AMERICANS: Would you buy a 125cc motorcycle for the street?

[Bicycle Bob]

Originally Posted by freebeard

For me it was the Messerschmitt KR200, but that single drive wheel.....

The Arcimoto MLM would have three-wheel drive.

I only had 25% weight on a single, near-slick tire on my HPV trike, and severely pulsing torque as well. I was amazed by the performance in snow. However, it is getting easy to stick an electric booster on to otherwise unpowered wheels. If I were doing a pedelec trike, the pedals would power the back wheel, with the motors on the fronts.

When a vehicle gets to weighing less than you, as it should, it also gets pretty easy to pull it over drifts as a toboggan.

[freebeard]

The Arcimoto MLM has stalled in development, but one could steal the concept.

Four identical units, three acting as motors and the fourth as generator. (could be wrong about that, I've been listening to Robert Murray-Smith)

edit:
What this enables is an exercycle mode.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Bicycle Bob

Generally, it is a good idea to read the next sentence before replying. CAFE was a rare example of regulating results, not means. The push for electrics, with no limits on consumption, is a typical bad one.

I read the whole post - nothing in it gave me the impression that you believe CAFE rules work.

At least in the USA we are not pushing for electrics with no limits on consumption. The electricity used to power an EV is calculated into CAFE calculations based on the Petroleum-Equivalent Fuel Economy calculation (PEF) The current PEF for CAFE is 82 kWh/gal. It will change 23 kWh/gal in 2027.

Looking at CAFE numbers for the Ford F-150 as an example:

. 25.9 mpg CAFE (ICE)
. 31.2 mpg CAFE (Hybrid)
237.7 mpg CAFE (EV today)
. 67.1 mpg CAFE (EV - 2027)


Looking more at the topic of this thread - motorcycles haven't really seen an increase in fuel economy for the last 20 years - maybe more. The 2022 BMW R1250 I rented got the same MPG as my 2011 R1200 which gets the same MPG as my old 2002 R1150. The new bike is lighter and makes 40 more HP but gets the same fuel economy.

When manufacturers aren't required to make vehicles more efficient they don't.

[JSH]

A bit more on topic - I like the new Honda MotoCompo. I'm surprised it is only $995. I don't know where someone is supposed to ride it though. It isn't legal to ride on sidewalks, bike lanes are few and far between and 15 mph is WAY too slow for the road.

[freebeard]

I think your supposed to fold it up and put it in your car.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by freebeard

I think your supposed to fold it up and put it in your car.

That or carry it onto the train for that "last mile" part of the commute. Again the problem is that it is illegal to use on the sidewalk and too slow for the street.

The original 80's model had a 49cc engine and 19 mph top speed. It only lasted 3 years before being miscounted

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Recently while I was taking the dog for a walk, a guy who previously owned a Honda CG 125 showed up with a brand-new Yamaha XTZ 250. After the usual jokes about soccer, we talked about some features such as the ABS in the front wheel in his new motorcycle and the fuel consumption of both. The main reason for a 2-metre tall budget-conscious African dude to get a bigger motorcycle was safety, because he was told by another motorcyclist the way he kept his feet on the floor at stoplights was quite dangerous, and now he can keep both legs more streched and closer to the motorcycle, so it's much less likely that a car would run over his feet, even though the city fuel-efficiency of the smaller motorcycle was more appealing to him for work. On a sidenote, the local Yamaha dealers are not explaining so well how the ABS works, according to what another guy who went from a Honda to a Yamaha told me too.

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

Apparently because the government doesn't want small trucks to come back.

Most newer Brazilian compact trucks are now around the size of a 20y.o. S10 for instance.

Find a way to make a 3-wheeled S10 and, registering it as a motorcycle, you could circumvent most of the issues preventing compact trucks to make a comeback... Yet I guess most Americans woundn't take it so seriously, unless some tax break turns it attractive to the average Joe.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Spotted this at a classic car show in my hometown a few months ago...



This one I spotted last week in front of a hotel in the Mariscal beach, in Bombinhas, a city in the North coast of Santa Catarina state which is one of the favorite summer destinations for Paraguayans on vacations.

[freebeard]

Why all the 4608x3072 pictures? Here's a video I haven't watched [don't care]

This 90’s 125cc Makes Modern Motorcycles Look Bad