New and inexpensive way to go Geocaching!

[+Seeker_Knight]

I got so tired of going to the gas station all the time filling up the mini van, just to run around and do some geocaching. So I found a way to make it a whole lot cheaper. Enter the little Honda Monkey 125cc. It falls a bit short on storage space, but a backpack should fix that problem. The good news is, it gets about 140mpg. So I can go out for a whole day, anywhere I want on about a gallon of gas. This is a lot more sensible than driving the mini van all over the state. My part of going green I guess!
Let''s see if this is actually practical for running from cache to cache. I know already that it will need a coffee holder.

Is anyone else using one of these small bikes to do their caching?

Edited February 26, 2020 by Seeker_Knight

[+Viajero Perdido]

7 minutes ago, Seeker_Knight said:

Is anyone else using one of these small bikes to do their caching?

 

Sort of.    But not enough; I don't have a good way to carry it in the car when it's also full of camping gear.  Need to solve that dilemma to extend my range.

 

 

Edited February 26, 2020 by Viajero Perdido

[+Seeker_Knight]

I bought a Rad Rover for my daughter's fiance, and thought about one for myself, but I am not physically able to pedal any more, and the Rad Rover just hasn't got the range I might need. It is limited to about 45 miles, and only if you pedal the whole way with the wind at your back. Other than that, it is good for about 25 miles and 22 MPH..
Enjoy your youth while you have it. Peddling should help you extend it a lot longer too. Enjoy!

Seeker_Knight

[+arisoft]

2 hours ago, Seeker_Knight said:

I got so tired of going to the gas station all the time filling up the mini van, just to run around and do some geocaching. So I found a way to make it a whole lot cheaper.

 

I had the same problem. My solution was to buy an EV to get rid of emissions and gas stations.

[+colleda]

I use a Thule bike rack on the tow bar of my Forester. Takes less than 10 seconds to fit or remove. It can be locked to the tow bar or removed and stowed in the car, its very compact. I do the latter because I forgot where I put the locking keys.

https://www.catch.com.au/product/thule-970-xpress-2-bike-towbar-mounted-bike-carrier-1075470/?offer_id=1888872&gclid=CjwKCAiAy9jyBRA6EiwAeclQhBEBJRcXIIFSNuOqI3peOyv4lUN-GxmvKZ2g9OcE4iRtJLBR2uxr2BoCaTAQAvD_BwE

 

[+Viajero Perdido]

3 hours ago, Seeker_Knight said:

 

Are you expected to ride with traffic like full-size motorbikes, or can/do you ride on the shoulder like bicycles do, where it might be safer?  Or more to the point, can it keep up with traffic and blend in?

 

Mixing with traffic scares me, and I'll happily add distance to my ride if it means finding a quieter road with less traffic or more space to avoid it.

 

Edited February 26, 2020 by Viajero Perdido

[+speakers-corner]

We havent had a car since 2015 (total writeoff on the engine) and Cache with bus, tram and train.

[+ecanderson]

8 hours ago, Viajero Perdido said:

 

Are you expected to ride with traffic like full-size motorbikes, or can/do you ride on the shoulder like bicycles do, where it might be safer?  Or more to the point, can it keep up with traffic and blend in?

 

Mixing with traffic scares me, and I'll happily add distance to my ride if it means finding a quieter road with less traffic or more space to avoid it.

 

At 125cc, it will be treated by law like any motorcycle.  Here, we tend to make the break at 50cc, and even then, the rules are different in most places than for a bicycle.

[+colleda]

When visiting European and US cities on my cruise itineraries I am tempted to rent an electric scooter. Only problem is everyone is driving on the wrong side of the road. Scary.

 

[+speakers-corner]

44 minutes ago, colleda said:

When visiting European and US cities on my cruise itineraries I am tempted to rent an electric scooter. Only problem is everyone is driving on the wrong side of the road. Scary.

 

depends where you go in Europe.

[+on4bam]

56 minutes ago, colleda said:

When visiting European and US cities on my cruise itineraries I am tempted to rent an electric scooter. Only problem is everyone is driving on the wrong side of the road. Scary.

 

 

We feel the same "down under" because we are always driving on the right side . We never had a problem driving on the left side but taking our own car to Scotland was kind of an adventure as I had to rely on the passenger overtaking other traffic. Driving on the left with a right side steering wheel never bothered me except for using wipers instead of signaling direction the first 2-3 days (and again when back home). So far we've driven on the left in Oz (3 times), NZ, Japan, RSA, Malta, Bahamas, UK. No accidents or even mishaps.

