Texas Riding Blog

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What a fun day. The only thing that would be better is if I had someone to ride with. :(

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I feel ya biknut. I haven't even seen another bike here and it would be sik to have another person to ride with \m/
 
Had a kid offer me $6 for the bike and have three other people either wave or complement. Also had another motorcycle riding behind me for a while. Because of traffic and his short gears he had to just follow. lol
 
I was riding to work a few weeks ago and actually and a motorcycle block a car from crowding me on my MB. He pulled up next to me at the light and asked me a few questions about the bike. That was pretty cool.
 
placidscene said:
I was riding to work a few weeks ago and actually and a motorcycle block a car from crowding me on my MB. He pulled up next to me at the light and asked me a few questions about the bike. That was pretty cool.
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I know how you feel. I too have had the same thing happen to me while riding, where someone on a motorcycle starts talking to me at a light about my mb. It's happened at least a couple times.

Sunday I was riding on a big street (Midway), but there wasn't hardly any traffic. I thought I was all alone. I looked over in the left lane and this guy was pacing me in his car snapping pics, or I guess it could be video. He rode along a little, and then drove ahead out of sight. About 2 miles later the same guy drove by me again, and I heard him yell as he went by, "I want one, that's so cool".

Hardly anyone here in Dallas has ever seen, or heard of a motor bicycle. I do my best to be seen as much as possible out, and about, but I rarely ever see another MB besides mine.

I feel like it's sort of my job to promote MBs to the general population as much as possible.
 
That really is very cool!

Kinda funny. When I went for very first ride, I thought about running into MC folks and their reaction. MC folks have been nothing but great and always a pleasant conversation.

On rare occasion some accusatory remarks from folks on expensive bicycles who are real in to it. Is rare but happens. ("your cheating" "That's just wrong" "You'll burn in Hades" Ya know, the usual.)

My normal response is, "With legs like that, why do you wear shorts?"
 
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Dan said:
That really is very cool!

Kinda funny. When I went for very first ride, I thought about running into MC folks and their reaction. MC folks have been nothing but great and always a pleasant conversation.

On rare occasion some accusatory remarks from folks on expensive bicycles who are real in to it. Is rare but happens. ("your cheating" "That's just wrong" "You'll burn in Hades" Ya know, the usual.)

My normal response is, "With legs like that, why do you wear shorts?"
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Yeah Dan, I usually get good reactions from bikers, but sometimes not so good at bicycle shops. I've heard the cheater remark a couple times, but that just makes me laugh.

I kind of get the feeling that some bicycle shops wish I wouldn't ride my mb to their shop, because their customers see my bike parked by the front door. That doesn't matter to a lot of customers, but a few realize how cool my mb is, and if they ask about it inside they find out the shop doesn't know anything about them. I guess it doesn't help that my bike outclasses everything in their shop lol.

That's a really short sighted attitude because according to my wife, I'm spending about $500 a month on bicycle stuff.

Luckily there's a couple of good bicycle shops near me that don't have an attitude about it. One is REI, and the other is Bicycle Exchange in Carrollton.

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I've had mixed responses. Sometimes the bicycle shops think it is cool while the motorcycle shops dislike them. Harley guys have just about run over me to get in front of me at stop signs to show off how loud their bikes are while bicyclists ask me to motorize their bikes.
 
Has anyone actually attempted to register a motorized bicycle as a moped?

I've found a few of the laws concerning moped/vehicles no longer list "self-propelled" as a requirement. (Though, they still do for motor-assisted scooters) And some of the TT code quoted in this thread actually seems to have be revoked and replaced since it's inception.

I have motorcycle insurance and a motorcycle license. I would be okay registering it as a moped if I can find a way. I got a 71' M35A2 insured a while back, I can sure as **** get a bicycle covered.

So from what I've seen you actually have to meet the requirements of a moped:
Headlight/Tail Light/Reflector. (actually the same for riding regular bicycles at night).
<50cc displacement.
<30mph max speed.

Then you have get it inspected. A possible VF type form in addition created for like another dollar.

Then you have to have an affidavit swearing the bike is under 50cc and 30mph from the manufacturer (you are the manufacturer). The information the DPS lists on their website is wrong, your moped does NOT have to be on the DMV approved list, it's just that if you are on that list you just do not need the notarized affidavit.

