Bigfoot
New Member
I have an introduction from years ago around here, but a lot has changed for me, & it has been several years since my last post.
I rode a DAX 65cc for a few years. Never ridden anything motorized before, despite being well into my 30's. I no longer have the DAX 65cc bike (gave it away). That bike was amazing. I Abused the crap out of it. It never failed. It never left me stranded. Loved the freedom of distance- I explored more of the local area than I ever had. I have pics I can post if I can figure out how.
The DAX was a gateway drug for me- I decided to get my motorcycle licence. I learned many things by doing that. I learned:
1) There is a lot involved in getting a motorcycle licence in Canada, if you have never had any kind of a licence before.
2) Insurance is expensive- especially for the short Canadian riding season.
3) It is a heck of a lot of fun to ride a motorcycle on a country road on a nice summer day....It's been far too long since I have done this!
4) Driving a motorcycle on the road can be nerve wracking- to trust that other drivers will always do the right thing (my life depends on it) is a fools errand.
5) I live in a very beautiful part of the world, yet I have seen hardly any of it.
6) I am much more comfortable & happy on a motorized bicycle.
7) Everyone drives way too fast for me around here. (10-20 km over speed limit everywhere is the norm). Breaking the law is the norm if it is convenient.
8) It is much harder to ride a motorcycle very slow, than very fast. Learn very slow control at first.
9) Even the smallest motorcycles (such as my Suzuki DR200) feel like big, fat pigs after riding bicycles my entire life, then motorized a bicycle. Motorcycles are appallingly heavy, with primitive yet complex mechanical controls.
10) Motorcycles require specialized winter storage. A motorized bicycle I can simply keep in my apartment.
People talk about these motorized bikes being unsafe- they are only unsafe if:
1) You build it poorly (integrate it into the bicycle poorly). The DAX never ever let me down. I know that I had some EXCELLENT guidance from this forum for the build. (Bracing the engine on the frame to compensate for the torque on the frame was something Id have never have thought of. The engine never shifted once-rock solid).
2) You ride like a crazy person- Stealth, courtesy, caution go a long way.
So Im thinking of going back to motorized bicycles. I dislike the illegality of it ( I live in BC Canada), but mopeds are usually poorly built. I may however, be willing to pay for a custom moped build if it is easily stored in my apartment, & if it is truly reliable in the middle of a nowhere mountain road. does not have to be fast, just rock solid reliable- no chinese junk engines. The DAX was great, but I would not trust it to do any more than I did , with my extremely limited mechanical knowledge. I took it to its limits. It did struggle a few times, weird clutch issues & overheating & noises.
I need something that looks like a bicycle, is quiet & efficient, light, high quality build (I will pay for it-including custom builds). My favourite for a long time was the Solano county choppers Excelsior moped. Not sure it could handle rough terrain though.
I need a sort of Jekyll/Hyde bike- really blends in with any mountain bike on the side of the road, but can handle any mountain pass anywhere, power to spare. wont break down, make weird noises, overheat. Can ride on the side of the road, & be a real beast off-road.
I rode a DAX 65cc for a few years. Never ridden anything motorized before, despite being well into my 30's. I no longer have the DAX 65cc bike (gave it away). That bike was amazing. I Abused the crap out of it. It never failed. It never left me stranded. Loved the freedom of distance- I explored more of the local area than I ever had. I have pics I can post if I can figure out how.
The DAX was a gateway drug for me- I decided to get my motorcycle licence. I learned many things by doing that. I learned:
1) There is a lot involved in getting a motorcycle licence in Canada, if you have never had any kind of a licence before.
2) Insurance is expensive- especially for the short Canadian riding season.
3) It is a heck of a lot of fun to ride a motorcycle on a country road on a nice summer day....It's been far too long since I have done this!
4) Driving a motorcycle on the road can be nerve wracking- to trust that other drivers will always do the right thing (my life depends on it) is a fools errand.
5) I live in a very beautiful part of the world, yet I have seen hardly any of it.
6) I am much more comfortable & happy on a motorized bicycle.
7) Everyone drives way too fast for me around here. (10-20 km over speed limit everywhere is the norm). Breaking the law is the norm if it is convenient.
8) It is much harder to ride a motorcycle very slow, than very fast. Learn very slow control at first.
9) Even the smallest motorcycles (such as my Suzuki DR200) feel like big, fat pigs after riding bicycles my entire life, then motorized a bicycle. Motorcycles are appallingly heavy, with primitive yet complex mechanical controls.
10) Motorcycles require specialized winter storage. A motorized bicycle I can simply keep in my apartment.
People talk about these motorized bikes being unsafe- they are only unsafe if:
1) You build it poorly (integrate it into the bicycle poorly). The DAX never ever let me down. I know that I had some EXCELLENT guidance from this forum for the build. (Bracing the engine on the frame to compensate for the torque on the frame was something Id have never have thought of. The engine never shifted once-rock solid).
2) You ride like a crazy person- Stealth, courtesy, caution go a long way.
So Im thinking of going back to motorized bicycles. I dislike the illegality of it ( I live in BC Canada), but mopeds are usually poorly built. I may however, be willing to pay for a custom moped build if it is easily stored in my apartment, & if it is truly reliable in the middle of a nowhere mountain road. does not have to be fast, just rock solid reliable- no chinese junk engines. The DAX was great, but I would not trust it to do any more than I did , with my extremely limited mechanical knowledge. I took it to its limits. It did struggle a few times, weird clutch issues & overheating & noises.
I need something that looks like a bicycle, is quiet & efficient, light, high quality build (I will pay for it-including custom builds). My favourite for a long time was the Solano county choppers Excelsior moped. Not sure it could handle rough terrain though.
I need a sort of Jekyll/Hyde bike- really blends in with any mountain bike on the side of the road, but can handle any mountain pass anywhere, power to spare. wont break down, make weird noises, overheat. Can ride on the side of the road, & be a real beast off-road.