Bugout MOPED

Dual Sport bikes have real mufflers and aren't nearly as loud as dedicated dirt bikes. At a low cruise we often surprised deer on the forest roads.

 

China Motor, Taiwan Tires, Etc.

 

Digging up an old thread, but I just got these for the kiddos... Great fun for adults, too. Had them on the trails over rocks and through mud. Would make great transportation for a lone rider with a little gear. They are stock with a 6.5hp Chinese Honda clone engine that holds almost a gallon of gas.

I was thinking of getting another one just for me and changing out the tires from the 19" knobby to a 21" knobby with a larger sprocket. Add some .30cal ammo can sidesaddles, a small rack behind the seat with a small gas can, and you can have extended range. There are tons of Youtube videos on mods and performance enhancements. Tons of fun!

 

Mongolia to Austria on a Puch moped

From Mongolia to Austria on a 50cc Moped | Maxi Touring the ultimate Adventure - YouTube

 

Such an aggravating engine noise

 

Not a Moped but it gets the job done...

 

Got details on this spiffy machine?

 

2002 Yamaha XT600, long range tank, bar work off an Army version of the same bike, rattle can black, slightly lowered gearing. There is normally another small rack above the headlight but it’s off while I get around to fitting some LED driving lights. Only run it off-road. Come TEOTWAWKI I am sure it can do more !

 

Does she have a name?

 

My Godkids called it “The Zombie Express” !!

 

Okay, a few weeks later and the kiddos and learned quite a bit. They are learning to ride, and I'm getting used to how they handle on the trails. One thing, for me the 19" tires only allow me to roll over a 5" log with ease. The kick stand mounts to the underside of the frame and gets hung up first on anything bigger. You can pull the handlebars and high center the bike really easy, but if I can relocate the kick stand up out of the way and then mount 21" tires, I should be golden for any log that's 7" or so without having to high center it.

Other than that, I learned you can't go too fast on the trails because the rocks will bounce the rear tire, and without any suspension, it will catapult your butt into the air. The footpegs are a little too far forward to make sitting up in the seat comfortable for long periods of time, so I may have to move them rearward. The only problem is, the jack chain housing is in the way if you go back more than a couple of inches. Anyway, I'm slowly working on making them useful.

As far as the range, I haven't found out how far it will go on .9 gal of gas yet, as I am trying to teach the kiddos how to preflight their iron ponies by checking the oil and topping of the gas and making sure the chain is tensioned within specs. I'm trying to get them to understand the basics of how a small engine works and what they have to do to keep it running well. One nice thing about the little 6.5 hp is that it sure is simple, and I only need to get a few tools to work on it all the way to a complete tear down rebuild and back again.

 

IMHO, a bike or moped is far too limited in the ability to carry items on a mounted rack.
HOWEVER, if you have the capability to tow a small trailer behind, then you're talking something worth looking at, for bugging out and/or general survival. Trailering doesn't add much weight or drag to any vehicle, unless you're talking hauling tons of weight. And how nice, to be able to add a gallon or two of gasoline, to extend your range!