5000+ mile trip!!

hi Jon, looks like quite an adventure!

I have no doubt your GX35 can take the rigors of an extended trip. Like most 4-strokes, it's an industrial/commercial-rated engine. It has an iron cylinder liner and active cooling - must-haves for an engine that's going to be run all day. HTs don't have that stuff.

As for your cadence issues, why not just put on larger crank sprocket(s)? You can easily find em online, no matter what the BCD is on your MTB cranks. You won't have to change your setup, just chainrings and possibly reposition front derailleur.

Road trip! Great idea!

Your engine WILL make the trip, the perfect choice. Your friction drive is NOT the perfect choice. Neither is your single-speed 24" bike. If I were me, I'd choose at least a used quality-brand 26" dual-suspension mountain bike w/24 speed. I'd also use a 4-liter fuel tank and an 18-oz reserve bottle.

See if you can find the new(obsolete) BMP belt or chain drive. JMO, that would be a good choice. The Staton/NuVinci MIGHT be the ultimate choice. I have one, It is EXTREMELY weight-biased towards the rear. However, if you'll be changing a lot of flat tires on the trip, the NV hub is VERY heavy. Up to you.

Ya might want to look at the GEBE setup. I never had one, but many people swear by them.

My favorite choice would be what I ride now. It is a center-framed Scooterguy with a Tanaka engine. It runs thru an 8-speed derailleur via shift kit.

My ultimate setup would be a twin-engined setup, with a front engine running thru a BMP chain drive @ 18.75:1 gears. The front engine would be electric start and used only against strong headwinds and long, steep hills or mountain passes. That way, the engine could be started up on the fly, when the need arose, without pulling over and hand starting the engine.

LOL about my ultimate option.

Keep in touch along the way. There will be many members who can assist you or ride part of the way w/you.

Plan wisely, and good luck.

5000 miles is a substantial undertaking in a car. A couple of thought exercises might be to imagine you wanted to ride a pedal bicycle set up for long distance touring, what kind of bike and how would it be prepared for your needs? Now imagine doing it on a motorcycle, what quality assurances would you think you'd need to consider in making your choices?

I'm glad you took my comments above in the spirit they were intended. You are contemplating a trip of far outside average proportions and while it is doable and could be a terrific adventure it is also well within the parameters for misery and discomfort to be unwelcome and constant travel companions. I'd suggest doing as much research as you can and certainly don't leave out the pedal bicycle touring sites, in a very real sense you'll find more specific info there about touring and routes than the motor biking sites. One among many is: America's Bicycle Travel Inspiration & Resource - Adventure Cycling Association

And then there's this guy: http://thirstybike.org/, 15,000 mile trip planned with a Robin35 and Staton shift kit

Average putting around motorized biking is one thing, pedal bicycle touring is another. Motorized bike touring is different still and an endeavor in large part unexplored with not of a lot of solid, experienced, info to go around.

I mention this because much of the info or advice garnered off of the web will pertain to areas of interest that you have adapt to your own needs. Generally motored bikes are made with little concern about how they pedal, are heavy, many are concerned only with how fast they'll go and they are often constrained by constant tinkering and parts failure and thus most don't put many sustained miles on them in a continuous run like in touring. They are used primarily for putting around locally within striking distance of home base for fixing when needed. Heading out on the open road is another matter.

The folks I know who do self-contained distance MAB touring don't seem to frequent the forums much but the best piece of advice I've seen lately came from WileyDavis who does extreme touring and does comes around on occasion:

My general advice is this, treat your tour like a regular bicycle tour, expect to pedal most of the time. if you do this, you'll get a lot of exercise and your butt will hurt less, and you'll realize how rad MB touring is because you end up averaging 20mph, rather than 12.

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Best piece of advice you can get right there and it's good that it seems to fit your outlook as I read you mention pedaling cadence. Too many I believe think unrealistically that a MAB is going to do it all for them.

