Is getting a scooter a good idea?

[RoamerRV428]

scooter for 'life now' or can it come on the road as you need?
there is a line of are ya on the road yet and know your limitations of storage/travel capacity for it and more if you don't have your set up just yet.

if you are living your life now and want one....go for it.
if you are very close to doing your rig set up and on the road, don't buy til you are on the road and KNOW what you really require.

do what ya feel you want........can't go wrong on that one

 

[CoyoteG]

,One of the projects I have in my galley is this Cargo Bike. In the photo it is gas powered, but for simplicity I think I would go with the electric front drive. (which I drew into the front wheel of the photo) If I were going to boondock or stay for extended periods I'd carry this along.

Clever

 

[bullfrog]

Flat tires are easily solved with Stan’s bicycle sealant, in fact it is possible to make most tubeless with it if you so desire. I usually get 1,000 miles out of my tires and then replace tubes and tires. When replacing them I usually modify an old tube to use as a liner for the new tube. I only have to add Stan’s once a year and then only if I get a flat which is seldom. Hundreds of goat heads and Russian Olive thorns get in my tires out here when I go off road.

 

[user 16179]

Flat tires are easily solved with Stan’s bicycle sealant, in fact it is possible to make most tubeless with it if you so desire. I usually get 1,000 miles out of my tires and then replace tubes and tires. When replacing them I usually modify an old tube to use as a liner for the new tube. I only have to add Stan’s once a year and then only if I get a flat which is seldom. Hundreds of goat heads and Russian Olive thorns get in my tires out here when I go off road.

The wheels on my Spec Fuse Sport are tubeless "ready". I don't want the mess of the maintenance while traveling so I kept the tubes and use Stan's. No leaks in Arizona and New Mexico so it's either extremely good luck or working well. I'm 66 and don't ride hard enough to worry about the weight of the tubes.

 

[eDJ_]

Where I mentioned the Cargo bike and configuring it as an eBike, this is how I would see it in finished form. Electric front whee drive large size tire (2+ inch similar to the rear tire) Without the gasoline motor there would be room for a cooler (Playmate cooler) in place of the motor. Battery pack would mount where the gas tank would be. This could be a fine scooter & grocery getter.

I could imagine a small business for anyone who welds and would build just the frame to sell. a builder with experience with bicycles could finish the builds for themselves.

 

[keebler]

i have 49 cc china "crappy scooter" has to be tagged and pay taxes in Virginia, runs sometimes, OOC for 3 years gas is $4.49 max speed 29 MPH. can get speeding ticket if over that. helmit required & safety eye protection.
all crazy.
keebler. after going thru 4 new carbureters I finally got (1) to work scooter now running.(yesterday) been broken down 3 + years. finally happy it runs.

 

[Casa De Wherever]

Yes, I highly recommend scooters. I have two identical Yamaha 50 Zuma scooters which get 132 mpg each. They are relatively heavy-duty with larger tires - good for on or offroad excursions. My Zuma's are 2012 models yet I've only had to replace one tire in that time, plus that extraordinary gas mileage mitigates my rig's 10.6 mpg. Oh, and since I have two I have also bartered horseback riding as well as jetski use.

 

[eDJ_]

Keebler

A big problem with the carb's on those Chinese motors is "foaming in the float bowl" which causes them to starve out. ( It's believed to happen due to engine vibration) One popular solution is to drill a 1/16" hole between the float bowl and the venturi. (this hole is is to be in the slot the carb slide rest in and facing the cylinder side.(thus the vacuum of the engine intake stabalizes the environment of the carburetor's float bowl. To do this requires completely dismantling the carb) A small notch is usually cut into the slide to align over top of that hole so it will also vent at idle. So many of those carbs are Walro's or Zuma's but if you want to spend a little money and end the problems there are Dellorto's. (which are better engineered) Vibration (leading to float bowl foaming) and a gas tank that isn't venting properly are other frequent sources of problems.

But since you have extra carb's to experiment with now......

 

[eDJ_]

Here is a sketch of what I'm talking about.

 

[LoupGarou]

I'm not a fan of scooters, but a Yamaha TW200 has served me well on my trips across the US and down into Mexico. I carry it on a VersaHaul Hitch Carrier.

 

[hugemoth]

Some Chinese scooters now come with fuel injection and more will follow because of EPA regulations. The Vitacci Clash 200 I bought recently has a fuel injected Lifan engine and cost no more than one with a carb.

The Yamaha TW200 is a great choice. The fat tires have a real advantage in soft sand and gravel that is found on the Arizona trails. Unfortunately a flat floor scooter is my only option due to a health issue that makes it difficult to get my leg over a motorcycle.

 

[keebler]

thanks, hoping all have a great weekend.
keeb.

 

[FlipperFla]

We used to have a 50cc Zuma but it was too dangerous because it couldn’t keep up with traffic. Upgraded to a 125cc.. no issues now. Great for running errands and exploring back roads. We have VersaHaul carrier which also allows me to trailer our skiff as an option. Depends on where we are going and for how long.

 

[eDJ_]

On thinking about the possibilities of a hybrid Bike, I notice many of the electric front wheel motors are 36 volt +. But how to build a 36 volt charting system ???

If a sheave were mounted on a rear wheel of a derailleur chain drive rear wheel then the sheave could drive a belt powering a modified small automotive alternator. (no big task to make this conversion) You would then have a 36 bolt charging system recharging the battery while under way with the gasoline motor. Thus you could switch back and forth. from gas power to electric.

A sheave mount setup would look like this:



Modifying the alternator is covered in this Youtube video. A regulator of some kind would likely be required but not a big issue.

Modifying 12 volt alternator to 36 volt output

I don't know of a bicycle electric motor that generates also to add charge to the battery when coasting or going downhill.

 

[RvNaut]

Scooters generally have smaller diameter tire and there fore are harder to handle in rough terrain/gravel/sand etc..
A 20" or larger fat-tire would be preferred.... I have an eBike with 20x4 fat tires... I wish I had 26" but that adds a lot of $$$$...

 

[bullfrog]

I like the 20” fat tire ebikes as they, for me, are easier to control as my center of gravity is closer to the ground. Mounting and dismounting is a problem for me on the taller bike even with a 30” inseam, a step through frame is highly recommended even on the 20” as it makes jumping off the seat on rugged trails possible with less chance of injury.

 

[keebler]

Scooters generally have smaller diameter tire and there fore are harder to handle in rough terrain/gravel/sand etc..
A 20" or larger fat-tire would be preferred.... I have an eBike with 20x4 fat tires... I wish I had 26" but that adds a lot of $$$$...

taller/bigger tires take more power to turn. that's why tires are 20" or less.

 

[eDJ_]

Here is an example of a bike rim adapted to be belt driven or use a belt to drive a generator. The sheave is just a smaller bare bicycle rim.

 

[rruff]

taller/bigger tires take more power to turn. that's why tires are 20" or less.

Nope. Gearing solves that. Rolling resistance is less with big tires.

 

[RvNaut]

taller/bigger tires take more power to turn. that's why tires are 20" or less.

The larger tires are much better on rough terrain, if the OP is going to be on asphalt only then tire size matters less, but a lerger tire takes a pot hole or other deviations much better.... caviat to that being that the tires need to not be skinny bicycle tires..