Making Contact

GoldenMotor.com

biknut

Well-Known Member
Sep 28, 2010
6,631
409
83
Dallas
Friday I took the opportunity to go on a bicycle ride with a group of bicyclers. I was the only one riding a motor bicycle, but I'm sure that's no surprise to anyone here. It was a casual group of mixed bikes, some cruisers, and some road bikes, a chopper, and my motor bicycle. About 30 bikes in all. Their starting point point was about 10 miles from my house, and their route was some 20 miles long. I arrived at the last minute, so there was only a short time for anyone to inspect my bike enough to really figure out what I was riding. I killed the motor about 20 yards before pedaling into the crowd so most of them were unaware I even was on a mb at first.

I knew all along I would have to pedal the whole ride if I was going to fit in, and that wasn't a problem for me, unless they would have started riding faster than I can pedal my 57 lb bicycle. It turned out not to be a problem. There were people there on cruisers that didn't seem interested in riding fast. Still I won't pretend it was easy to keep up on the lowered Atomic BB, with it's short little 115mm crank arms, and my 59 year young age. Uphill was a biache, but downhill rocks on a heavy bike. I like downhill.

I didn't know anyone there, so it was easy for me to be incognito at first, but with my personality I don't tend to remain that way, and having the only motor bicycle wasn't exactly the best way to ride undercover lol. As we rode along I started chatting it up with the other riders. By now they were figuring out my bike had a motor, but I was just riding it in bicycle mode. One guy ask me if I was going to fire it up? I explained to him I wasn't, because if I did, I wouldn't be able to ride slow enough for them to keep up with me. One thing I learned was bicycle riders are really the same as any bike riders. If you mention they have a nice bike, just like all of us, they love to tell you about their bike. I guess that should be no surprise when you spend over $2000 on a bicycle.

I'm pretty sure no one there had ever ridden with a motor bicycle like mine before. I feel like riding with groups like this will help build bridges between motor bicycles and regular bicycle riders. I think at least some of riders there on Friday went away with a more positive feeling about motor bicycles. Call it first contact.

My advise, if you decide to ride in a group like this is, don't fire your motor unless you're ask to. Try not to though. Just ride like a bicycle, and don't show off. You'll get your chance to show how superior a motor bicycle is when the ride is over. This is when regular bicycle riders will have the most appreciation for a motor bicycle. When they're either, putting their bikes on a car carrier, or are faced with a long slow ride home.

That's when the true nature of our motor bicycles will not be hidden any longer, and they're revealed for what they really are. Starships that connect us to distant galaxies across town, at light speed comparatively speaking. They allow us to travel great distances in short amounts of time to interact with less advanced beings, and share our technology. And then after time goes by, maybe, just maybe, we'll have someone else to ride with on a motor bicycle lol.
 

maniac57

Old, Fat, and still faster than you
Oct 8, 2011
4,484
22
0
memphis Tn
I lurk in a few bike forums and get all kinds of flak for motorizing a bike. I have thick skin(skull) so it doesn't bother me, but some bike riders are VERY militant about it. Good job spreading the joy of our hobby/obsession!.wee.
 

biknut

Well-Known Member
Sep 28, 2010
6,631
409
83
Dallas
I sent an email to a bicycle advocate in Austin texas, along with a picture of the Atomic BB. I ask if he advocates for bicycles like mine.



After a few days he sent me back a reply saying that according to (his interpretation of) the legal definition of a bicycle in Texas, my bike isn't considered a bicycle LOL. He came to that conclusion after looking at the statues for electric motor bicycles. Texas doesn't recognize gas powered motor bicycles, so there's no statues for them, but they do have some statutes that copy federal law about electric motor bicycles. He thinks that since my bike doesn't appear to be electric, it's not a bicycle LOL.
 

Mike B

New Member
Mar 23, 2011
2,256
7
0
Central CA
I really don't care about fitting in. I have never wanted to do a "group ride". The reason I like bikes is there is no room for a passenger. No discussion needed. No choices to make or argue about. I go where I want to go and stop where I want to stop. Just me and the road. Freedom.

I ride alone.
 

biknut

Well-Known Member
Sep 28, 2010
6,631
409
83
Dallas
I really don't care about fitting in. I have never wanted to do a "group ride". The reason I like bikes is there is no room for a passenger. No discussion needed. No choices to make or argue about. I go where I want to go and stop where I want to stop. Just me and the road. Freedom.

I ride alone.
Well, I'm totally down with riding alone. I've been doing that for most of my life too, but sometimes it's fun to ride with a other bikes. I wouldn't want to do it all the time though.
 

2stroker

New Member
Apr 29, 2012
168
0
0
orlando
Friday I took the opportunity to go on a bicycle ride with a group of bicyclers. I was the only one riding a motor bicycle, but I'm sure that's no surprise to anyone here. It was a casual group of mixed bikes, some cruisers, and some road bikes, a chopper, and my motor bicycle. About 30 bikes in all. Their starting point point was about 10 miles from my house, and their route was some 20 miles long. I arrived at the last minute, so there was only a short time for anyone to inspect my bike enough to really figure out what I was riding. I killed the motor about 20 yards before pedaling into the crowd so most of them were unaware I even was on a mb at first.

I knew all along I would have to pedal the whole ride if I was going to fit in, and that wasn't a problem for me, unless they would have started riding faster than I can pedal my 57 lb bicycle. It turned out not to be a problem. There were people there on cruisers that didn't seem interested in riding fast. Still I won't pretend it was easy to keep up on the lowered Atomic BB, with it's short little 115mm crank arms, and my 59 year young age. Uphill was a biache, but downhill rocks on a heavy bike. I like downhill.

I didn't know anyone there, so it was easy for me to be incognito at first, but with my personality I don't tend to remain that way, and having the only motor bicycle wasn't exactly the best way to ride undercover lol. As we rode along I started chatting it up with the other riders. By now they were figuring out my bike had a motor, but I was just riding it in bicycle mode. One guy ask me if I was going to fire it up? I explained to him I wasn't, because if I did, I wouldn't be able to ride slow enough for them to keep up with me. One thing I learned was bicycle riders are really the same as any bike riders. If you mention they have a nice bike, just like all of us, they love to tell you about their bike. I guess that should be no surprise when you spend over $2000 on a bicycle.

I'm pretty sure no one there had ever ridden with a motor bicycle like mine before. I feel like riding with groups like this will help build bridges between motor bicycles and regular bicycle riders. I think at least some of riders there on Friday went away with a more positive feeling about motor bicycles. Call it first contact.

My advise, if you decide to ride in a group like this is, don't fire your motor unless you're ask to. Try not to though. Just ride like a bicycle, and don't show off. You'll get your chance to show how superior a motor bicycle is when the ride is over. This is when regular bicycle riders will have the most appreciation for a motor bicycle. When they're either, putting their bikes on a car carrier, or are faced with a long slow ride home.

That's when the true nature of our motor bicycles will not be hidden any longer, and they're revealed for what they really are. Starships that connect us to distant galaxies across town, at light speed comparatively speaking. They allow us to travel great distances in short amounts of time to interact with less advanced beings, and share our technology. And then after time goes by, maybe, just maybe, we'll have someone else to ride with on a motor bicycle lol.
Thats cool..Theres a group of bikers that pedal past my house every once in a while and i hop on my bike and follow them around town..they get going pretty fast on those thing!