Get a bike that you are comfortable on, one that is both fits you and you like to pedal because that's the basic idea with a self-contained touring MAB. If not a small motorcycle or scooter would be a better bet.

More random thoughts for further conversation and dialog in no particular order

Weight is the enemy of the distance tourer. Consider well what you can do and do without. Saving a few ounces here, a pound there adds up because ultimately it becomes a power to weight ratio equation. If you have belongings you want but won't need on the trip until the other end, consider shipping them freight.

I've done thousands of miles of pedal bicycle touring and more recently over past 4 years gotten into power assisted bikes. We did a tour on MABs on the coast of Maine this summer, 380 miles one way planned route, ended up a bit over 800 miles round trip with side travel.

Wheels, can't say enough about it and the first thing I would say is invest in good wheels with adequate gauge spokes with quality hubs and maintain them meticulously, I had a bearing race go bad on a rear wheel this trip because I didn't.

Tires and tubes, use the best you can afford. I also use tire liners and thorn proof tubes. 800 miles and no flats, a first.

Trailer, don't know what you have in mind but I love the single wheel I have. It's the Bob style knock-off from Nashbar I picked up used for $50 and reworked the hitch it and swapped out the wheel with an upgrade. A trailer flag is a pretty darn good addition.

Fuel is heavy, depending how well planned your route and daily mileage will determine how much you need to carry and what size tank(s).

Lighting. There's no end what you can spend on quality bicycle lighting but minimum for daytime travel I wouldn't go without a multi-mode red in the rear and white nano strobe in front. If you are going to do ANY night riding then serious upgrades need to be considered.

A center kickstand is a great asset on a touring bike, especially with cargo.

Travel tools. There are some adequate multi-tools though generally I don't care for them. They are convenient without a lot of weight but still I prefer to put together my own minimalist kit with a eye toward size and weight but that do just about anything on a bike up to complete overhaul.

One further thought before I forget it.....though I like friction drives for many uses I have been of the mind they weren't the best for touring. The chances of encountering wet weather in some locales doing extended touring is high. The inverse of that is long days of hot weather which can speed tire wear and transfer a lot of heat to bearings and engine crankshaft. That said, it should be noted that one of the long ride guys I mentioned above who doesn't frequent forums much has, for himself anyway, certainly put some of that to rest. He's done mega tours up the continental divide (in obvious dry climates) from New Mexico to Idaho and back on a friction drive/Robin 35 bike (no trailer) and had a great time with it.


Best of luck and ride safe.

happyvalley

Some good tips for sure.

jon, You will most likely drive right past my place on Hy 90, or less than 3 miles away if you travel Mobile Hy. My son lives S of Ocala, Fl, another rest spot for you. He mite take you fishing as he goes 3 times a week or more!!

The one wheel Bob style trailers would be best for a long trip`s and traffic.

Many of us will be watching for your posts.

Ron

I will throw in my 2 cents. Just had a 100+mi round robin on Tuesday. Beautiful day, beautiful country, couldnt stop. I have been working on a set up for a 500mi one way trip, a far cry from 5000! I have 2 bikes set up, one a recumbent, the other a dual suspension MTB, both with trailer hitches to pull a single wheel trailer. The recumbent is very comfortable, has front suspension and a sprung seat, but I almost always find myself on the MTB. This bike is still under a governed throttle. Its a set it and forget it, adds necessary throttle on the hills and backs off on the down side, and holds a constant on the flats. This removes a lot of work load over a long period. My bike is an FD. The only draw back I can see is wet road performance, and I have an emergency set up for that. What I experience with this bike is 100% reliability. Its fairly heavy as fitted, which I favor, as I believe it improves the ride/roadholding. Its not difficult to pedal if the need arises. I have been evaluating these two all summer, and feel with a complete go over either one is cross country capable. I have a 49cc HS 4G shifter bike. Works well but I never venture far from home because of its complexity. May never give trouble but the odds are against that. I have other bikes of various drive configurations. But if Im going far from home its on one of the FDs. FDs are not for everyone, but a well designed/built one is a great traveler.

