whisturx Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 With the knees complaining, it is time to think of alternative transport when away in the van. First thoughts were to buy a 50 cc scooter to avoid having to take a bike test,but I believe you cannot take a pillion passenger on an ordinary car licence ? No problem with weight as we have a tandem axle Hobby.But with neither of us being the lightest, will 50 cc get up the hills ? we do not intend going to far from the van. Electric bikes are another option and we have looked at Powabykes which although not the cheapest seem to have the power and build quality,unless anyone knows different ? Can you buy a bike rack capable of taking two electric bikes bolted to a tow bar as I do not want to leave another rack on the back when changing vans , and the weight would be an issue on the van wall, although the battery accounts for half the weight of the bike! Any suggestions would be welcome, except trailers as at 8 metres the Hobby is enough fun in a cul de sac !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martkaz Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 A 50cc scooter will be just fine as long as you both physically fit on it, the modern 50cc engines are a lot more powerful than they used to be, you will be surprised....... also if you hold a full UK car license you are able to take passengers but only on bikes/scooter's up to 50cc, any bigger and you will need to pass a bike test. Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skottle Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 Hi Martyn. I don't think you can carry a passenger on any 50cc bike/scooter. If you haven't passed your bike test you cannot carry a passenger unless they have passed their test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 Skottle is right, you cannot carry a passenger on any moped, scooter or motorbike unless you or the passenger has a full bike licence. I believe there are also some restrictions now on what you can ride even when you have passed your test, depending on what engine size of bike etc you passed your test on. You used to have to take a basic proficiency test every couple of years if you had bikes over 50cc up to 125cc if you didn't have your full licence which I assume is still the case. If you've never ridden a bike, moped etc before try before you buy as it's not for everyone, nowadays with some of the idiots on the roads you really do need your wits about you. Check out insurance first as well - you might get quite a shock! Riding bikes with a pillion passenger is different to riding without, especially if the pillion is larger/heavier than you you will certainly notice the difference it makes to the handling etc, this is why even though I have had my full bike test since 1981 I always used to be pillion - but I hated it! We now have two 1980/81 vintage Honda NF75 70cc auto mopeds, they are lovely to ride and great fun too, plust being 'classics' they are cheap on insurance and we get an agreed value as well. If you don't intend to do too much travelling, ie just a few miles here and there, then electric bikes would seem to be the best solution for you, with some you can remove the battery for storage in the van to keep the weight down so you are then just carrying around two slightly heavier pedal bikes. If you do go down this route make sure you check out the type and size of battery - some have a much quicker charging rate and storage capacity than others and I believe that some now come without a battery 'memory' so you don't get problems with the amount of charge that they hold getting less and less over time. (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martkaz Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 Take note of the first paragraph ;-) http://www.phmotorcycles.co.uk/training-faq.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 My Mrs had a 50cc monkey bike with 3 gears and an automatic clutch. It would most definately go up any hill she had the bottle to take it. Max level speed 30 MPH. I also have a slightly larger Honda APE and a full bike license. Like you I have had the first "knee job". You may be interested to know that M50 monkey bikes are sold as new with 110 cc engines fitted. Strange I know. Look at www.monkeybike.co.uk/ for details. Best will be Honda, Next best will be Jincheng or Skyteam. I can confirm that the speed up hills is much faster with the bigger engine. I wouldn,t entertain an electric bike as they are so limited in performance and range unless you only want to go round show sites. Several companies sell bike racks that hang on tow bars but none I have looked at would convince me to use them. For stability a rear bike rack needs fixings further apart than three and a half inches! I had Newark Vehicle Bodies make the rack for us but 7 years later changed to a trailer after testing on a weighbridge. It also depends if your Hobby chassis is full length of the vehicle or stops some way back thus requiring a rear chassis extension first. Bikes are great fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martkaz Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 whisturx, I see you have asked the same question on Motorhome facts.com and you were eventually given the right answer...the one I gave you ;-) ....I would not of replied to your post if I wasn't 100% sure of my facts, as I don't like to confuse people!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hymer C 9. Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 Hi Whisturx, One option to look at is the Giant LaFree power assist bike, it looks very much like a conventinal bike which you pedal, but when you get to a hill, wind against you or just want a bit of help you just flick the switch on and its like Mary Poppins you just take off. I have had my bike now for 3 years and Ed his for two and they have been totally reliabe, on a battery charge which we do with the invertor and solar panel we have no problem at all and of course (green transport) we can get about a 30 mile journey with pedal and battery, these bikes are also very light so no trouble putting on and off the bike rack (so hubby tells me) its certainly a good option with electric bikes (any spelling errors please ignore as my spell check (the husband is not around at the minute). Happy Days, Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whisturx Posted October 20, 2006 Author Share Posted October 20, 2006 Many thanks for all your suggestions. I finally had an email from the DVLA which confirmed Martyn's reply that with a full driving licence from the Domesday Book onward that you can ride a 50 cc scooter with a pillion passenger legally. We will probably go with the electric bikes as we both enjoy the exercise and its only the hills creating the problem . No helmets, tax ,insurance and having to stay on the overcrowded roads and banned from cycle paths. Would like to hear from any other ebike owners. The van has been confined to base for a couple of months as you may wonder the origin of "whisturx" which stands for Whistley Turkeys !Do NOT mention Paxo or Bird Flu here !!!! Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 You could allways get a motorbike lisence and get a proper bike, but if its like my BSA you'll do your knee more damage starting it. 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pops Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 We have been through the route of push bikes-electric bikes-moped and have found that the problems with electric bikes are that they are seriously heavy both in terms of payload and effort needed to move them about, they can be very top heavy to put off and on stands, they can be arkward to balance and ride, the replacement batteries can be expensive, even removing the batteries to put the bike on the vehicle leaves you with a sizeable lump to lift, I used a Halfords tow ball mounted rack that took 40+ kg load, but this was a struggle, I now use a moped that sits on a "Dave Cooper" light motorcycle rack that mounts behind the tow ball, the "arms" just pull out for storage, check his web site for kg cap. It would be very easy to put a 2 bike rail on it if you wanted to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 Whisturx You've obviously got some influence with the DVLA, after trawling through their website I couldn't find anywhere on it that it was legal to carry a pillion passenger on the back of your 50cc moped etc if you had a full car licence (long term), so I emailed them to clarify ... I'm still waiting for a response! :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 You can get Monkey bikes with electric start. My Janet has one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whisturx Posted October 29, 2006 Author Share Posted October 29, 2006 This is the reply I had from the DVLA -----Original Message----- From: drivers.dvla@gtnet.gov.uk [mailto:drivers.dvla@gtnet.gov.uk] Sent: 19 October 2006 14:59 To: CSU Subject: RE: FW: Moped Regulations Thank you for your email. I can confirm, as a full licence holder, you are able to carry a pillion passenger on a moped. I hope this is helpful. Regards Lynne Hodgetts www.direct.gov.uk/motoring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 What's your secret? I'm still waiting for my bl**dy reply!!! :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martkaz Posted October 31, 2006 Share Posted October 31, 2006 Why do you need a reply??.......the facts are in this thread for all to see. dunno maybe they will tell you something different :-S *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted October 31, 2006 Share Posted October 31, 2006 martkaz Not disputing what has been said previously, I'm just annoyed at them not bothering to reply to my query, not very good customer services is it. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bill h Posted October 31, 2006 Share Posted October 31, 2006 A note of caution to riders of electric bikes. When travelling on a busy road and aproaching a corner or obstacle it would be very wise that you adopt a pedalling motion so that motorists read your actions as (ie continuose a forward traveling movement) It is normal for such riders of electric bikes to adopt a free wheel attitude (ie no pedal movement). To adopt this free wheel movement on approaching a road junction or obstacle could end with you being knocked over !! A normal pedal cyclist when free wheeling and approaching a road junction would tend to indicate that he/she was turning into a 'side road' Therefore an electric biking person free wheeling gives the impression of turning or stopping which may lead to a car driving out in front of you !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enodreven Posted November 1, 2006 Share Posted November 1, 2006 Hi, Has anyone looked into the use of the engine mounted in the rear wheel bikes ? Thats the best way i can explain it ?? I noticed a lot of them in Holland and they appeared very good it seems you pedal sometimes and can use the very small engine to assist ? perhaps they are the answer ?? I think someone has already meantioned the problems with insuring a motorcycle/scooter etc for un-limited use while in europe so this could cause problems ??just thought i would meantion it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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