Grenadiers
Adventurer
A cool scooter to look at is the 2005-2006 Honda Big Ruckus. 250cc scooter, requires a motorcycle license, fits two people, and keeps up with traffic. Hard to find low mileage units now.
E-bike or motorcycle for secondary vehicle
- Thread starter Photobug
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Wow that is a nice looking setup. This would be an awesome commuter too.
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billiebob
Well-known member
I love the freedom of an e-bike but used motorbikes are soo cheap.
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and soo cool.... BaT always has a few, this one sold for $3800.00...
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and soo cool.... BaT always has a few, this one sold for $3800.00...
calicamper
Expedition Leader
Wow that definitely is a really clean and super slick kit. Now I’m thinking about going ebike. Would be fun to build a sleeper out of a old classic?
The CYC X1 pro on a carbon comp. Amazing power and setup. They have a smaller version out now which is what I would do if I could do over. This has so much power it borders on excessive. Mine is so stealthy and can climb anything.
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Photobug
Well-known member
That is kind of where I am heading: A bike and motorcycle. In my search the WR250 was looking like a good option. In doing my research it is fairly high stance and I have stubby legs, so the search continues.
I will probably buy a CYC kit for my wife's bike and see how that goes for her. I contacted them and the bottom bracket is changeable so it can be moved to a different bike which is nice. I really like the idea of adding my own motor to a bike so I am not dealing with proprietary parts on an expensive E-bike.
RoamIt
Well-known member
I'm planning the same thing, I'm going with a motorcycle and an e-bike. I do like the idea of buying a quality mountain bike and adding my own motor. I'm a road cyclist (typically 2k miles yr.) and am picky about my bikes. Although it will probably cost more that way, you don't want to know how much I've spent on bikes
, a new small ADV motorcycle will be cheaper...
Photobug
Well-known member
I'm planning the same thing, I'm going with a motorcycle and an e-bike. I do like the idea of buying a quality mountain bike and adding my own motor. I'm a road cyclist (typically 2k miles yr.) and am picky about my bikes. Although it will probably cost more that way, you don't want to know how much I've spent on bikes
I was a Mtn Biker back in the day and am/was more a roadbiker now, I have two older steel frame bikes(Marinoni and Lemond), and my Mtn Bikes both have 26" tires. So as much as I like biking I am a fat old man. If I was in better shape I would think nothing about bringing a bike and just riding 10 miles into town.
As much as I would love to have nicer bikes all around, I am too cheap to invest in a bike I don't ride so much anymore. If I were to have a nicer bike, I don't know I would put the motor on it. My thought process on a bike I would install a motor on: I want it to be a comfortable bike to ride. No need to install a motor on a $1000 bike or anything specialized. If I add a motor to any of our bikes my wife or mine. I am thinking of putting a motor on our oldest bikes. They are old and heavy but are comfortable to ride. If I want an e-bike I would feel the electric is the primary feature and would rather not put it on a super nice bike, unless I lived full time in the van and only had one bike. I would rather buy more battery or a second battery for my e-bike than putting the motor on a high end bike.
My wife's $100 Trek might be our first E-bike. Or I might convert my 1987 Marin Hardtail to an E-bike.
RoamIt
Well-known member
Ha! The pedals on my Cervelo were $700 (dual power meters) But, like anything, if you're into something, you spend the money. If you don't ride that much then it doesn't make sense to spend the $$.
Part of my overlanding plan is indeed riding a lot, to stay in shape and explore where the 10 ton rig can't go. A Mtn bike for the trails, beaches, etc. and a road bike for the cities. It's a bucket list thing for me to ride my bike along some of the same routes as the big tours, like Tour de France. (except for the mountains, a 100mi ride is easy for me, but not 100mi up!)
It's the Mtn bike I may add electric motor to. But cheap ones weigh a lot, which means less power/range you'll get from a motor. I think the prices on E-bikes will come down, so by the time I'm ready to do a deal, it may be better to buy a factory one, instead of a adding a motor to one.
The motorcycle is for runs for supplies, emergency's, or if I have to park the rig so far from a city that I have to get on some main roads to get there, and 2up as needed.
A bafang BBS02 is a very easy and affordable way to convert those older bikes. It makes sense to do the older heavy bikes that you like and they will rip when you are done. The smile factor is hard to overstate.
calicamper
Expedition Leader
Same thoughts here. I did lots of road and some MT biking before kids. Now with kids I strictly stick to trail to avoid the texting drivers. More cycle buddies have been hit in the last 6 yrs than I can count. All of them have switched to gravel bikes and Mt Bikes don’t ride road anymore. One buddy with a old mans cycle team they switched to gravel and about once a month they spend the weekend on Catalina Island riding zero road traffic there?.
I still like riding my old hard tail on the trail. No joke my HS bike has been rebuilt multiple times over the yrs kid hauler, farmers market mule, camping mule etc. I wouldn’t electrify that one probably break in half the first ride. But finding a few yrs old solid hard tail in a garage sale would be interesting to build up.
Photobug
Well-known member
I have no reason to be as frugal as I am other than I retired young and want to stay retired. If I could get back into riding again I would buy a nicer bike.
I think the only bike I paid over $700 for was my Specialized Stumpjumper which was used but it was my only full suspension bike and I went out and got overconfident on my first day on it. Hit a stump with my pedal doing 20+ and did a high speed flip over the handlebars with bike still attached to me. I got badly hurt but not injured (injure equals hospital). My $700 1987 Marin Pine Mountain might get the motor. Just because it is now built as a commuter, I think the ability to go farther into town and zip around the city with my wife would be fun on an e-bike.
One reason I would like an E-bike is it looks like a lot of fun, and would make biking easier. In my search for e-bikes a few months ago, I found a forum for fat guys using E-bikes to lose significant weight. I would hope owning an e-bike would be a good start on a workout regimen. The hope being after some E-biking I could do justice on my Stumpjumper, riding some aggressive Mtn Bike trails. If I could ever get back into shape, someday I'd like to do this.
2024 LoToJa
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PS I hear 1up and 2 up. are these bike racks for one or two bikes?
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Photobug
Well-known member
Those are cheap, got to consider that. I am tempted though to buy the same one you did as you can change the Bottom bracket size and move it to a different bike. There are so many ways I think having an E-bike would be a total game changer.