best lightweight motorcycle? (2 Viewers)

[Pausim]

I know that if your motorhome has a big overhang behind the rear wheels the rear axle load can be increased by more than the weight of the object hanging on the back. I think of it like a seesaw, the weight on the rear wheels being increased and the weight on the front being reduced. Is the effect significant? Does anyone know how to calculate the effect of say, 100kg at 2m?

 

[vwalan]

the chinese do a better job with them than honda . mine only has the original 2.5ltr tank . i carry half a litre in a tin just incase i get carried away when riding mine . ha ha .
i once rode a dutchmans dax that had an engine conversion to 180cc . it was capable of over 100mph. i only took it to about 80mph and decided it was a bit close to the ground for me.
i ride mine quite slowly these days want it to last another 18yrs .
have fun on yours i,m sure you will.
remember folk laugh at you when they see you on it .
but you laugh the second you get your leg over it .
its like being a kid all over again .

 

[peterc10]

I know that if your motorhome has a big overhang behind the rear wheels the rear axle load can be increased by more than the weight of the object hanging on the back. I think of it like a seesaw, the weight on the rear wheels being increased and the weight on the front being reduced. Is the effect significant? Does anyone know how to calculate the effect of say, 100kg at 2m?

Yes I do. Just measure the wheelbase, i.e. the distance between the front and rear axles. Then divide the overhang from the rear axle by the wheelbase and then multiply that fraction by the weight. That will give you the additional weight (over and above the weight) that will be added to the rear axle and taken off the front axle.

So in your example let us say your wheelbase is 4m and the overhang is 2m. 2/4 = 0.5 or half. Multiply that by 100kg and thst means you will have a total additional weight of 150kg (100 + 50) on the rear axle. You will also have 50kg less weight on the front axle.

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[SandJ]

I know that if your motorhome has a big overhang behind the rear wheels the rear axle load can be increased by more than the weight of the object hanging on the back. I think of it like a seesaw, the weight on the rear wheels being increased and the weight on the front being reduced. Is the effect significant? Does anyone know how to calculate the effect of say, 100kg at 2m?

Try this
http://www.watling-towbars.co.uk/motorhome_axle_loads.html

 

[Nasher]

Had a couple of original Honda Dax's, regularly put them on a back seat of a car.

 

[Nasher]

If I had a pound for every time someone told me I was mad, I would be a billionaire - but my life has been one hell of a ride and hopefully loads more fun to come

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[vwalan]

when i converted my trailer i followed the garage height that john speed used in his mercedes that he carried a dax in . i had decided a dax would be the bike to have .
on a visit to exeter to look at 1500cc kawasaki drifters i saw a dax . went back a couple days later and questioned about the drifter or the dax .
i then found out it wasnt a honda but jenching renamed easy rider in the uk.
i ended up buying the drifter and the dax , the reg numbers ollow on as well.
that was in 2001 . i still have both but find these days the dax is used more than the drifter as its fun .
the drifter is getting abit heavy these days .
i didnt know the chinese were making dax,s untill then . but i paid a thousant quid for it . you could still get new honda 70cc dax,s but they were about 2500 quid . it might not be the exact same quality but at the price it was a real good bargain . 17 yrs later its had two new tyres and a chain and sprockets a few services but been very cheap .
i still have a tu suzuki grasstracker but dont use that these days . the dax wins cant go anywhere without some one asking about it . when they know its age they are amazed .
anyway have fun monkeying around . ha ha .

 

[Nasher]

Started hang gliding in 1979 but since 1991 it's been paragliding - was out in the Brecon Beacons on Wednesday.

Just popping out for a ride on my mountain unicycle!

We are normal, everyone else is just plain weird!

