I quit vandwelling, or living in any vehicle. Why?

[minimotos95]

Well I have lived the CRVL way for a while. But over the past few months it came to me it doesn't make sense for me to live in a vehicle. I am able bodied enough I do not NEED a van, truck or even car to live how I want. And that being reliant on such a machine limits me greatly getting to truly remote campsites.
Maintenance, insurance and registration cost are astronomical even if you don't drive the thing. Fuel, tire, oil, coolant, tune ups. Oh my, just to keep my truck legal and safe was roughly $1000 a year. Then gas, even at 50mpg(my last motorcycle) is a killer on long moves.

Now boots and calories are still expensive, I am thinking a 4 stroke 50cc scoot is the way to travel for me, bicycles(yes even quality ones like the specialized or Klein I had) are shockingly expensive to keep moving.
Again anything with tires limits your ability in the back country but ease of travel on smooth terrain is a trade off.

 

[Ken in Anaheim]

So, where will your "base-of-operations be ?

 

[minimotos95]

Mainly my kelty frame pack and 2 USGI shelter halfs forming a pup tent. Free storage for junk I don't pack at my mother's house, I do like to visit family every once in a while but only for a day or two

I'm thinking I will be headed down to the Q as soon as I finish sorting out crap in Colorado.

 

[DannyB1954]

Some travel the world with just a back pack. May you always find a warm place to sleep and a ride when you need it.
Do you know about couchsurfers?

 

[jimindenver]

I will be headed down to the Q as soon as I finish sorting out crap in Colorado.

I was just saying that this morning.

 

[BradKW]

I live on an island where scooters are considered normal transportation and have owned a number of them. A few thoughts:

1) The only advantage to 50cc (49cc really) is that it doesn't require motorcycle license or insurance.
2) Buy a Yamaha. When something goes wrong, service and parts are easy to find. Honda is an option on those criteria, but I'd go Yamaha.
3) Avoid Chinese scooters...the best of them are hard to get parts/service, and the worst of them will fall apart right under you...quickly.
4) 49cc scooters are not fast and don't have the balls to get you out of a tight spot. Figure 35 mph.
5) You won't see a mileage improvement over your motorcycle, despite manufacturer lies...err, I mean claims. A 90 lbs girl might get 65+ mph on a stock Zuma if ridden just right, but a 190+ lbs man with luggage and camp equipment will be pressed to get 50+ mph.
6) Scooters in general just aren't made to haul much of anything, and the smaller the scooter the more weight over long distance is going to disagree with it.

 

[Gary68]

a honda cub would be a good choice,reliable and they made a bazzilon of them

in some countries they are considered trucks

 

[minimotos95]

Yeah a 50cc has it's drawbacks. My last scoot was a Yamaha 50, $2 a year to reg, $75 to insure and 95-115mpg every fuel up. Tires on that one were about $20ea.
In contrast I had a 125cc pitbike Street legal(Honda 70 chassis) what killed it was the cost of registration for something that still couldn't cruise down the highway at 55. Tires, fuel and insurance were the same cost.
A small bore dual sport might be an option if available for the right price, as much as I hated all the 200-230cc air cooled 4 stroke dual sports I rode they are still good on fuel but highway capable to an extent.

Definitely Yamaha, either another Street legal ttr50 or something with the C3, 50f Vino classic 4 stroke motor.
I wouldn't mind a Honda zb50 if I could find one cheap.

 

[Larry48]

Seems there's alot of people that are quitting vandwelling , i've also noticed theres alot of people getting into relationships that have been van dwelling alone a long time.

 

[GotSmart]

That is called life.  Things happen, situations change, We all have stories that will curl your hair!  

Bottom line is that whatever a person decides to do, as long as they have a reasonable plan to do it.  More power to them.  I just wish I had the strength to do some of the ideas these "kids" have.  Mimimotos95 sounds like they have more of a clue than the average bear.  Enjoy!

 

[jimindenver]

Seems like there is a steady stream of new people of which I am one of.

 

[DannyB1954]

Probably everything gets old after a while. Everything has an advantage and a disadvantage. Sometimes one just gets tired of the disadvantages that they now have and trade them in on different ones. I lived on boats most of my life, now I have a house and plan on being a part timer. I guess I can't make up my mind.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Seems like there is a steady stream of new people of which I am one of.

People come, people go.  The ones that go leave for various reasons.  In at least a few cases, I'm sure it was because the voices in their heads told them to leave . . .

