"Survival Bike" Ideas

twowheeledfox

twowheeledfox

New Member
Thought of something new today- what about a "survival bike"? By that I mean something fairly simple, easy to repair, and durable so it's usable for on/off road transport, commuting etc. It would need light(s) for all-weather riding, a small tool bag for repairs, and a mirror for proper commuting.

This could be done on a quite low budget because mountain bikes with minor problems go on sale at yard sales/etc all the time, and usually have better quality than the Mallwart specials once fixed up. MTBs are durable and can be modified easily, and even unsuspended bikes can get a decent ride from a $15 sprung seat. Here is a parts list I thought of:

Yard sale ATB- $25
Brake pads- $7
New tires/tubes- $36 (obviously if it has good tires and tubes, or you can find them cheaper, use those)
Mirror- $6
Lights, head and tail- $10 online ($20 at walmart)
Speedometer- $1 online ($10 at walmart)
Small bag for tools- $3 online ($6 at walmart)
Tools themselves (adjustable wrench, pliers, std. and phillips screwdriver)- $6 or less at yard sales ($15 or so at walmart)
Sprung seat for a comfortable ride- $10

If you work it out well that's pretty cheap. Next is the motor however, a more complicated proposition. It can't be very expensive, due to the possibility of theft, and must be easy to remove for repair or replacement. It also can't interfere with the bike's function as a bicycle so friction drive or a centrifugal clutch is preferable. And finally, I think a true survival bike should be able to be stored indoors (think house or apartment) without causing a fire when you light a match. A motor bag perhaps??

Give me your ideas, this could be a great build for those who could do it.
 
If you want this to be for on and off road you should figure on a shift kit and as far as storing it indoors just use a rear rack tank and make it easily removable.
 
What about one of the friction drive- suited motors? If it's a 2-cycle, all you'd need to do was remove the tank. Or would draining the tank before going inside with it be safe?
 
Check out the Hybriped. If your engine breaks down or something, you can release the backwheel from the sprocket in 10 seconds.
 
And it should not have any electronics whatsoever in the case of an electromagnetic pulse bomb. Very important.

And panniers would be good.
 
No electronics, what about the mag and cdi?

And i store my bike in my apartment,but i cover the gascap and carb so that they are sealed, no gas smell and safe to smoke,but i would keep it in a larger room.

You could remove the tank and have a quick release check valve on the fuel line,like one that is on my upright carpet shampooer line that connects the water jug to the line on the hose,the valve closes when disconecting the line by pushing a clip in.
 
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Maybe a BMP kit with a Mitsubishi 2 cycle on it? $140 for the BMP kit and $90 for the motor. I say that because there are only four bolts holding motor to kit and the motor has no drive wheel directly attached to it; the engine could be removed after each ride, placed in a bag, and the bag closed then stored on the bike for the next ride. It wouldn't take long to put four bolts back on and if I am reading it right nothing else would need to be done to take it on or off.

BUT here's the question: can I leave it in the sealed (probably canvas or something like that) bag and not worry about matches or pilot lights? For reference, my current living area is about the size of a studio apartment. I have a couple of roomates in a typical house, sharing rent etc because I don't have the income to live alone. My only "personal space" is a bedroom about the size of a small-end studio apartment. It has a nice alcove in the rear of the room that would fit a bicycle perfectly, but of course in a room that small the bag holding the motor would not be able to betray any gas vapors, would be dangerous. I light matches occaisionaly, and don't care for spontaneous explosions, so....
 
biken stins said:
Why a speedometer ?
Click to expand...

Ha ha. Yeah, the speedo will probably not be so important after such an event.

But if we're talking true survival... I'm pretty disappointed that my motorcycle will be useless as well. All the electronics will be fried.

So I'm thinking guns and ammunition might be more important.
 
Well, if we're talking EMP, I think points-based timing could still work- correct me if I'm wrong- if not, anyone up for a 1918 Indian motorcycle? laff

Personally though, I think the major collapse would be social- we are too connected as a species now for bombs to come first. First social unrest, than bioterrorism or cyberterrorism to destroy all order- etc etc. Then come the bombs.
 
twowheeledfox said:
Well, if we're talking EMP, I think points-based timing could still work- correct me if I'm wrong- if not, anyone up for a 1918 Indian motorcycle? laff

Personally though, I think the major collapse would be social- we are too connected as a species now for bombs to come first. First social unrest, than bioterrorism or cyberterrorism to destroy all order- etc etc. Then come the bombs.
Click to expand...

But what do you think about panniers?

Just kidding. I would tend to think that if someone is really out to get us this (EMP) would be the easiest and most devastating way. Boom! All electronics gone. Our infrastructure melts immediately. Anarchy is upon us in probably two days. We would be fighting ourselves.
 
rockhopper said:
But what do you think about panniers?

Just kidding. I would tend to think that if someone is really out to get us this (EMP) would be the easiest and most devastating way. Boom! All electronics gone. Our infrastructure melts immediately. Anarchy is upon us in probably two days. We would be fighting ourselves.
Click to expand...

True, as George Carlin used to say, civilisation would collapse very quickly if you remove just one thing- electricity. No power, no food, no lights, no transport (for most of society) most data lost or inacessible, prisons and mental hospitals open, and the only working weapons for the civil populace would be blades and guns- nothing electronically guided.

It might not be a country or nation to do it however- Iran with it's religious crazies, and North Korea with utter brainwashing are nuts enough to do it, but can't because they themselves will be destroyed. I think a small group of people, with access to the right equipment, could do say an EMP, blame it on one country, their get attacked and blamed, allies become enemies, etc and the world stage itself becomes a war zone.

Remember that time, not too long ago, that an American plane flew over Russia, the Russians mistook it for a bomber and Vladimir Putin had a few seconds to decide whether to "retaliate" with a nuke? That was damn close, but largely ignored. Nations pretend to trust one another, but they really can't because they're nations. Enormous groups of politicians, ambassadors and civilians cannot all be counted on to hold the "official" opinion, so there is always distrust even among the closest alliances (US and UK for example).
 
We keep our submarines out at sea for this very reason. OK, you might nuke the crap out of us, but here's the payback. Buh-bye.
 
Exactly, but due to alliances and the fact that the general populace world-over likes black-and-white, good-and-evil lines, every country will likely take a side and bomb the s*** out of each other, leaving the world mostly uninhabitable, at least around major cities.
 
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