 

[vwalan]

mine is drum brakes . i like them no trouble .
also no leccy start, but no probs either.
to be honest i cant be bothered to try and change the tank. but good thoughts .
i have seen the later versions had bigger tanks .
years ago prices were good but later they got cheaper. in 2001 getting a new dax at a grand was great.
i have seen them cheaper over the years . but thats how it goes .
have over the years bought a few monkey bikes single seat ones . find that they lift the front wheel too easily. had a 110cc version i bought for a partner to ride . she really struggled to ride it safely . she was used to bigger bikes ,made us laugh really.
did buy a genuine honda dax in gibralter a few years ago it was immaculate . made a shilling on that one .
might get out for a ride this afternoon. love just slowly drifting around the narrow country lanes round here then up the hills , sea the sea north and south then drop down to home . million pound scenery for free .
never really thought i would be riding the dax 17 yrs after buying it . bet it see,s me out .

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[OldAgeTravellers]

Getting back to the original post, although you probably have bought one by now.
Once I found it was going to be almost impossible to turn our 35 year old Honda 90 French, I had my heart set on a Honda MX125 and even more so after the Bumbles did their write-up but we had not found one at a dealers. Finally we found one at a dealer in France and it was amazing but very expensive. At the same dealers they had a year old Suzuki Address 110cc with only 340km on the clock and less than half the price of the MX125. Well having bought the Address we are so pleased we did:

• It is narrower than the MX125 so easier to get into the garage.
• Has masses of storage whereas the MX125 has none. We can get a full face helmet under the seat with other bits and pieces, gloves etc.
• Has a rack onto which we fitted a large top box which takes the other full face helmet and jackets. So we can walk around the town in shorts and tee shirts with everything stowed in the scooter.
• When you are riding home wearing the gear there is masses of space for a mountain of shopping.
• We are both average size me thirteen stone she a little lighter! and it takes us up very steep hills without a problem.
• It has electric start and a kick start in case the battery should go flat for some reason.
• When I asked the question on here I was swamped with bikers saying the address has no power. But it goes quite fast enough for us to travel to the town and explore the country lanes. And really have fun and for €1,500 it won't bother us taking it across a ploughed field if we have to.
• It has shaft drive so everything is contained and is twist and go automatic.

To repeat myself, we are absolutely chuffed to bits with it, easy to load into the Hymer garage with only having to twist the actual mirrors horizontal. So there is no need to leave it outside overnight. I made a wooden ramp from decking board which is quite light but a bit arrow so may look for a wider short aluminium one when we visit the UK. They only seem to do heavy ones for massive bikes over here.
Good luck with your search, but beware of responses from "bikers" they have very high expectations.
Steve

 

[Jammy]

How about something slow, rusty and from the past? Plus rust of proven to be lighter than steel!

 

[Mr Mousy]

@Jammy
I'm with you, nothing wrong with a rusty but reliable runabout.

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[Jammy]

@Mr Mousy That is a great top box you have there.

 

[Mr Mousy]

Unfortunately the bikes not mine. The owner was a 75 (+) Portuguese bar owner who used it as his daily ride.

 

[Mr Mousy]

Well Mrs & Mr Mousy have been to the Honda showroom. The monkey bike is super cute but unfortunately only suitable for one. The Grom is not as cute but still really cool. Once again the seat isn't big enough for the two of us ~ unless I can find a way of shrinking my legs as with both of us on the seat my knees nearly touch the handlebars. Not good unless we don't go around any corners.
So it looks as if it will need to be a scooter or possibly a Vespa (a little more stylish?).
Our Hymer is based on a Mercedes chassis - this means that while we have a large garage the maximum 'low down' width of the bike needs to be less than 550mm as the transmission tunnel intrudes into what is otherwise a good sized garage. We are looking forward to checking out our fellow Funster's rides at the Lymington rally.

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[Mr Mousy]

Oops posted in the wrong thread!

 

[Golden Graham !]

