New member needs advice on what to buy

GoldenMotor.com

Bradford

New Member
Feb 4, 2012
4
0
0
Laguna Beach, CA
I have no experience with motorized bicycles or mopeds. I want to purchase a six to eight foot aluminum bicycle cargo trailer designed to carry from 300 to 500 pounds of cargo behind a non-motorized bicycle (pedal power). I need advice on whether I should buy a 4-stroke beach cruiser bicycle to pull the trailer or, if I should buy a Tomos brand upscale moped with a heavy-duty 2-stroke engine and heavy-duty two gear automatic transmission. I would spend twice as much for the Tomos moped than I would for a new beach cruiser gas powered 4 - stroke bicycle. A bicycle store owner that does not sell motorized bicycles or mopeds, told me that gas powered beach cruiser bicycles have a common problem with the rear sprocket placing too much strain on the hub spokes and wheel bearings. He also told me that without even pulling a cargo trailer, the brakes wear out prematurely because beach cruiser bicycles do not have disc brakes and were not designed to go 30 miles an hour. I then visited a local Moped rental / sales / service business and was shown four different models of Tomos brand mopeds which all had 2-stroke engines. I was surprised by how large the head of the engine was on each Tomos moped model; the owner / mechanic explained to me that Tomos Corporation only makes 2-stroke engines, but they have thick-walled cylinders and heavy-duty two speed automatic transmission gearing. He said Tomos 2-stroke moped engines will outperform and outlast any four-stroke moped engine and any 4-stroke beach cruiser bicycle engine. What would be the most reliable way for me to travel long distances in bike lanes pulling a bicycle cargo trailer with 200 to 300 pounds of cargo? Are there beach cruiser bicycles with disc brakes and a better sprocket attachment design with stronger hub / axle and sealed bearings or, is what I was told is a common design problem not correct information? How many miles can I expect to get out of a 4-stroke beach cruiser bicycle pulling a six to eight foot bicycle cargo trailer with 200 to 300 pounds? The six to eight foot aluminum bicycle cargo trailer is made by Bikes At Work Inc. located in Ames, Iowa. Their website address is: www.bikesatwork.com. As far as I know, they are the only company in the U.S. and possibly the world, that make and sell such long cargo trailers for bicycles.
 
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takeitez

New Member
Dec 19, 2011
139
0
0
Clayton Missouri
200-300 pounds plus you and the weight of the bike is a lot. I am not sure if either would be able to do it. If you arn't worried about being 100% legal then the salesmen was wrong. The mopeds are limited at 30 and will only do about 40 without expensive mods. Get a 50cc honda and work on it a little. I would suggest you go with a shift kit. You could gear it down in the jack shaft so that you will be able to get going and then shift up to get to cruising speed. A lot of people here put disk brakes on there cruiser.

Really for this application I am afraid that the motorized bicycle is at its limit. Unless you are willing to do something crazy like the 212cc hf engine like a few people have done. I don't think that you will end up very happy.

Dont let me talk you out of it because I am still a little new to this. Every one else chime in and tell me I am wrong (I do hope so).

p.s. What modle of Tomos are you thinking about getting?
 

fastfingas

Member
Dec 25, 2011
99
0
6
New Orleans
Hey Bradford welcome ,,, i gotta tell you your project sounds serious seems to me but I could be very wrong but you might not have enough traction on the back wheel after loading up the trailer??? really don't know what to recomend except a small pickup truck jajajajajja just kidding Bradford keep posting cuz now i'm curious to see you project!!!!
 

CTripps

Active Member
Aug 22, 2011
1,310
1
38
Vancouver, B.C.
I agree with 'Yank on that. It doesn't matter if you can support and balance that much load, stopping it will be a real challenge unless you can get or create a powered brake system for the trailer (at least).
 

robbomberbomyea

New Member
Dec 10, 2011
267
6
0
57
toledo oh
wow ,towing that much on bike,possible, but, may i sugest getting a truck lol,good luck, a sproket adapter will take the load off the spokes but stoping even with disc brakes will be a chore especialy if the trailer was loaded, could jack knife,seperate brakes on trailer would help but not sure how you would fab the system.good luck and be safe.
 

Sidewinder Jerry

Well-Known Member
Dec 19, 2011
1,996
928
113
61
Rockwood, TN
Bradford here are my guidelines for building bikes: predominant riding terrain, legal requirements, rider and budget. The Honda GXH 50 is a really good engine. And there's several good hubs out there which can handle the extra torque from your engine. I don't know much about California laws but for hauling that kind of weight you'll need to be in a classification beyond a motorized bicycle. By the way what are you pulling a boat?