As for inexpensive ways to go caching, having a car available with fuel card helps a great deal. Driving is free

 

[+terratin]

I have Smurf and Gertrude for getting around. They are perfect cache mobiles. And of course public transport.

[+Jayeffel]

17 hours ago, speakers-corner said:

We havent had a car since 2015 (total writeoff on the engine) and Cache with bus, tram and train.

Be okay if you live where the buses, trams, an d trains.

[+Seeker_Knight]

On 2/26/2020 at 4:33 PM, Viajero Perdido said:

 

Are you expected to ride with traffic like full-size motorbikes, or can/do you ride on the shoulder like bicycles do, where it might be safer?  Or more to the point, can it keep up with traffic and blend in?

 

Mixing with traffic scares me, and I'll happily add distance to my ride if it means finding a quieter road with less traffic or more space to avoid it.

 

These are 125cc, so they will do fine on secondary roads with no problem. They are street legal with all the typical safety features, so you can ride anyplace you want on the road. You can take them out on the highway, but expect to be in the slow lane and in a high tension state the entire time. I've ridden for years on larger bikes, and the highways are no joke. It is dangerous out there, especially on a small bike. I'd do it in a pinch for a few miles, but I wouldn't plan any long distance rides on the interstates.
I just want to use this to buzz around town from cache to cache. For that it will do a great job.

Seeker_Knight

[+kunarion]

Has Victoria banned these things?

 

https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/crackdown-on-dangerous-monkey-bikes-in-victoria/

[+kunarion]

On 2/26/2020 at 12:48 PM, Seeker_Knight said:

I know already that it will need a coffee holder.

 

Is there plenty of room in that coffee holder for my hiking stick if I don't bring coffee?

 

Are you a small-framed teenager?  I have a Honda P-50, but have been beyond it's rider weight limit for years.  It was fun!  I had to pedal it uphill to assist the 49cc engine sometimes.  Yeah, I know I looked cool riding it.  Good times.  200+ mpg (tank holds somewhat less than one gallon).

 

 

Mine looks nicer than that one.  

 

 

Edited March 1, 2020 by kunarion
I was late for the midnight train going anywhere.

[+cerberus1]

3 hours ago, kunarion said:

Is there plenty of room in that coffee holder for my hiking stick if I don't bring coffee?

I have a Honda P-50, but have been beyond it's rider weight limit for years.  It was fun!  I had to pedal it uphill to assist the 49cc engine sometimes.  Yeah, I know I looked cool riding it.  Good times.  200+ mpg (tank holds somewhat less than one gallon).

 

I had one in '68,  and later, in '74, rode a motobecane mobylette while stationed in Europe.  They were fun.  

I could see a moped for close hides.   Less than 50cc, just a license for the bike itself (here), and go.

 

Our Harleys aren't the best for stop n start, but fun on longer runs.  A lot cheaper than the ram or her jeep. 

I have an air horn on mine, the other 2/3rds has the standard "'scuse me please..." horn on hers.    

We use collapsible wading sticks, or even a collapsible cane when on the bikes.  

[+Seeker_Knight]

Like anything else, it is not the tool but the user who is dangerous. In the wrong hands a paper clip, pocket knife or even a pencil is a life threatening weapon. In the right hands it could become a medical instrument to save someones life. a device to pen the next great literary work, or the instrument to carve a masterpiece statue.
I've seen far too many videos of people abusing these little bikes, such as wheel stands on the public roads, weaving in and out of traffic, riding on walkways. through crowds of pedestrians and the like. There will always be unreliable people who insist on acting like idiots no matter what they are given. And there will always be those who make the most of the beneficial qualities of what they have. You just can't legislate your way around stupidity. Like evil, it will find a way into your culture by any means or device. If we went back in time and placed all our modern laws and restrictions on past generations, our societies would never evolve to the state we enjoy today.
The ONLY cure is prevention. We can achieve this by making certain that our youth know the difference between right and wrong. Beyond that, there really is not much to be done except to legislate ourselves into a world so mild, restrictive and daunting that we become paralyzed to the point of none growth. It is like any other situation within a free society. Everyone must take up the yoke of responsibility for their own actions. You have the right to say whatever you want, but it doesn't mean you can yell fire in a crowded theater, threaten violence against  elected officials or anything else so rash and stupid. With freedom comes responsibility.

Seeker_Knight