We use a Honda MSX 125 (Grom) in the garage of our van. I did a lot of searching and settled on it for a few reasons.... "out of the box" it is about 101KG, however with a few easy mods (tail tidy & exhaust swop) you can loose a few KG. Parts are plentiful and cheap ish, it's a Honda and built well, not as good as the bigger bikes but much better than the Chinese stuff.
Finally it is a hoot to ride, very nimble in traffic and small enough to park anywhere. Solo it's good for about 60 on the flat ( I am a big lad @ 100KG+), with my Mrs on the back (Built like Kylie) it drops to 55. Modified a rack for a Skip on the back for chain etc and we love it. A bit cosy 2 up but the benefits far outway the negative, easy do 100 miles over a long weekend on the bike just having a look around the area.
What Tonka said about weight is V important, 100kg on the back of any van can make a big difference to loading..
Good luck.

 

[Spriddler]

I bought a new Honda CBF 125 - the 'Grudge Special' (just to try riding again 2 years after a major crash) and also rode it to Spain and back (just out of devilment). If it breaks down you can get it sorted anywhere in Europe ( or Asia, India, Japan.........) unlike Chinese bikes which (I know from experience) most dealers in U.K. except the supplier wouldn't touch with a barge pole.

Purely because I don't like 'modern' looking bikes and I wanted a bit more poke I changed it for a new (and 15kg lighter) Chinese 250cc bike which has been o.k. for 6,000 mls. touch wood.

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[ADJF]

I have a 1993 Honda C90 Supercub which we use . Not only is it the greatest motorcycle on the planet, it’s is also an investment and appreciating as a classic

 

[Spriddler]

I have a 1993 Honda C90 Supercub which we use . Not only is it the greatest motorcycle on the planet, it’s is also an investment and appreciating as a classic

I had one of those 'automatic' Cubs as my first step in riding again (see my post above). As I now have to ride with only my left arm and hand to use I had it adapted. My right glove is velcro'd to a modified twistgrip and I operate the throttle by shrugging my right shoulder. First time out at a T junction I looked left then twisted to look right. The throttle opened and I and shot straight into the road and up my neighbour's drive. My helpful classic bike club chums put up with this 75 yr old eeejit mostly for the entertainment. At the brunch break on the Sunday run below I fell off into the pub landlord's daffs.

 

[LesW]

Chinese 250cc bike

A 'Mutchless' . actually that's a nice looking bike.

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[Spriddler]

A 'Mutchless' . actually that's a nice looking bike.

Yes, the closest I can get with a modern bike and I named it 'Mutchless' in deference to my 66 yrs old and much travelled 350cc Matchless.

Couple of pics from a 'booze tour'...........

and 73 yrs old 500cc AJS.

 

[ChrisCross]

Can you suggest a good lightweight motor cycle, up to 125cc to be used in conjunction with a motorhome, either to be hung on the back, or towed?

I bought a "SYM JET 14" 125cc, dry weight 114kg, and was pleasantly surprised by its performance. I'm 19 stone and the wife nearly 11 stone and the bike carried us comfortably for hundreds of miles around France without a problem, averaging 55-60 MPH.

 

[Ancillotti]

Lambretta Vega, 75 kg,as per my Avatar. I can get it in the garage single handed.

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[Mayflower]

Here's mine doing the TT (didn't win though) Ohlins front and back, akraprovic, airbox mods, conti 365 tyres plus a few other trinkets, View attachment 243747 can't fault it. Made by Honda in Thailand

Any tips on cheap-ish mods to up the power a bit ?

 

[Spriddler]

Any tips on cheap-ish mods to up the power a bit ?

'Tweaks' on a standard engine are mainly only significant for competition performance.
Cheapish tweaks, say on a 100cc engine might increase the power by 10%. i.e. equivalent to an extra 10cc. You could obtain the same (barely noticeable) performance improvement by cutting down on pie consumption.
Some 125's have a restrictor to keep its power within the learner parameters. This can be removed for a bit more power.
The simple solution for more practical power is to have a bike with a bigger engine.
There are loads of 'big bore' kits for all Chinese small engined bikes if you Google for them but often at the expense of reliability and any warranty, (and you'd have to notify your insurance company).

 

[Mayflower]

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