Mini Bike Camping

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Bravo30

Well-known member
im looking for recommendations on mini bikes.

were heading out west in about a month for an extended road trip in our sprinter van and plan to bring along 2 mini bikes for exploring the country side and occasional over night camping trips. were looking for something that we could take on the trails and perhaps carry a bit of gear with. nothing crazy, just a tent and maybe some cooking gear. the rest will be on our backs in day packs. im 6'240lbs and shes 5'7'' thin, normal girl weight (whatever that is) so far ive come across the Coleman bikes and they seem decent for there price point. Another bike is the Monster Dog Mini. thats costs a bit more but it has suspension and a torque converter just not sure if the extra money is worth it. budget is around $1,000 per bike but i dont mind spending more if the value is there.


any ideas ?

https://gokartsusa.com/Monster_Dog_Minibike-1.aspx


http://www.campingworld.com/coleman...t-5yGRzI49bpwOgs2DUfNmBdCGgoJ5SBoCkEQQAvD_BwE



 
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B

Bravo30

Well-known member
i went with a pair of Coleman C200UEX bikes. $1,000 for both. im 240lbs and they move me around easily at 20-25mph so thats fine for what well be doing. my wife weights about 130lbs so i figure she can carry 100lbs on here bike if need be. we plan to do some overnight camping in the desert so i got a few saddle bags for the bikes and also installed a water bottle holder (extra cant hurt) the bags fit perfectly over the fake gas tank. i can fit a 1g gas can in each of the side bags plus additional gear. all and all id say we can now carry what we need to have a fun trip. i was a bit worried we wouldn't be able to take much but that's no longer the case.

the bikes have centrifugal clutch's so well have to oil them every few hours. maybe when i get back ill swap them out with torque converters but for now theyre fine. from what ive read the engines are pretty reliable and most importantly, the bikes fit perfectly in the van underneath the sleeping platform. im a little concerned with the gasoline so ill be transporting them empty then when we get to the campsite or about to get there ill fill up a few Wavian cans that i have.



















 
robert

robert

Expedition Leader
Just be aware that some places you have to have to be street legal with insurance to ride the back roads. I've watched a couple of videos with those Coleman/Baja/whatever other brand they're sold under minis and one thing I've noticed is that a lot of folks don't air down the tires, which are essentially your only suspension, so the ride looks really bouncy (read tiring). Most folks recommend carrying a patch kit and a way to reinflate the tires as the wide lug spacing allows cactus spines and stuff to puncture the tires.

A bit late but it's one of the reasons I like the Chinese copy of the Honda Trail 70 that they've dropped 125cc engines into.
 
J

Jeffer949

Observer
Just watched the video... That looks even more horrible than I thought it could be..... Sorry. I am a motorcycle guy all day long and would love to use trail bikes fro actually go on adventures but you need gears and suspension. My back hurts just watching that video.
 
FordGuy1

FordGuy1

Adventurer
Jeffer949 said:
Just watched the video... That looks even more horrible than I thought it could be..... Sorry. I am a motorcycle guy all day long and would love to use trail bikes fro actually go on adventures but you need gears and suspension. My back hurts just watching that video.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactlly, it just has to suck.
 
robert

robert

Expedition Leader
Definitely need a trip report when you go- I love doing goofy things like this and would love to try it.

I'd probably ditch the headlight for an LED light. Make sure you lube the cables and such, it'd suck to have one snap and rarely do big box store assembly monkeys use a torque wrench or even snug things tightly or lube anything. I'd probably check the fork oil (if theyre oil filled) and consider some fork boots of some type too. Carry a small bottle of oil to lube your chain with as needed.
 
B

Bravo30

Well-known member
robert said:
Definitely need a trip report when you go- I love doing goofy things like this and would love to try it.

I'd probably ditch the headlight for an LED light. Make sure you lube the cables and such, it'd suck to have one snap and rarely do big box store assembly monkeys use a torque wrench or even snug things tightly or lube anything. I'd probably check the fork oil (if theyre oil filled) and consider some fork boots of some type too. Carry a small bottle of oil to lube your chain with as needed.
Click to expand...


i cant even go down that rabbit whole right now. i would never see the light of day (im a flashaholic)

good call on the fork oil, ill look into that. i have chain oil and oil for the clutch already.
 
Chili

Chili

Explorer
Bravo30 said:
yes ! it all started with mountain bikes and then i stumbled onto the mini bike videos and it was all down hill from there.
Click to expand...

Haha, it was an entertaining episode, and I'll be honest, it made me want to do something similar! lol

Though as a few others mentioned, I'd probably just have gone ahead and picked up a used TW200 (or two) instead. I have been really close to picking one up myself, at least when I was still driving a full size rig. I wanted to throw one one a hitch carrier to take along with us. I still may do it, and in fact am planning to move from the Jeep to a van build (buying a 2wd E350 and self-converting), so once that ball has started I may finally pull the trigger.

The others have covered most of them, but my reasoning is that they are street legal; easy to ride and comfortable; reasonably priced but also hold value well (if bought used especially); good aftermarket support, especially for cargo capacity with racks for front and back; great on fuel; they've been pretty well the same for well over a decade so lots of parts / knowledge and availability; and heck, they just look cool IMO!

All that said, I envy your project, and I'm sure you'll have fun with it either way!
 
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