Pathfinder III
Traveling with or building Mini bikes
- Thread starter Westsroadshow
- Start date
the wife and i were at a tractor supply and saw this for $500. we definitely like the idea of getting something small to take on trails and if worse comes to worse, it is a second form of transport if i had a major problem with my truck out in the boonies. it would also be nice to have to scout ahead on tight trails and give the kids something to do when they come on trips. my wife is 108 pounds and i'm double that, so i'm sure it would tote her along nicely...not sure how 200cc and the lightweight clutch would handle hauling me around
Boostpowered
Rank VI
Member III
Not since the early 90s, my first motorized bike was a honda redwing 50cc its what i learned to shift gears on a bike with. Granted i was only like 70lbs then but i remember it having tons of torque it had me doing wheelies in 2nd gear.
Only other bike ive had that reminded me of that torque was a yamaha trailway 200cc.
Only other bike ive had that reminded me of that torque was a yamaha trailway 200cc.
Pathfinder III
Enthusiast III
Advocate III
I poked around a lot for an errand and backup bike to take with me adventuring. I mainly wanted one because I do a lot of solo camping way back country, so I could still get out, and quicker, in case I broke down in my van.
I had a gas-powered pedal-to-jump-start motorized bike for a bit...you know, a Chinese 2-stroke on a regular bike frame. Mine was a Raleigh mountain bike, and the thing sure would get up and go, but I could hardly ride it for more than a half a mile or so before the vibration killed my wrists. Wasn't much a fan of the noise, either. I still have it if anyone wants to buy it.
So I poked around more and read about these guys in Abu Dhabi or Oman or somewhere who developed an electric bike for running 'round the desert. The thing they said that caught my ear was that they didn't realize how much wildlife there is in the desert until they started riding a quiet bike. They'd been chasing the wildlife off before that with the sounds of their motorbikes before they even got to where the widlife had been.
I thought, hell yeah, that's what I want. Their bikes were around 6K and more USD, plus shipping, and no way could I afford that. So I poked around more and finally found what I still ride now, after 2.5 years. A great American designed electric bike with a 40-50 mile range, more than capable for anything I've wanted, and a real pleasure to ride all day long.
Sondors X - my electric bike.
I bought it originally as a rescue bike, to get me off the trail a lot quicker in an emergency or to get parts a lot quicker than walking out. The difference between riding out ten miles of trail instead of walking out ten miles in five hours or longer could mean the difference between heat stroke or worse and survival.
Then I realized it's a great scout vehicle, riding out ahead to scout a trail or if I could get to a camp spot with my van and trailer before I got stuck with no place to turn around.
Scout Vehicle in the Chihuahuan Desert
I also realized she's a hell of a pack mule. I regularly use it for hauling groceries and firewood, etc. and have a milk crate sized basket that slides in on the back rack in place of the bag you see in these images. Handy for errands and groceries.
Hauling firewood with my ebike. I keep the mesh bags and straps in the sidebags and go harvesting for wood left behind, or downed wood I can cut up on site, etc.
Easy to store, too. I keep it in my van when traveling and have no problem lifting it in and out.
Other than being a great rescue vehicles, scout, and pack horse, it's an absolute blast to ride. Cost a hell of a lot less, like less than a third, of what the Abu Dhabi guys wanted.
I get out and about and get far more exercise with this bike than if I had a regular non-electric bike. That it is quiet has made all the difference in the world in getting around in the desert or along lake shores or in the bayous etc and sneaking up on wildlife. As a photographer, that is huge for me. I would never get a gas powered engine on a bike now, especially for camping and adventuring back country. Too noisy.
I'm working up a design for a multi-purpose bike trailer, too, so I can go overnight camping with it or haul my canoe, or both.
Here's a piece I wrote on my site about my bike: Rescue Bike/Scout/Pack Mule
Let me know if I can provide any more info for anyone.
~ Road
.
roaddude.com
I had a gas-powered pedal-to-jump-start motorized bike for a bit...you know, a Chinese 2-stroke on a regular bike frame. Mine was a Raleigh mountain bike, and the thing sure would get up and go, but I could hardly ride it for more than a half a mile or so before the vibration killed my wrists. Wasn't much a fan of the noise, either. I still have it if anyone wants to buy it.
So I poked around more and read about these guys in Abu Dhabi or Oman or somewhere who developed an electric bike for running 'round the desert. The thing they said that caught my ear was that they didn't realize how much wildlife there is in the desert until they started riding a quiet bike. They'd been chasing the wildlife off before that with the sounds of their motorbikes before they even got to where the widlife had been.
I thought, hell yeah, that's what I want. Their bikes were around 6K and more USD, plus shipping, and no way could I afford that. So I poked around more and finally found what I still ride now, after 2.5 years. A great American designed electric bike with a 40-50 mile range, more than capable for anything I've wanted, and a real pleasure to ride all day long.
Sondors X - my electric bike.
I bought it originally as a rescue bike, to get me off the trail a lot quicker in an emergency or to get parts a lot quicker than walking out. The difference between riding out ten miles of trail instead of walking out ten miles in five hours or longer could mean the difference between heat stroke or worse and survival.
Then I realized it's a great scout vehicle, riding out ahead to scout a trail or if I could get to a camp spot with my van and trailer before I got stuck with no place to turn around.
Scout Vehicle in the Chihuahuan Desert
I also realized she's a hell of a pack mule. I regularly use it for hauling groceries and firewood, etc. and have a milk crate sized basket that slides in on the back rack in place of the bag you see in these images. Handy for errands and groceries.
Hauling firewood with my ebike. I keep the mesh bags and straps in the sidebags and go harvesting for wood left behind, or downed wood I can cut up on site, etc.
Easy to store, too. I keep it in my van when traveling and have no problem lifting it in and out.
Other than being a great rescue vehicles, scout, and pack horse, it's an absolute blast to ride. Cost a hell of a lot less, like less than a third, of what the Abu Dhabi guys wanted.
I get out and about and get far more exercise with this bike than if I had a regular non-electric bike. That it is quiet has made all the difference in the world in getting around in the desert or along lake shores or in the bayous etc and sneaking up on wildlife. As a photographer, that is huge for me. I would never get a gas powered engine on a bike now, especially for camping and adventuring back country. Too noisy.
I'm working up a design for a multi-purpose bike trailer, too, so I can go overnight camping with it or haul my canoe, or both.
Here's a piece I wrote on my site about my bike: Rescue Bike/Scout/Pack Mule
Let me know if I can provide any more info for anyone.
~ Road
.
Roaddude - On the Road In North America - ROADDUDE
Roaddude - Traveling Photographer/Writer/Artist On the Road In North America. Gear, reviews, people, places, and culture.
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