The history of motor assisted bicycles please

biknut

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I'm really thirsty for knowledge about the phenomena of motor assisted bicycles. Could someone please explain the recent history of motor assisted bicycles?

I already know most of the ancient history. I just want to know about the last few years.

When did these happytime motors first come on the market? Does anyone know the total sales?

I don't even have one yet and I'm already going nuts.
 
If it's just the last few years you're interested in, much of that is at your disposal and you're looking at it. The archives here go back to 2006. The spin-off is motorbicycling.com

Don Grubee was was an early pioneer in importing. Any idea of total sales of HT's would be impossible to know considering they're sourced from China and now imported through myriad channels. Pretty much a niche market with small production and shrinking since China itself all but banned them.
 
If it's just the last few years you're interested in, much of that is at your disposal and you're looking at it. The archives here go back to 2006. The spin-off is motorbicycling.com

Don Grubee was was an early pioneer in importing. Any idea of total sales of HT's would be impossible to know considering they're sourced from China and now imported through myriad channels. Pretty much a niche market with small production and shrinking since China itself all but banned them.

Thank you for the reply. I did try searching "history of motor assisted bicycles" but not much success.

My bet is these aren't going to die anytime soon. More likely they're going to explode into the main stream in a few more years when more and more people find out about them.

With the economy going the way it is, the idea of a motorized vehicle you can ride that costs as little $300 and gets 150 mpg is going to be pretty attractive even without the fun factor.
 
My bet is these aren't going to die anytime soon. More likely they're going to explode into the main stream in a few more years when more and more people find out about them.

With the economy going the way it is, the idea of a motorized vehicle you can ride that costs as little $300 and gets 150 mpg is going to be pretty attractive even without the fun factor.

I've seen that said before, maybe even thought it myself for awhile, lol. Back 2-3 years ago when gas prices spiked people were asking me about my bikes. And sure 'the idea of a motorized vehicle you can ride that costs as little $300' was appealing to some. Problem with that was then mostly I found they expected something for that price that you could jump on and ride trouble-free everyday like a Honda scooter or something.

Or, they weren't mechanical and wanted me to build them one, which i did for awhile. Problem with that was I couldn't do it and make any money for $300. You know, kinda goes in a spiral from there, the more you charge and the better you build it, the more they expect in a__get on it and ride daily trouble-free__mode.

Folks have come to expect a lot for not a lot of money.
MBs are a great for the DIYer who likes to tinker and maybe get a little exercise too, lol.
 
I've seen that said before, maybe even thought it myself for awhile, lol. Back 2-3 years ago when gas prices spiked people were asking me about my bikes. And sure 'the idea of a motorized vehicle you can ride that costs as little $300' was appealing to some. Problem with that was then mostly I found they expected something for that price that you could jump on and ride trouble-free everyday like a Honda scooter or something.

Or, they weren't mechanical and wanted me to build them one, which i did for awhile. Problem with that was I couldn't do it and make any money for $300. You know, kinda goes in a spiral from there, the more you charge and the better you build it, the more they expect in a__get on it and ride daily trouble-free__mode.

Folks have come to expect a lot for not a lot of money.
MBs are a great for the DIYer who likes to tinker and maybe get a little exercise too, lol.

Thank you for the insight. Sounds a lot like a Harley Iron head.
 
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even if these bikes do become mainstream transportation, there would still be the dependabilty issues, and someone would have to make a better engine in my opinion. right now the way i view these h.t. engines is as a hobby, not as a dependable mode of transportation.
on top of that, these engines pretty much have 0 pollution control devices, and they spew exhaust and oil into the atmosphere / onto the ground...much worse than most cars.
i have yet to see one get 150 mpg as claimed.
these bike engines ARE NOT "green" as so many people think they are.
they pollute more than you think, AND they are still using gas and oil.
throw the safety factors in there, along with the government making laws for license plates, insurance, etc. on these things, and i don;t think everyone is ready to go there yet.
I'm happy just playing around with my bikes and riding them for fun, but when it becomes a law that i need insurance and license plates, i'm selling them.
 
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We seem to be drifting off of the topic of history and disscussing Pros, cons and future events. Any more recent history information?
 
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