6.5HP Bicycle Pusher Trailer

[chrispederson]

I think this is great. Obviously that pusher is only for when you're going mile after country mile. Still, 50 is just too fast for a bicycle to be safe. I wouldn't even like taking a motorcycle that fast. Speaking for me.

I've been thinking about this setup lately. That's a lot of torque for two bolts that are smaller than a pencil. I was wondering, what if you bungeed the setup to the bike? A setup that might give it two inches of flex or so (the dolly moves forward two inches before the bike starts to move), it might give you more torque from the standstill, prevent bolt shear, prevent belt wear, prevent dolly tire wear.

 

[Bikeuser]

Thanks for your input.
I replaced the bolt, and plan on adding several more to keep it on there. The steel tube is strong and stiff, and doesn't flex, and is holding very well, and it handles good on curves, just lean the bike and the tires stay on the road. It's NOT all over the road, trust me, it follows behind quiet nicely in fact. I usually accelerate on straights and throttle down and slow down for curves anyway, because I know better, after all it is still a bicycle.

And age is just a number, it means very little to me, and whether we are young or old doesn't matter, I just want to have fun regardless of my age. If I could, I would have built it years ago as a kid to have fun, and I always wanted a go kart, so this was the next best thing, and much faster too.

Top speed is fun, but I drive it mostly on half throttle or less, it's plenty fast.

Later on, I was driving with a truck, and they shouted out the window, "Hey, you're doing 50"

You didn't understand. you have alot of force acting on that thin dolly handle.
that tube will snap at the welds or in the middle. why can't you put the motor
inside the frame like the HT engines. 6.5 horsepower is 6 horses pushing that bike. that is thousands of pounds of force acting on a metal tube only designed to take 200 lbs of force. I am begging you to rethink your design. can't you atleast weld some rebar as reinforcement? you are really courting disaster.
if you are really heart set on using the dolly please design some support brackets. if you are clever enough to push your bike with a dolly you are sart enough to design some safety.

 

[astring]

Amazing. You should take it to the DMV and get a plate!

 

[ZnsaneRyder]

I'm going to take it for another ride this morning.

I don't have a welder yet, so........(wish I had one)
I plan to immediately add many more bolts and tubing to where the hitch connects to the handle. I haven't noticed any stress on the stock welds. I have LOTS of extra 3/4 and 1/2 inch tube, and extra bolts, so I can make it much stronger. I have considered bungy cords, but the trailer handles BEST when allowed very little movement from the bike. I have very little "tip" motion, so when I lean the bike on a curve, the pressure shifts from the outer wheel to the inner wheel, and keeps it tight on corners.

The 6.5HP being only a 1-cylinder, puts power out in "kicks" instead of a smoother rotation like a car engine, and I can feel the kicks very strongly, and I have a feeling that puts some high stress on parts.

Once again, I'm very thankful for everyone's input here, as this design is still a work in progress, and I'll improve it as I go along. The last week I've been playing with this thing has been a pattern of break the weakest link, make stronger, break something else !!!! But now it's showing more reliability with each improvement.

 

[ZnsaneRyder]

Amazing. You should take it to the DMV and get a plate!

I have considered it, but does that also make me *required* to carry my license on my bike rides?

 

[jahmez20]

That would be a YES.

 

[starkm32]

By "law" any engine larger than 50cc needs to be registered, and insured, on the road, as a motored vehicle.

Of course you are just "hauling" an engine on a handtruck...

Talk fast, if you get pulled over.






.

 

[jahmez20]

From experience with the police here in the states... They LOVE it when you play dumb. HAHAHA, not really.

 

[ZnsaneRyder]

OMG, you wouldn't believe this ****.

I got arrested Friday (July 4th) by a cop with an unmarked car about 4 miles from home after driving around town all day with no problems. I spent almost 2 days in county jail, then I was let out on pre-trial release no bond, and have court in about a month.

I wasn't pulled for having a motorized bike at all!!!!

He went to pull me over because he thought I was STEALING A PRESSURE WASHER and thought I was pedalling really fast to get away with it. He asked me for my ID and proceeded with excessive force threw me on the hood of his car and on the asphalt!!!

He was freaked out, and paranoid, and thought I was on some really hard drugs to pedal so fast (40mph in his report, but not a clocked speed) before he realized it was actually MY trailer and it was pushing me, and NOT a stolen pressure washer. He actually thought I was PEDALING AT 40MPH!

He, along with 2 other officers couldn't find ANYTHNG illegal or wrong with my bike trailer, and the engine has no info labeling, so in his embarrassment, he only charged me with resisting an officer, simply because I asked TWO questions: Am I being detained? and Why are you arresting me? !!!

He tried to say the motor was illegal after finally realizing it's not a stolen pressure washer, and I told him they sell motored bikes in town legally. The police don't even have a clue it seems. When I was saying out loud I DID NOTHING WRONG, while already handcuffed in the police car, I was even threatened to be TASERED in their attempt to quiet me down!!!!

Now in this country, asking questions IS NOT against the law, and I'm working to get this thrown out. It was a mistake on his part, he thought he was catching a thief with a pressure washer, when it was just me with a bike motor!!! WTF!

After getting back home from jail, me and my parents called the sheriff office asking about motored bikes, they have no clue and said call the DMV. We called the DMV and they said NO TAG is required on any motorized bike and they were not aware of any engine size limitations on bicycles!!!! Seems nobody is on the same page or really even knows the laws. What a pile of ****

And after I got home I proceeded to ride it again anyway because I'm rebelling against the idiots in the system!

 

[KilroyCD]

I just read through this whole thread this evening and I have three things to say:
1. You've gotta be insane (and I like that in a person)
2. You have the only OHV (OverHeadValve) handtruck in the world, I'm sure.
3. Donations to the ZnsaneRyder legal defense fund can be made through this website.


Seriously, good luck fighting the law on this one. I'd take them to court for false arrest.