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Mini bikes and estate cars – the perfect partnership

February 9, 2012 By

If you love biking, and you love to travel – but you hate to feel encumbered and you also like to travel at a reasonable speed – then you may find that a mini bike and an estate car form the perfect partnership.

Now if you’re a biker, I already know what you’re thinking; no motorcycle should ever be laid on its side. This causes it to leak fuel and possibly oil all over your vehicle. So it’s far better to stand it up.

But therein lies a problem; standing the bike up on a rack – or strapping it to the back – or worse still a trailer – slows me down in a number of ways. Firstly, it slows the car, secondly and perhaps more to the point, it slows down my packing up and moving on to the next place which is why I like the combination of mini bike, estate car and tent with camping gear so much. I like to travel and I can move on really quickly to the next place by slinging the mini in the trunk.

But when I do so – I always drain down the fuel first then I stow the bike on its side with an old blanket or two to stop it denting and not having to worry too much if it leaks a little oil. But here’s the thing – it’s never happened yet – and for a couple of hundred dollars, would I really care all that much if I did damage the mini bike? After all it wouldn’t be irreparable and it’s already given me many happy years of camping and travelling around unencumbered and at a reasonable speed.

I see my estate car-mini bike partnership as a kind of hybrid solution between a camper van with a bike and, well, just a car and a tent. The problem with this latter option is you have to take everything out of the car and leave it as the campsite – so it slows everything up and leaves you open to theft more easily. The way I do it works great. But you really just have to try it to see for yourself.

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Biofuel bikes in Brazil

December 14, 2011 By

The developments in the motor industry in general are often reflected in the bike world.  So it’s not surprising that we are seeing increasing numbers of biofuel motorbikes.

Since 2009, biofuel bikes have been taking over in Brazil with the introduction of a modified Honda bike – the Mix.

It’s a small motorcycle that you’ll often see ridden by couriers in the big cities. Following on from the success of the petrol only version, Honda worked on the necessary technology to produce a more fuel-efficient bike.  It’s called the Mix because it runs on blend of petrol and ethanol.

Following the trend of cars in Brazil – where there are a majority of biofuel cars on the road – the Mix has proved popular.  Since 1970, in fact, it’s been illegal in Brazil to drive a car that doesn’t use a blend of ethanol and petrol, and since 2003, flex fuel vehicles have also been sold in Brazil.  Flex fuel vehicles have special electronics systems to detect what mix of fuel is being used.

Using biofuel is a good solution for Brazil, as it’s the world’s second largest producer of ethanol.  It produces almost a third of the global supply. More land has been turned over to sugar cane production to keep up with supply.  The United States is the world’s biggest producer of ethanol, and since 1980, more than two trillion miles have been travelled using ethanol fuel.

It’s possible to run the Mix on pure ethanol, petrol or a blend of the two.  With a sensor located in the exhaust to detect the blend being used, the Mix can alter the fuel injection to suit.

There is an ever increasing range in the different types of bikes available, including hybrids, biofuel bikes and electric bikes.  It shows how there’s as strong a market demand for eco-friendly fuels in the biking world as in the auto world today.

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A history of a motorcycle pioneer

November 24, 2011 By

Honda is one of the biggest names in motorbike manufacturing in the world today. Like many of the major entrepreneurial success stories of the twentieth century, the company had very humble beginnings.

Soichiro Honda was born in Hamamatsu, Japan. As a youth, Honda was an apprentice in an automotive garage in Tokyo. In 1928, he opened his own repair garage and built his own racing car.  In 1937 he set up a piston ring manufacturing company and became one of Toyota’s key suppliers.

He sold his business in 1946 and saw a market opportunity for affordable transportation in war-devastated Japan.  He adapted bicycles by adding two-stroke motors to them.  The motors were war surplus supplies – originally intended to be military radio generators.

In 1949, Honda established the Honda Motor Co. Ltd and the company manufactured its first motorcycle in 1949. The bike was powered by a 98cc two-stroke motor.  Legend has it that an employee looked at it and said “It’s like a dream.” Dream was incorporated into the bike’s name, with it being known as the Model D.

The first motorcycles were very noisy and the fume smells crowding the streets of Japanese cities inspired Honda to create a four stroke motorbike in 1951. This was known as the Dream E.

Honda went onto manufacture accessory, clip-on motors for bicycles, producing the Cub F motor in 1951. This was a two-stroke, 50cc motor that was sold by thousands of bicycle shops in Japan.

In 1953, Honda released its Benly J motorbike. They had Benly tank badges and the Honda name only appeared on the engine case. These proved very popular with Japanese racing amateurs.

In 1958, Honda manufactured what was to become the most popular motorbike of all time – the Super Cub – otherwise known as the CA100, the C100 and the Honda 50.  It had a pressed-steel frame and 50cc four-stroke motor. It would also go on to have a 70cc and 90cc engine in later generations.

