Day #1 and I'm bummed

[BTB Wild]

I just joined this forum and was so excited to select and assemble my first motorized bicycle until I read the legal stuff. I can assure you ( with 99% certainty as a life-long resident of this state) that Pennsylvania will restrict and crack down on these bikes. This state sucks the life out of you.
Now I'm re-thinking the entire idea. I may purchase a TOMOS moped with some assurance that I can ride legally once I jump through the legal hoops of registration, insurance etc. Oh well................

 

[Alaskavan]

Before you give up. I'm not sure how adventurous/rebellious you are, but somewhere there's pics of a bike with a milk crate mounted on a rack on the back. You might want to consider something like that. I'll look and see if I can find the thread.

 

[BTB Wild]

I hear ya........

I thought about cutting the bottom out of a bike bag to disguise the engine ( while not running) but of course I need to disguise the engine while running.
I'd be interested to see some ideas.
So far everything I've looked at that I like is in the $600+ range. A few hundred $$ more and I have a new TOMOS moped. Something tells me I'm not quite ready to let the bike idea go however.
Noise DB might be just as important. I'm going to read about that quiet MIT engine Staton offers etc. Quieter engine, kill switch and motor under cover might be worth the gamble.

 

[Alaskavan]

Darn. I'm having trouble finding those pictures. Maybe someone else will know where they are, or perhaps you can find them. But, what the heck, use your imagination. Wouldn't your bike look good with a milk crate sitting on a Staton or GEBE mount, going down the road at 25 -30?

 

[Alaskavan]

I run a 43cc Mitsu from Staton. A weed eater kinda sounds like a weed eater. It's reasonably quiet, but a cop standing there will hear it if you don't kill it brfore you ride up to him. Most cops in cars have the windows up. They won't hear you. Just remember to pedal when you're around them. Smile and wave. They may be impressed with how fast you can ride.

 

[BTB Wild]

I have a full suspension GT mountain bike and here in W Pennsylvania my reason for the engine is hill climbing. ( or hill climb assist... but I like the former
So I'd be looking at a kit that puts out low speed torque as quiet as possible.
My knobby tire full suspension bike is not built for speed ( with me on it anyway)
As promised I'm a newbie that won't be asking dumb questions (before I do my research) but FWIW I like what I see in those Staton kits. If I went the GE route I thought about mounting 2 drive rings ( both sides of the wheel) and attach the two together with bolts ( low torque) to distribute the engine torque to all spokes and avoid some of the problems I've read about with spokes breaking etc.
I'd also be interested in mods to this drive ring if anyone has figured out a fix. ( don't want to spend big $$ on a new wheel) So far I like the Staton and the apparent ease, simplicity and light weight features the Golden eagle set-up offers.

 

[turbo/chaos]

yeah the smile and wave works man i tell you
i had the best, what was that look face from a cop
when he whent by he was hitting his raydar gun like it was broken
LOL man that was the best and funnyist thing i have seen

 

[Alaskavan]

If you're interested in the Staton, I'd advise you to go with the chain drive. You can gear it for hill climbing, and you can get a wheel from them with a freewheel gear and heavy spokes (Pretty cheap if you buy it with the motor). Of course, all this is just MHO.

 

[bamabikeguy]

If I went the GE route I thought about mounting 2 drive rings ( both sides of the wheel) and attach the two together with bolts ( low torque) to distribute the engine torque to all spokes and avoid some of the problems I've read about with spokes breaking etc.

BTB- The easiest, least hassle wheel/spoke issue on GEBE is taken care of by using 12gauge from the get go.

The cost for your "doublering" idea (and the ring would not clear the chain anyway) is about the same as getting a new 12 gauge steel wheel ($30-40).

As to legalities....these are Motor Assisted bicycles, you've read all the differences with Mo-Peds.

A unique strategy might be "getting a note from your doctor", a prescribed recommendation for exercise.

I have NEVER had a cop ask me anything, and I've passed thousands now. In your local area, if you practice courtesy, there might be ZERO hassling.

If you had such a "physician prescribed M-B regimen", the very first time an event happens, the note could get them adjusted to your presence, word would spread to brother officers, and you could probably gain immunity.

Radical idea, I know, but if somebody in the more rigid states, like PA and NY, got a clever solution AND put up a little resistance, it might become THE LEGAL COMEBACK.

Like Dax, I'm of the radical MB wing, and IF any officer hassled me, I'd be hollering "Bring On a JURY", see if I couldn't at least convince citizens that government shouldn't get in the way of MB.research.

 

[srdavo]

and IF any officer hassled me, I'd be hollering "Bring On a JURY",

and the next thing you might be hollering is "Why am I face down on the ground, with your knee on my neck, Officer?"

he might even have a new Tazer to try out....and the pepper spray is a gimme!