I'm trying to sort through something here... something i'd like to make economic sense but I dont know if it can. :-/
Although i like the idea of scooters and small motorcycles in general it seems that at highway speeds, the advantages over other small cars like the geo metro are somewhat limited - like a 250cc can get better mileage, but that's about the only one that can, and under 250cc aren't even allowed on the highway even if it could manage 55mph. I saw a video on a Kawasaki Eliminator 125 which was about the only cruiser type that I liked competently reaching 55mph though it cant legally go on the highway, 90mpg, and seemed like enough power when I saw it accelerate. Yet i'd considered just taking one on the highway anyways (wondering if the police would even notice or cite you for that if you kept up with traffic since it doesnt LOOK sub250cc tiny) within the extended urban freeway areas i'd want to use it on. I live south of a stupid river that requires me to use an interstate bridge to cross into the city proper once passed I can go back to slower roads.
A scooter or motorcycle is fine for moving oneself around but seems not so good if you have even the slightest load to carry with, unless you use some kind of tow behind trailer for one. Yet the only trailers I ever see are for monster literbike plus cruisers typically and cost THOUSANDS of dollars which I completely cannot understand...is there no practical microtrailer market or is it hidden behind obscure search terms? (compared to car trailers way larger costing way less) It sounds like you can DIY some trailers, possibly with legal hassles registering but even if you have one when I asked around nobody is willing to create a trailer hitch for anything but monster cruiser bikes. I was laughed at when I asked whether one for a ninja 250 was possible (despite the fact 100lbs towed behind should be an easier load than 100lbs added to the back, it's not like i'm pulling 500lbs with it) yet a cruiser 250 has even less power than the ninja and larger displacement bikes drop to the 55mpg range that I might as well drive a Geo Metro Xfi for. I'm not sure why a semi sport bike should be fundamentally different than a cruiser for a microtrailer. Bikes are fun, but not real practical unless your exceeding 60mpg reliably so it's 250cc max.
Those of us living in the north have the additional problem of winter weather... know anybody that credibly rides motorcycles in snow? I mean i'm not even averse to trying i'm just assuming accident potential magnifys greatly to try to save a few more fractions of gallon by then... so any savings are half the year only and if you already have an efficient car it reduces needs alot.
Then I look at maintenance costs, seeing scooter tires might only last 2500 miles on the rear yet cost about the same as economy car tires, yes i'm changing one at a time instead of four but my car tires last 60k miles for the cheapest ones instead of needing over 20 changes to get there. If I commute alot i'd be changing tires at least once a month and getting them mounted (unless there's an inexpensive DIY method) costs more than it does with a car tire... and proper motorcycle tires cost even more than scooter tires...
I'm trying to fit a scooter or motorcycle into the right economic 'slot' where it pays for itself with overall savings makes sense to me, but it seems if you need to take the slightest degree of cargo (simple things like running to the store need the car if you want more than one bag of groceries and even that is probably iffy alot of the time) the use drops rapidly, can't even add a store trip on the way home from commuting/have to go back out again once you get home then for instance.
What i'm wanting is something in the 60-140mpg range (the Rio 50cc's peg 140 allegedly) that I can stick a trailer behind, like something about 2-2.5ft wide maybe 3-3.5ft long as an open top box, or replacing that with an aeroshell at other times possibly longer and lower, so that I can move moderately bulky but lighter things around town at minimum cost. Maybe something like a lawnmower, or multiple bags of groceries, or picking up a few Rock Band drumsets off craigslist, or a few boxes of books from a library sale, or other things that normally would often fit fine in a small car or certainly in the tiniest of 4x4 car trailers behind a geo metro. A weight range of moving at least 100lbs up to an absolute max I could think of of 200lbs being ideal but a bit of a soft limit if it's unobtainable like at 50cc as a guesstimate. Even if it's only around town at speeds up to 30mph I dont understand why a trailer to do so should cost thousands, and why the only bikes with available hitches have more displacement and power than my car. Posts on motorcycle related websites just have people raising eyebrows and looking at me like i'm crazy for even asking such "dumb" questions. :P Nobody else seems to care about something like this I can only post on ecomodder.. am I stuck riding in a cage forever?
One reason i'm in favor of having a scooter or motorcycle is that I live in a condo with "2.5" parking places, one taken by the roommate, I can easily stick a cycle and microtrailer like that in the extra 0.5 without complaint but can't fit a whole nother car. Yet I just can't make much practical use out of something which only moves me around (yes i'm technically aware that's the main point but it seems like such a minor addition when i've seen people ride two up adding more weight than i'd even tug behind, confused why it's way easier to get and stick two-toddler trailers behind bicycles which technically would probably be safe for 30mph since fast riders go 20mph, though probably not legal, and with a similar weight capacity to what i'd usually want to take) since i'm already limited to the warmer half of the year, that just further limits me to the trips I don't need to take anything.
Are there any good resources for someone like me wanting to putter around the tiniest trailer loads in all weather at the lowest fuel and trailer costs possible? Even just things like google searching 'motorcycle trailer' never shows anything except the ones you tow behind cars and put motorcycles on top of. If there's some obscure builder out there it's stuck behind a dumb nondifferentiating search engine.
I've seen a few homebrew trailers despite this, but still zero info on making your own hitch or having one made for your non-huge-cruiser bike.
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