

fully legal in Calif -- to -- ride that thing