Motorbike as a BOV, help please.

[Steve]

My biggest problem is getting my kids and their families from their homes in the south east to my place in the west, they have their own vehicles but will leave the trip too late and likely come across blocked roads at some point. To that end I have a large panel van, big enough to sleep 8 people in an emergency, several 200 litre drums of diesel, equipment such as winches, flat metal sheets and washing up liquid to move vehicles, and a 125cc four stroke trail bike as a last resort vehicle. I am going to build a small, narrow trailer for use behind the bike, capable of taking a person or a load. It will be slow, but it will keep me mobile when all else is blocked and does over 150mpg.

[bigpaul]

why don't you put a bull bar on the front, that way you can just push any broken down vehicles out of the way??? trouble with winches and stuff is you have to get OUT of your vehicle to hitch them up and that is when you COULD be attacked !!!

[Midnitemo]

If you have been to the far east or even rural greece for that matter you would have seen entire families travelling on bikes , mum , dad and two or tree kids, not ideal but thats one of the reasons i included vespa's that and there utalitarian design , spare wheel , front and rear wheel same size , split rims ,simple engine , can run without a battery etc etc.

[Nix]

Been on the lookout for an XT350/DR350/XL250 etc but too much crap about so now going to keep the bikes I've got. Three will go onto one seat in an emergency. As Midnitemo says, whole families travel on tiny bikes in the Far East so no reason why we can't do that too if need be.

[bigpaul]

most older bikes will run without a battery, all that does is run the lights and the horn, post SHTF you don't need any of them and its just another thing you can do without.

[Steve]

(25 November 2013, 17:36)Midnitemo Wrote: If you have been to the far east or even rural greece for that matter you would have seen entire families travelling on bikes , mum , dad and two or tree kids, not ideal but thats one of the reasons i included vespa's that and there utalitarian design , spare wheel , front and rear wheel same size , split rims ,simple engine , can run without a battery etc etc.

All good points, the vespa has much to commend it, however I prefer a four stroke engine for economy and bigger wheels cope better on bad surfaces. I've never seen an off road tyre in vespa sizes either. My 125 actually has fuel injection, unusual for such a small bike but good for economy. I also have a Fantic trials bike, several TZRs, a 600 and a 1000cc sports bike so I'm well prepared in the two wheel dept.

[Oimccoy]

(25 November 2013, 17:47)bigpaul Wrote: most older bikes will run without a battery, all that does is run the lights and the horn, post SHTF you don't need any of them and its just another thing you can do without.

Only models which have self exciting ignition systems, a lot of late 70's and 80's Honda ran these ignition systems, a quick look at a wiring diagram will show you if it is such a system, anything with points will require a battery.

My suggestion for a bug out bike would be the old twin shock XL125 with a CG125 engine fitted. The engines a pretty much bolt in interchangeable, the whole vehicle is so simple you might as well buy a rolling frame and rebuild the forks, fit new bearing throughout and get the wheels re-spoked and re-rimmed - all of which wont break the bank. I'd prefer the twin shock version cos if your using a monoshock off road predominately it will shorten the working life of the bearings in the linkages and the shock by quite a lot, and post shit flying where are you going to get replacements from.
The cg engine tends to last a lot longer than the ohc cb especially when oil changes get neglected and all but the very earliest cg's run a self exciting ignition system.
While I would use all Japanese components due to their better quality if you do find yourself with a blown engine/CDI/coil etc all these components can be pilfered from a literally thousands of Chinese Honda clone 125's which zipping about.

OK, its not going to to give you huge performance but the light weight of a 125 is a massive bonus when (not if) you drop it if . and the lack of weight is always good

[Midnitemo]

pit bikes run 10 inch tyres with off road patterns and belive or not vespa px's have completed the paris dakar and the ISDT as a kid i had numerous vespa's and lambretta's that i savagely took the hacksaw too and ragged them round the woods...some of them would be quite valuable now had i not butchered them and none of em were more than £20...hindsight eh!

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but i'm with oimcoy...cg125 is my prefered choice 125mpg 2.6 gallon tank 60mph easy 50 cruise enclosed chain , light and manageble , superbly simple and over engineered machine with an abundance of spares and potential donor bikes out there.

[NorthernRaider]

(25 November 2013, 17:41)Nix Wrote: Been on the lookout for an XT350/DR350/XL250 etc but too much crap about so now going to keep the bikes I've got. Three will go onto one seat in an emergency. As Midnitemo says, whole families travel on tiny bikes in the Far East so no reason why we can't do that too if need be.

Company in Derby is selling completely refurbished XT500s

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(25 November 2013, 20:02)Midnitemo Wrote: pit bikes run 10 inch tyres with off road patterns and belive or not vespa px's have completed the paris dakar and the ISDT as a kid i had numerous vespa's and lambretta's that i savagely took the hacksaw too and ragged them round the woods...some of them would be quite valuable now had i not butchered them and none of em were more than £20...hindsight eh!

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but i'm with oimcoy...cg125 is my prefered choice 125mpg 2.6 gallon tank 60mph easy 50 cruise enclosed chain , light and manageble , superbly simple and over engineered machine with an abundance of spares and potential donor bikes out there.

Quite a few folks in the Sef Build Camper Van club carry Suzuki Van Van 125 multipurpose bikes, which look idea for post apoc bimbling about

[Oimccoy]

(25 November 2013, 20:02)Midnitemo Wrote: over engineered machine

Erm no, cg's are light years better quality than the chinese clones but they are definitely built down to a price and are no better than the Suzuki's GS/DR125 or Yam's XL/SR125.