We are entering the stage where ideology and education about sustainability and living within carrying capacity will be augmented by the reality of identifiable consequences of our overshoot. External consequences like the peaking and decline of below ground energy and commodity resources, above ground environmental degradation of our climate, soils, fisheries and climate will have a profound effect on our culture.
2009 is the year when we start to feel it.
Joined: Aug 24, 2005 Posts: 450 Location: Costa Geriatrica, Spain
Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2008 7:59 am Post subject: Re: Anyown own a moped?
frankthetank wrote:
A guy at Menards yesterday claimed he put on 459 miles using 3 gallons of gas on a scooter (guessing a 49cc model)?? I didn't think they got that good of fuel mileage. The dude was like 300 pounds!
Mileage varies a lot depending on whether the scooter is 2 or 4 stroke, your weight - much more influence than with a car - and how you drive. Driving gently using hypermiling techniques has a big influence. I drive a Honda SH125i, 2007 model, liquid cooled, fuel injected 'large wheel' motor scooter. I'm getting 100MPG (imperial gallon & Im ..um.. weighty and 6'1"). Other bloggers have reported up to 125MPG. (imperial).
Honda SH125i Honda Sh125i reviews
... I think Honda uses different names for some of its bikes in different parts of the worlds. I knw this scooter has a different name in the USA but can remember what
I use mine mainly urban/suburban commuting and for shopping - 2 bags of groceries in the topbox (Shad35litre), and 2 sitting in the middle of the the platform held stable by a conveniently provided clip on the back of the fairing. Only disadvantage of this design is the limited underseat storage due to the big wheels - but I'd rather have the stability advantage of the big wheels any day. Otherwise everything is great - Honda reliability and build quality, no problems at all so far.- which cant be said for some of the cheaper Chinese scooters, as bought by a couple of people I know. If you're thinking of buying Chinese - do your research before buying, not after!
I'm thinking of trading in my 150 cc Derbi scooter for a Honda 250 Nighthawk which was recently rated at 90 mpg by Cycleworld magazine. My scooter is only getting 85 mpg and the Nighthawk gas tank holds 4.3 gallons offering a range of over 350 miles which will mean less waiting time in the soon-coming gas lines. _________________ Got Dharma?
Joined: Jun 13, 2007 Posts: 4098 Location: Minniesotuh
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 6:58 am Post subject: Re: THE Motorcycle, Moped and Electric Bike Thread (merged)
Electric bikes provide greener commute 15 Aug 2008
Quote:
NEW YORK (AP) The surging cost of gasoline and a desire for a greener commute are turning more people to electric bikes as an unconventional form of transportation. They function like a typical two-wheeler but with a battery-powered assist, and bike dealers, riders and experts say they are flying off the racks.
Official sales figures are hard to pin down, but the Gluskin-Townley Group, which does market research for the National Bicycle Dealers Association, estimates 10,000 electric bikes were sold in the U.S. in 2007, up from 6,000 in 2006.
… Industry associations estimate 89,000 electric bikes were sold in the Netherlands last year, while 60,000 power-assisted bikes were sold in Germany. …
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 2:35 pm Post subject: Re: THE Motorcycle, Moped and Electric Bike Thread (merged)
Unless you are driving 20 plus miles on your scooter a day, there seems to be no point in making it a hybrid when you can just plug it in. Plus, why bother with all the extra weight and moving parts unless you really need an ungodly long driving range?
Also, with a small array of batteries (likely no larger a system than 72 volts) you should be able tu fully charge that little squirt over no more than 3.5 hours. Plug it in at work.
Add lithium batteries to the equation and make that scooter lighter with more "zap" and you'll increase the range and make it fast- gas powered, 250cc fast as an estimate.
Hybrids for LONG range only. Automotive or cycle. If you want to put on 150 miles on your moped/ scooter in a day, you should be thinking about a bigger bike for sanity's sake.
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 2:39 pm Post subject: Re: THE Motorcycle, Moped and Electric Bike Thread (merged)
The hybrid system would also help out if a large enough portion of a commute was on higher speed roads, especially w/ the high drag coefficient of a scooter. _________________
Joined: Dec 18, 2004 Posts: 5376 Location: One Mile From the Columbia River
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 3:44 pm Post subject: Re: THE Motorcycle, Moped and Electric Bike Thread (merged)
yesplease wrote:
The hybrid system would also help out if a large enough portion of a commute was on higher speed roads, especially w/ the high drag coefficient of a scooter.
Most scooter miles are local and urban typically at 40 mph and under making their aerodynamic inefficiencies a very minor issue. The Chinese mass production of a very low cost small hybrid scooter is no doubt a very timely marketing move and I'll be on the lookout for one with a 150 cc or thereabouts engine.
The 85 ish mpg I'm now getting out of my 150 cc Derbi is starting to get old. I want more! _________________ Got Dharma?
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 5:32 pm Post subject: Re: THE Motorcycle, Moped and Electric Bike Thread (merged)
eastbay wrote:
Most scooter miles are local and urban typically at 40 mph and under making their aerodynamic inefficiencies a very minor issue. The Chinese mass production of a very low cost small hybrid scooter is no doubt a very timely marketing move and I'll be on the lookout for one with a 150 cc or thereabouts engine.
The 85 ish mpg I'm now getting out of my 150 cc Derbi is starting to get old. I want more!
Have you even run the numbers for a scooter? Lemme put it this way, a car 4-5 times the size of one can get the same mileage at higher speeds. W/o way more cash for a bigger pack there's no way a hybrid scooter would do ~35mph all electric w/ decent range. Toss in more cash, sure, but scooters are just too draggy. _________________
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 9:42 am Post subject: Re: THE Motorcycle, Moped and Electric Bike Thread (merged)
Tip of the day:
Don't be afraid to "gawk" a bit alongside houses and garages in your area. There's plenty of people out there that have no idea what they have and are willing to discard a perfectly good little 70's motorcycle for a case of beer and a $50 bill.
You can often have a nice little high mileage daily driver for less than $300 if you do the majority of the resurrection yourself.
If this info isn't meant for comedy purposes, it should be!
Seriously, these techniques will either kill you or lead to a nervous breakdown.
I live in the UK and ride a Vespa T5 classic to work, 35 mile round trip. Does 90-100 MPG. I have 2 other bigger bikes, one 600c, one 900cc which both get 50-60MPG providing I'm riding normally.
We recently sold our Yamaha 125SR to someone who was switching from car to bike because of fuel costs. There were 3 other people lined up ready to buy if he didn't take it.
That was the day after we placed the ad.
More bikes on the road will mean fewer cars...
Fewer cars will mean there are less bike related accidents...
The government should be encouraging motorcycle/moped use by reducing taxes for these vehicles. Road tax for a 125 is cheap though, £15 for the year.
I've been riding 17 years and had a few minor accidents (all in rush hour London traffic), which could probably have been avoided if I wasn't in such a hurry.
In this time the number of bikes on the road has increased dramatically, especially youngsters on mopeds.
If you're going to get a bike make sure you buy good quality safety & all weather gear and don't be tempted to ride around in shorts & t-shirt.
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