BTW, if anyone is interested, here's the blog of a young woman who just traveled across country on a 200 cc scooter, camping and couch surfing.

https://sarahblessington.com/

 

[Goshawk]

Have been watching a youtube series where a guy and his girlfriend are traveling from Alaska to South America via moped. It can be done. this same guy travel across Asia and Europe

Only trouble I have is these HONDA C90 scooters can not be found in the USA for less than $2000, which is the same price for a good used motorcycle. Anyone have a source for them?

can completely understand wanting to go to a long distance hiking vagabond lifestyle as cheaper. It is crazy expensive to keep a vehicle on the road. have found a lot of disingenuous stories about how the costs are only around $15000 a year, and all fail to include: 1) true effective insurance costs (vehicle and medical which can be $5000 a year); 2) costs for transition to a 9to5 lifestyle (apartment and clothes are needed which can run $3000) if needed; 3) vehicle repairs of $1000 to $5000 to $10,000 in a year (blow a transmission, which happens so often, or other major drive train system like engine, etc.). if you crash the vehicle its going to be $10000 to replace it.

many consider this to be a life of riley (Irish story) perfect love of a lifestyle. but its not easy, and having no parachute (no savings) is difficult.

 

[jimindenver]

I certainly would not have made these changes without healthy settlement from the house, business and such. It's taken years to get the rig ready and finishing it up is causing the credit card to melt down from all of the last minute things I could not spend on until I knew this was the route I was taking.

 

[ArtW]

Hmmmm, traveling on a scooter, I have a scooter, lol, a big one

 

[ArtW]

Having zero experience backpacking I would love to see how one fulltimes as a backpacker / scooter rider, My scoot is newer and in much better shape than my truck lol
Army tent might seem a bit small, though

 

[akrvbob]

My question about living on a scooter is how will you fit everything you need to live on to such a small space? And can it realistically handle the weight if you can fit it all on? You must have given that some thought.

I've motorcycle camped for 2 months but it was a big touring bike with saddle bags, luggage rack, fairing, and tank bag.

 

[Vagabound]

I'll chime in on the "scooter" part of this topic.

Despite my admiration for Brother BradKW, I have to disagree about scooter type and limitations, at least in a few important ways.

First, make of scooter.  Yamahas are likely very good, but pricey and not the only reasonable choice.  I agree that I'd avoid any _mainland_ Chinese scooter brand. Conversely, I would strongly recommend the Kymco or SYM makes of scooters from Taiwan.  In short, I don't have much to recommend from Taiwan, but those scooters are one of only a couple exceptions.

The Kymco scooters are nearly bullet-proof tanks.  Many of the Taiwanese ride them by the millions daily as their only mode of transportation.  They aren't big on spending money on anything, and certainly not anything as seemingly unnecessary as maintenance.  Despite that neglect, Kymco scooters 20 years old or so are very common sights.  They're like the Energizer Bunny -- they keep going, and going ... with little more than an occasional oil change.  I have never experienced any other mechanical device, and certainly not a vehicle of any type, as dependable as a Kymco scooter.  Rode a few different ones for 10+ years.  Rock solid.

Regarding size, I personally would not buy anything smaller than a 125cc scooter, unless it was for a very petite woman.  125cc scooters are not even that powerful, but they are the standard, average size that fits most people, and they are powerful enough for most tasks and speeds short of interstate speeds.  Additionally, in my experience, the 50cc are typically two-stroke, whereas the 125cc models are typically four-stroke, with the latter being generally better.

Regarding carrying loads, someone else has already posted a couple of photos showing what those scooters are capable of.  Just do a Google image search on "scooter Asia load" and you'll be amazed.  That said, I don't recommend that type of load carrying, but they are most certainly capable of it.  Millions of times a day, in many different countries, year after year.

Unfortunately, though Kymco and SYM both have cargo versions of their scooters, both companies have opted not to import those models to the U.S.  They both believe there is no market for them.  I think they are very mistaken, but they didn't ask me.

I've gotten around the "load carrying" problem in an interesting way before.  In short, I attached a bicycle trailer -- one normally used to drag rugrats around behind a bike.  Pulled it behind the scooter on a long-ish trip.  Issues of legality aside, it worked quite well.  If anyone is interested in more details, send me a PM.  

I plan to get a scooter again, as soon as possible, and make it the "toad" for my box truck.  Just can't beat them, unless you want to do a lot of off-road exploring.

Vagabound

 

[BradKW]

Actually I have owned two Kymco's including current one...if it weren't for concern about parts and availability, I'd certainly recommend it. I know that whatever small town you might find yourself in, you'll be able to get Yamaha and Honda parts. Perhaps Kymco is similar, I really haven't looked into it...