Gypsyjoe#1
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In 2007 I attempted the Guiness world record on the lawnmower in my avatar picture. https://www.telegram.com/story/news...18/rider-for-charity-pulled-over/52948979007/
Motorcycle to use as a "toad" with van
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PeterPiper
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Oh...and another thing.......
WHY IS It...that whenever I'm carrying a motorcycle, bicycle or scooter on the trailer hitch carrier.....people get so close they sometimes actually bump into it?
I've actually had that happen twice. Once a commercial van did it and broke a bunch of the plastics. NEVER happened when I was not carrying a bike.
WHY IS It...that whenever I'm carrying a motorcycle, bicycle or scooter on the trailer hitch carrier.....people get so close they sometimes actually bump into it?
I've actually had that happen twice. Once a commercial van did it and broke a bunch of the plastics. NEVER happened when I was not carrying a bike.
frater secessus
Well-known member
I've had various road bikes and plan to get a light (250cc) enduro or battle scooter for the receiver hitch at some point.
Shouldn't be too hard to fix 2nd gear. I see there are some CT70 clones being imported from China with 125cc engines.
17/45 gearing at the moment.
grumpygrizzly
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I've got 2 Trail 90's. One is a very rare automatic but, it's stuck in gear so needs to get worked on. My other one sat for about 5 years, I put fresh gas in it and it fired up on the 2nd kick..
When I do the whole "living in my RV" thing, I plan to pull a horse trailer with a tack room on the front so I can keep my tools covered and locked up, then I'll put one of my GoldWings (I'got 3.75 Goldwings, One is a donor) sideways on the trailer and one of my Jeep Wranglers on the back.
It'll definitely be hard to narrow my GoldWing Fleet down to one bike but, with the way I want to modify one of them, it'll only be a solo seat on it.. So I might as well plan on taking my 1500cc with me as well.
When I do the whole "living in my RV" thing, I plan to pull a horse trailer with a tack room on the front so I can keep my tools covered and locked up, then I'll put one of my GoldWings (I'got 3.75 Goldwings, One is a donor) sideways on the trailer and one of my Jeep Wranglers on the back.
It'll definitely be hard to narrow my GoldWing Fleet down to one bike but, with the way I want to modify one of them, it'll only be a solo seat on it.. So I might as well plan on taking my 1500cc with me as well.
Dang. What will you be towing all that with?
Would the 140cc be enough power to go a little steeper and get 60+mph?
60 maybe depending on your size, the elevation, the right tires, etc.. My daughter hit 67 on it once but she's small. That was with a 17/40 ratio.
With the political situation what it is right now, a Russian motorcycle probably isn't the best choice. I've often dreamed of a toy hauler or trailer with a Ural Motorcycle and sidecar. They come as a single unit. You can ride in rear wheel drive on the highway or engage the sidecar wheel when you go off-road. It even has reverse, to help get you out of tight places. Oh, well, I can still dream.
https://visor.ph/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/ural-sportsman-sidecar-main01.jpg
MG
https://visor.ph/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/ural-sportsman-sidecar-main01.jpg
MG
GoingMobile
Well-known member
I think I found the answer....
the political situation what it is right now, a Russian motorcycle probably isn't the best choice. I've often dreamed of a toy hauler or trailer with a Ural Motorcycle and sidecar. They come as a single unit. You can ride in rear wheel drive on the highway or engage the sidecar wheel when you go off-road. It even has reverse, to help get you out of tight places. Oh, well, I can still dream.
Honda has reintroduced the Trail 90, actually the Trail 125. It looks a lot like the Trail 90 but has all the modern features like electric start, fuel injection, disk brake, etc., but no dual range transmission.
Urals have a hard time keeping up with traffic on the highway. Try to run it a 60 mph and you'll get gas mileage in the 20s. Build quality and reliability is very poor but they're excellent chick magnets!
Honda has reintroduced the Trail 90, actually the Trail 125. It looks a lot like the Trail 90 but has all the modern features like electric start, fuel injection, disk brake, etc., but no dual range transmission.
GoingMobile
Well-known member
I have a friend with a Ural with sidecar. Not a freeway ride but does surprisingly well off road. He rides it out in the California desert. There's a guy near where I teach in Mississippi who is an expert on vintage BMW motorcycles and has a museum of sorts at his shop that includes around 70 vintage BMW motorcycles going back to 1923. Last time I was there he had 3 of the WW2 German army "Blitzkrieg bikes" with sidecars and machine guns mounted.
I actually like that new Honda Trail 125. Watched a video where a guy took it on a freeway for a bit, although I don't think that would be strictly legal, at least in California a vehicle has to be at least 150 ccs to be allowed on the interstate. It claims to have a top speed of 59mph. Seems to do most of what I want albeit at a slow pace. Would probably be fairly easy to get up on a rack or even inside the van with the handlebars that will turn parallel to the bike for storage. The nostalgia is strong with those. I have memories of seeing them all the time on the backs of motorhomes driving out towards the deserts in Southern California when I was a kid.