In 1959, Honda opened the American Honda Motor Co. in Los Angeles and has been the biggest motorcycle manufacturer in the world ever since.

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Electric and hybrid bikes gain in popularity

November 14, 2011 By

Gradually, electric motorbikes are gaining a foothold in the motorbike industry just as hybrids have become a standard part of the car industry.  They tend to be popular with people who care about air quality and enjoy the silent ride over other factors such as speed and performance.

Electric motorbikes are very lightweight compared to traditional ones.  They don’t usually have a clutch and the transmission is single-speed.  Batteries will last for an average of 300 charges – which gets you about 9,000 miles per battery.

One place that electric bikes have proved really popular is in India, with Bangalore company Eko Vehicles manufacturing the ET-120.  It’s a hybrid bike that has 280mpg and reaches a top speed of 40mph.  While this may not be great for the open road, it’s extremely practical for the amount of short trips typically made in Indian cities.  It’s available for about £500, but thrown in to that is also a five year warranty. Given that the average price for most electric bikes is around $7,000, the ET-120 is a bargain.

One of the best regarded electric bikes on the market is the Zero DS, used for on and off road riding.  Produced by Zero Motorcycles, it’s lightweight because its frame is made from aluminium.  It has an air induction system that gives more power to the motor.

While you do still have to wait for it to charge up, there’s a quick charge option on so the waiting time is less than on earlier models.  It costs just under $10,000 and has a top speed of 67mph, with a range of 50 miles.

It’s likely that as air quality restrictions get ever more stringent, we’ll see an increase in numbers of electric or hybrid motorbikes, just as the interest shown in eco cars in UK showrooms has risen in the last five years.

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Motorbike winter storage tips

October 5, 2011 By

It might seem early to be thinking about putting your bike away for the winter, but the cold weather will soon be here. It’s worth taking a bit of time to store your motorbike properly so that it’s ready to go next spring.

You’ll need somewhere dry and secure to store it – if you have a garage that’s ideal, if not ask friends and family if you can use theirs. It’s worth investing in a proper bike cover instead of using a sheet or tarpaulin.  Motorbike covers are made of material that resists mildew and is slightly porous, allowing the fabric to breathe, and preventing moisture retention that leads to rust.

Change the oil, as any leftover byproducts of combustion produce acids in the oil which can damage the inner metal surfaces during storage. Add a fuel stabilizer to the petrol tank and run the bike for about ten minutes to mix it in properly.

Remove the battery.  Even when the ignition is switched off there will be a small current drain if it is left connected. During the winter you can use a charger to charge the battery every fortnight.

Give the bike a wax and polish before you put it away – wax provides an effective barrier against moisture and rust.  Finally spray any metal surfaces with some WD-40 to protect from corrosion. After applying WD-40, you can also cover the exhaust and mufflers with a plastic bag to prevent moisture getting in.

Finally, stand the bike on cardboard or wooden board to prevent the tyres from freezing and cracking, and put the cover on. Job done!

If you use your bike a lot during the summer, your car mileage will increase in the winter months.  With ever rising petrol prices, you might consider getting a hybrid to keep your fuel costs down.  Although they are more expensive to buy than a conventional car, hybrids offer cheaper fuel costs and lower road tax.  A new car offers peace of mind for trouble-free driving, so there’s little danger of you being stranded on the roadside in the depths of winter

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Plug-in motorbikes

August 31, 2011 By

In line with developments in the car industry where there is an ever greater choice of alternative fuels to diesel and petrol, you can also find a growing range of electric motorbikes from a range of different manufacturers.
An electric motorbike is classified as being different from an electric bike or a moped, mainly because of its speed.  The motorbike usually has greater speed – usually over 30mph – than the other two.
For people who travel alone, electric motorbikes are far more affordable than electric cars.  The fuel cost for an electric motorbike is approximately 25% the cost for an equivalent petrol model. They are often exempt from congestion and parking charges, and will qualify for road tax exemption, too.
Like many low emission cars, electric motorbikes do less damage to the environment, compared with their petrol or diesel equivalents. They can be charged at home and are easy to ride. There are some disadvantages, of course.  The capital costs for an electric motorbike are greater than for a conventional one.  You also need to allow time for the batteries to recharge – it’s not as quick and easy as filling up a petrol tank.  If you don’t have a garage, it can be difficult to get access to a electric socket from your parking spot.
The electric motorbike is a great choice for single people, or people who want to use them as a commuter option.  The trouble comes when you have a family. Then, the electric motorbike has to become a second vehicle, and you have to find the best family car to suit your needs.  Hybrids offer similar fuel cost savings as they have an electric motor that works alongside the petrol engine. They usually qualify for lower road tax and no congestion zone charges. Perhaps the perfect solution for a family is to have both an electric motorbike for commuting and a hybrid car for the family trips.

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