tonyishuk Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 Any advice regarding scooters and trailing them would be welcome. Previously my wife and rode bikes and we also rode Tandem. My wife now cannot cycle and I have no intention of using a tandem with no rear pedal assistance, or an Indian rickshaw to take her out. Unsporting I know ;-) Electric Bikes are out, unless they are able to be completely pedal free, as are mopeds that need to be pedalled to get started. Otherwise a moped / scooter (or two?) with an electric start seems reasonable. My wife has a car licence so can ride a 50cc machine. I have a m/cycle licence but have not ridden since my early twenty’s (some forty years ago!) and have not followed the scooter or small bike scene. I would prefer a scooter because they are automatic, offer weather protection to a degree and seem to cite less hostility on the road. We would like something that will take 2 people in reasonable comfort. I.e. with out crash hats meeting at every small bump !) Speed to keep up with reasonable traffic and fairly light to handle and load onto a trailer. I think a scooter rack will be out the question. Or am I pipe dreaming in the present motoring climate? Apologies to Motor Home forum lurkers if they have seen this posted elsewhere! Rgds Tony Ish UK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
graham Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 I assume you still have your motorcycle licence. Mopeds no longer have pedals and they will all have electric starts (their may be the odd exception). They are limited to 50cc and 30 mph and are not suitable for 2 up use. Also motor bike licencing is quite confused these days and though your wife has a car licence I believe she would need to do a training course and validate before using as a provisional bike licence ( do check because I am not certain there have been so many changes. Don't ask the police because they probably won't know either go to the DVLA). All the Japanese manufactures make small scooters as do Peugeot and Piaggio. Use their webs to get an idea of the range. I think you should aim for a 100/125cc to do what you want. I personally would look at the Honda step through (I forget the name). Good price, large wheels for stability, automatic clutch and seem to run for ever in the third world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 Tony How are you going to transport the moped/scooter? Some of them are a tad heavy so make sure you check this out when searching, also don't forget to see what the insurance costs are likely to be as they could be quite steep for you seeing as you've not had one for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 There is a quaint 250cc 4 stroke dual seated Vespa which seems to be the favourite at the moment. Top speed quoted at about 90 MPH so should keep up with the traffic. I have just replaced our stolen small motorcycles with a Honda APE for me and an electric start 4 stroke Monkey bike for the Mrs. She hasn,t ridden pillion ever since I broad sided a 350 Matchless to a halt in front of a bus when she was pregnant. I am (a little) older than you! Enjoy it as long as you can C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 Clive Was the accident caused because the Mrs had just whispered in your ear that you were going to be a Daddy, or were you trying to get her to go into labour as she was overdue????? (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted October 14, 2006 Share Posted October 14, 2006 Hi Mel, Not either Ha Ha. Some wazzark in a car had just passed us prior to a tight bend that was before a substancial dip in the road. We rounded the bend to be confronted by a stationary car on the other side that had stopped (driving school car doing a hill start), A double decker bus had pulled out to pass the school car totally blocking my side of the road and the car that passed us was impaled in the front of the bus. I had to stop somehow as there was no where to go so my off road scrambles techniques came into play as I part laid her down to broadside to a halt with both of us shaken but not stired. We hit nothing but started smoking again!! (I stopped again nearly 30 years back ) Stupid place to do a hill start Bad driving by the bust driver - he should have waited - you don,t put your passengers at risk. Stupid car driver who was driving too fast. Baby (No 1 son) arrived as predicted a few weeks later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartan3956 Posted October 14, 2006 Share Posted October 14, 2006 I tow a very large touring bike, but before that i had a Honda 125 motorcycle on a rack. I found this size of bike a bit small in power and size for two adults. I also found that the Rack/bike loaded the rear suspension and made the steering too light. If you go for a scooter and trailer it, i would suggest a Japanese machine as they are trouble free and quality is second to none. Especially the Honda models They are all four strokes and go up to 600cc. Have Automatic transmissions storage for helmets and phone charger 12volt outlets. You can buy cheap intercoms to fit in your helmets, its certainly changed since British machines where about. I wouldnt go lower than a 250cc machine or you wont be able to compete with the traffic and will be muscled out by the Cage sorry car drivers. There are lots of people who used to ride in their teens now finding that they are born again motorcyclists. But i would suggest you go on an instructed course which you can get locally for a refresher. This year i trailer mine all the way to Berlin and parked it 30 ft from the Brandenburg gate, parking in Europe is so easy. Happy riding Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted October 14, 2006 Share Posted October 14, 2006 Agree about the Trailer. We carried our two small bikes on the back of our Scout for 7 years without any trouble BUT when I eventually put her on a weighbridge it was well and truly over on the back axle. So I built a light weight aluminium trailer. Now we find more things to put in the trailer. And so it grows! I have an old twin axle trailer with a canvas body as well, far too big for a couple of small bikes, but we took it to the York show as it also carried loads of other clutter it was deemed we needed. I,d like a bigger bike but er indoors says NO, she doesn,t trust me and secondly the ones we have I can lift and carry if necessary. We do a lot of green laneing in France and they are fine for that. Even a full size trail bike would be OK with a 125 engine. Don,t forget we don,t do two up, its a bike each. My APE has a load of Japanese tuning bits, 13 BHP at 12K when it comes onto cam. So its fun. I,ll get a bigger bike sometime, probably an old one to do up as a project. Will it be a BSA, Triumph, Norton, Ariel square Four, Matchless, Douglas Dragonfly (I really would like one of them) Velocette (I had a Viper), AJS, Dratsab, Greaves, Cotton, Francis Barnet, or a Cyclemaster or even a Zundap or BMW? Perhaps a Rudge Ulster, Harley Davidson, Indian. What have I missed out? C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dobscott Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 I have just traded my 650cc Honda for a Honda PES 125cc Scooter. What fun, its so easy to ride, park and handle. After 55 yrs. of proper motorcycling (is that the correct description?) I never thought that I would actually enjoy riding a scooter. I intend to use it two up and transport it on a rack. The scooter weighs 120kgs and I will of course check that I have enough capacity to ensure that I am not overloaded. Regards to all the other ex and current bikers on the site and to everyone else. Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankkia Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 We are lucky enough to have a Frankia with double garage so the Honda SH125 goes inside and keeps nice and clean and away from the prying eyes of the not so nice. We have on a previous 'van had a bike on the back on a rack (poetry) and we were not all that happy having a droopy rear ( OOOh mrs) and the bike was a pain to get off and on - We strapped it down and locked it down and almost nailed the damn thing down and then put a cover over it but it was still mucky. >:-( The Honda SH125 is a smashing scooter and with it's big wheels can be ridden like a bike. It's very stable on the road and has enough power to keep up with normal speeds (can get up to about 60) with 2 up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel E Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 Dobbscott, A 120 Kg scooter plus a rack (say 50 Kgs) plus the towbar to mount the rack on (say, another 100 Kgs) is almost certainly going to overload your rear axle (see my reply to the thread 'Max Wt & Payload'). If you want to check, send me a private mesage with your email address and I'll send you my load calculator. You'll need to visit a weighbridge, but the calculator will then enable you to work out the consequences of adding any load anywhere you wish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartan3956 Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 The motorcycle show is at the NEC from 27th October to 5th November it has every bike you could think of on show plus riding gear helmets and there`s usually a bargain or two to be had, Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted October 19, 2006 Author Share Posted October 19, 2006 Many thanks for your replies. I think that doing a CBT first and then if I get through that, I can hire a bike and take an improvers course and see how I get on. Rgds Tony Ish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docted Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 Tony if you do go ahead and get a bike go to your local IAM motorcycle group. They offer a skill for life package for £85. Volunteers will give you coaching and encouragement to improve your safety and make you an improved rider. www.iam.org Docted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovejoyantiques Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 HAPPY NEW YEAR Mel ! I am wondering if you still have the Honda NF75's I read about in a previous message ?? I also keep one running, and have another two for spares, one of which idles but will not rev (only has 2846m on speedo, but has stood for years in a garage). You are the ONLY person I have traced with one (or more!) Do you know of a supply of spares, or others with NF75's?? I look forward very much to a reply, best wishes from Lovejoy (in the sun!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vernon B Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Hi all one or two observations. Firstly I'd concur with the earlier advice Tony and get yourself on one of the very well run training courses before you get back in the saddle. I'm around your age and decided to give scooters a go earlier this year - I've never been on motorbike/scooter before in my life. I got through the test first time (lucky and surprised!) and found the course very useful in many ways - not least making me aware of the bad driving habits I'd picked over the years. Like you we've used push bikes as a means of getting around while away and my objective in trying out a scooter was in anticipation of getting even older and finding ways of extending our range of trips. Having said that my plans are not very well thought out yet as you'll see. I passed my test in July and a bought a second hand Suzuki Burgman 400 a couple of weeks later and I'd recommend you look at their range which includes a 250cc model. The 400 is what they call a "maxi scooter" and was designed as a comfortable city commuting bike with lots of room for two and luggage - front on it looks more like a sports motorbike than a scooter. I made this selection for one reason only - I may be old - but I wanted to look cool! I think that requirement has been satisfied (others may disagree) but it now raises other questions. The main one being weight - 195Kg which in no way will go on the rear of the van. A trailer would be an option so I'd really appreciate hearing from Pete about what trailer he uses and how convenient (loading/unloading/towing/storing on site/etc) he finds this set up. As a former caravaner I'm reluctant to go back to tugs but these conflicts of interest keep the old grey matter working away and I'm still open to suggestions. I'm really delighted with the ride qualities of the Burgy and would be very reluctant to give it up for something smaller (uncool), so the options appear to be limited to towing it or renting a scooter when abroad, unless someone out there knows better. Vernon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartan3956 Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Vernon You have made a good choice its cool as scooters go. good size of engine and loads of storage. If im right the Burgman was the first high capacity scooter built which other manufacturers have copied so much better than the early and low capacity bikes, it well able to cover as many miles as you want in comfort. I would seriously consider a light motorcycle trailer, you shouldnt have much trouble putting the bike on i drive mine up onto the trailer while standing at the side in first gear and it is a mere 325kg kerb weight with petrol 6 gallons full and accessories its near 365kg you wouldnt want it to fall on you. It cost me around £40 extra on the ferry which was well worth it for the convenience while away. I insure comprehensively with Ebike at a cost of £123 which covers up to four bikes European breakdown cost an extra £49.95. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Lovejoy - I've sent you a PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vernon B Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 That's very encouraging Pete - can you tell me the manufacture/model of your trailer I'd like to follow up the suggestion? Veron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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