Ben
Did not think of you sissor lift friction machine and the cool diy trailer. That could be a great system for him. Some extra tires, tubes, liners, rollers and a few tools would not fill two cigar box`s. Add extra gas, he would be in great shape and easy to pedal with the rear engine.

What kind of fuel milage would you guess, 150 mpg? I think Elmo gets that with his Harbor Freight engine. The Pm i sent you got messed up, covered by the old guys pic.

jon
Have you seen cannonball2 builds, they are all clean and neat, he has been at it for many yrs. Would be a lot better than the hd stuff i mentioned. He use`s a very simular motor though, and should be trouble free and changing oil is easier then mixing 2 stroke fuel for 5000 miles. Maybe cheaper also.
Ron

jon31592 said:

the GEBE, EZM, and Staton drive systems as these are the only systems i would consider using.

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Good post Jon and IMO you're right on the mark with the choices you've narrowed down and won't go wrong with any of them. I own two of those, the third I don't but is from a local guy down your way with a very good rep. The good thing all three keep it a bicycle, 50cc or under, and you'll avoid most potential legal problems.

Most of time I usually avoid making outright suggestions to folks on what to get, preferring instead to suggest they read and research to come up with their own ideas on what might be best for them and their particular needs. It's also a very good idea you have to try and get some test rides in if you have the chance. Since you asked though, for the trip I did this summer I used my GEBE/RS35 bike and it performed incredibly well.

Florida temps. for February, depending on location, will range from the mid 40's in the early morning to upper 70's in the afternoon. You will be going through Florida on your way to Key West using either US-1 or A1A. Both will be giving you winds off the Atlantic. Couple the winds to the 40's and very damp air you will want to be dressed with warm clothing. Once the sun is up the temps. will rise very fast. Get a rain coat of some type. You will need it.

Make a list of members along your route just in case you need some help with something. Maybe even an over night stay. Example: I live about 200 yards off of US-1. I could put you up for the night with no problem. Plus free food!!

Terry

I just thought of something else. When you plane the exact route see if you can find out if it has a bike lane. That would be nice to have. I "think" US-1 in Florida and A1A has a bike lane in all or most sections.

Terry

Wow, bike lanes! We only have them in the metro areas. All my riding is rural. Heres comes some advice on the trailer. If you can bring yourself to consider a one wheeler, you will be better off as far as cars negociating you from behind. In the thousands of miles of riding, I have never had an altercation with a driver. Thats because when I see a car approaching from behind, I get on the white line, they appreciate this. In the event of an unexpected meeting of an on comming car there is room for us all of us to suqeeze by, might not happen with a two wheel trailer as you are displaced to the left some. This is not so much of a problem when touring in a group where the driver might have to slow down to deal with it, but when a lone rider, you get passed fast and need to keep as much of yourself as possible out of the way! Here is my trailer. Kinda hokey, but it works well and was basically free. For touring I stack another box on top and hinge it with cable ties. The camping stuff goes inside, and tires, bigger stuff, and even an extra wheel or two goes on top. I tested it with 2 trolling batteries totaling over 80lbs and it was not to bad to handle. I doubt I would exceed 40lbs when in use. Lost the trailer link will post it later.

Heres the link.http://motorbicycling.com/f36/cheap-easy-bicycle-bike-trailer-31517.html#post303463

jon31592 said:

you all make such good points! i will have to look into the GEBE system more, perhaps i will call them up and see if they think that the system could handle it.

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Sounds like a wonderful adventure.

The GEBE system will handle it (but is does cost more). I have the GEBE with the Tanka 32 engine. I have ridden it over 5000 miles (over more than a year) without a single breakdown (not counting flat tires). It is described in the thread below.

http://motorbicycling.com/f15/build-reliability-comfort-long-distances-big-23334.html