Then you need a certificate of origin. I think if you go to your local chamber of commerce and get them to sign off that you built your motorized bicycle (read: put two parts together, a bike and a motor), they can sign off on your certificate of origin.

My kit comes in today. I'm going to build a 49cc rear mounted chain driven bike with a centrifugal clutch. Using a kit and an old mongoose. I have fabrication and welding ability to get it to work... Probably.

I have a couple of other motorcycles, a GSA and a Versys. I just wanted to try something 'different' for a laugh. I had originally bought this mongoose years ago with the plan to motorized it, and am just now getting to it.
 
Snarky said:
Has anyone actually attempted to register a motorized bicycle as a moped?

I've found a few of the laws concerning moped/vehicles no longer list "self-propelled" as a requirement. (Though, they still do for motor-assisted scooters) And some of the TT code quoted in this thread actually seems to have be revoked and replaced since it's inception.

I have motorcycle insurance and a motorcycle license. I would be okay registering it as a moped if I can find a way. I got a 71' M35A2 insured a while back, I can sure as **** get a bicycle covered.

So from what I've seen you actually have to meet the requirements of a moped:
Headlight/Tail Light/Reflector. (actually the same for riding regular bicycles at night).
<50cc displacement.
<30mph max speed.

Then you have get it inspected. A possible VF type form in addition created for like another dollar.

Then you have to have an affidavit swearing the bike is under 50cc and 30mph from the manufacturer (you are the manufacturer). The information the DPS lists on their website is wrong, your moped does NOT have to be on the DMV approved list, it's just that if you are on that list you just do not need the notarized affidavit.

Then you need a certificate of origin. I think if you go to your local chamber of commerce and get them to sign off that you built your motorized bicycle (read: put two parts together, a bike and a motor), they can sign off on your certificate of origin.

My kit comes in today. I'm going to build a 49cc rear mounted chain driven bike with a centrifugal clutch. Using a kit and an old mongoose. I have fabrication and welding ability to get it to work... Probably.

I have a couple of other motorcycles, a GSA and a Versys. I just wanted to try something 'different' for a laugh. I had originally bought this mongoose years ago with the plan to motorized it, and am just now getting to it.
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As it stands right now it's impossible to register a motor bicycle in Texas because there's no VIN number.

Texas has a list of approved mopeds, and only those are allowed to be registered.

We have 2 things going for us right now.

1. In Texas all motor vehicles are considered self propelled, and 2, there's no specific mention of gas powered motor bicycles in Texas law.

According to the Texas DPS that puts us in a gray area of Texas law. If you can honestly say your mb must be peddled away from a stop, you can make the claim it's not self propelled in court. If it's not self propelled, it's now recognized as a motor vehicle in Texas, so there's no need for a license or registration.

So far there's no reports of any of the hundreds of MB riders in Texas being harassed by law enforcement anywhere in the state, other than running stop signs, and normal stuff like that.
 
Snarky,
If we are currently in a "gray area" and law enforcement doesn't bother us, why the heck would I want to go through all of that bureaucracy just to ride my MB?
Let's leave it like it is as long as we can.
Let sleeping dogs lie?
 
placidscene said:
Snarky,
If we are currently in a "gray area" and law enforcement doesn't bother us, why the heck would I want to go through all of that bureaucracy just to ride my MB?
Let's leave it like it is as long as we can.
Let sleeping dogs lie?
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Pretty much exactly what I was thinking. Since nobody is bothering us why start rattling their cage?.
 
Dont think so. You read my rant about my carb popping off?
Then i put a set screw in the carb where it attaches to the manifold to keep it from popping off. That is when the intake broke in two where it conects to the motor.
I think I am getting a lot of back pressure through the carb for some reason.
Any ideas?
 
Get the manic mechanic intake tube, the good aluminum one with the rubber o ring. That ought to do it. I don't see any reason you should be getting some kind of excess blowbck out the carb, unless your muffler is pooped out. Still it shouldn't blow your carb off.
 
Placid, crazy thought that makes no sense, could your muffler be clogged or for some reason to restrictive? (too?)

Opps, I see you already thought of that. http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=40495

Really dunno but could try another muffler.

I don't think it could be that but been surprised to many times to think any thing is or isn't possible.
 
Seems like if the exhaust was clogged up, long before the carb would come off, there would be an oily mess dripping out of the air cleaner.

I wonder what would happen if the piston was in backwards?
 
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