I actually like that new Honda Trail 125. Watched a video where a guy took it on a freeway for a bit, although I don't think that would be strictly legal, at least in California a vehicle has to be at least 150 ccs to be allowed on the interstate. It claims to have a top speed of 59mph. Seems to do most of what I want albeit at a slow pace. Would probably be fairly easy to get up on a rack or even inside the van with the handlebars that will turn parallel to the bike for storage. The nostalgia is strong with those. I have memories of seeing them all the time on the backs of motorhomes driving out towards the deserts in Southern California when I was a kid.
Years ago I hauled one on the back of my van. Yes, very easy to load. And lots of fun. If a new 125cc would work for me, I'd carry it on the front.
BTW: The new 125 model weighs quite a bit more at 260lbs. That's up near what a DR200 or XT250 weighs.
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GoingMobile
Well-known member
That looks really cool. I wonder if the new one is at all structurally similar?
Yes, 259lbs, almost seems like they used lead instead of aluminum to get it up to that weigh. Only carries 1.2 gallons of fuel. But at 100 mpg I guess that's okay. Heavier than a street legal KTM 500 EXC, and not too much less than a Honda CRF300L at a little over 300lbs, which is a front runner for me at this point. The Trail 125 lists for $3,899. and the CRF300L for $5,249. only another $1,350. for a bike that is ten times more capable. If you can find one. By the time I have sold my current BMW perhaps there will be better supply as its a new model Honda has not supplied a lot of, and there has been high demand. Plus the current supply chain situation. I imagine new bikes use plenty of microchips, well maybe not the trail 125.
Still the Trail 125 is appealing, seems to merit the amount of attention I'd want to put into having a motorcycle along in my van travels without shifting too much focus away from other things. It could probably even fit in my van for safe keeping. Very utilitarian.
SteveSF
Member
Here my experience where I live. I had 2 e bikes ($2.4K each) one folding the other not. On the roads the e bikes are more dangerous than a bike bc cars don't expect you to move that fast. Then there is all the problems that come with a bicycle. As for maintenance good luck finding someone who will work on it. Then there is the high value aka theft. Plus they do not do well in rain. Lastly bc there is no licence required you have riders that have no idea what they are doing on basically a low speed motorcycle plus different places have different rules for use. My solution would be a beater bicycle that if someone stole it is no big deal. As for weight you are looking at around 70 lbs so if the battery dies or breaks down your not going too far but you can get CAA for e bikes. They also take up space more so than a bicycle. If you are mechanical inclined have space. money and medical it might work for you. If you have a trailer and a motorcycle licence look at scooters you might not be cool but they have a lot of storeage built in and there are some off road models. All that said if your north of say 180 lbs e bikes and bicycle are not really built for you, some scooters have 400 lbs payloads that would be ministry regulated as for bikes it is more here say. The beefiest folding bike you will find is the one the US military uses but at over a grand, theft will be a problem. The only safe e bike or bike is one that is kept out of sight inside a locked car or one you never take your hand off. Just my experience from years of biking and motorcycling.
SteveSF
Member
The newer bikes seem built with noise in mind most you can't tell if they are running. But let's be honest it's only good for recreation or mobility reasons. I can put more supplies in a van and a van is more secure than most motorcycles you could mount on your front bumper. But hey who doesn't like toys and the pleasure they bring. So if it makes you smile load her up. Ps on my Versys 650 I have to check my tack to see if it is running when my helmet is on. My V star 1100 wakes the dead a few towns over.
GoingMobile
Well-known member
After researching the Trail 90 a bit more I'm becoming more interested. Two features the new Trail 125 lacks from the original are a switch that changes the gearing down to a low range for crawling over any terrain, like a Willys jeep, and the handlebars have a lever you flip allowing them to be parallel to the bike. This would make it much easier to actually carry it inside my van. Reducing temptation for those inclined to theft. Tens of millions have been sold all around the world and are still in use as primary transportation in many countries. Not suitable for the freeway but they seem to travel fast enough for many two lane roads. Much less hazardous than an ebike as far as speed vs traffic speed. Just taking a casual search it seems a used one in good shape costs not too much less than the new one. But likely to find a deal with some patience. Found a video of a guy rebuilding the whole thing after riding it to Point Barrow in Alaska. I love the simplicity, durability and utility.
^
Yes, they have quite a cult-like following. I regularly check the AZ craigslists and see that good ones do get a little pricey.
A few years ago a group rode the TransAm trail on 5 of these but they had Lifan motors like Hugemoth has in his:
https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/trans-america-trail-on-honda-ct90s.881177/
Here's a '68 CL90 that would be fun. Same motor but no sub-trans. Also 4-speed with clutch and not an auto clutch like a CT. That's an advantage for me:
https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/mcy/d/higley-super-clean-classic-1968-honda/7440857484.html
Yes, they have quite a cult-like following. I regularly check the AZ craigslists and see that good ones do get a little pricey.
A few years ago a group rode the TransAm trail on 5 of these but they had Lifan motors like Hugemoth has in his:
https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/trans-america-trail-on-honda-ct90s.881177/
Here's a '68 CL90 that would be fun. Same motor but no sub-trans. Also 4-speed with clutch and not an auto clutch like a CT. That's an advantage for me:
https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/mcy/d/higley-super-clean-classic-1968-honda/7440857484.html
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