Steven
From St. Louis, Missouri
August 15th, 2007
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I wanted a transportation alternative to
my four-wheel drive Nissan Pathfinder --
for short trips to the store and running
around town. My goal was to find something
for under $1,000 that was easy on the environment
and at the same time gave enough cargo space
for about six bags of groceries.
I started my research by
renting a motor
scooter to see what driving
a scooter for
a day would be like. As
long as the engine
is under 49cc's, there
is no insurance and
no license needed in Missouri
and the scooter
had pretty good gas mileage
(reported to
be 90 MPG).
Although the scooter was
fun to drive, I
felt very vulnerable competing
with automobiles
and trucks for space on
the road. And although
it is possible to buy a
slightly used scooter
made in China for about
$1,000, I was told
by informed sources that
it is difficult
to get parts and repairs
for this lower end
of the scooter market.
Searching the internet,
I explored the possibility
of electric hub kits for
bicycles. These
electric conversion kits
were very interesting
and certainly a possibility
for what I needed,
but they didn't seem to
have quite the range
or power I was looking
for. If the batteries
ran low, it would be "pedal
power"
all the way home. There
was also the issue
of down time between charges.
I then came across Golden
Eagle's website.
The converted bikes on
their website didn't
look like clunky do-it-yourself
jobs and
the 200+ miles per gallon
seemed almost too
good to be true. I read
every review on their
website. The 4-stroke Robin-Subaru
motors
seemed to fit my needs
and addressed the
concern of reliability,
replacement parts,
and repair support. The
motor is also extremely
low on emissions (rated
1.33 on a 10 point
"Air Index" scale),
I could use
regular gas straight from
the pump and the
cost was also in line with
my budget …so
I took the plunge and ordered
a kit which
arrived in 5 working days.
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While waiting for the kit
to arrive, I purchased
a $180 Mongoose mountain
bike from K-Mart.
I wanted a bike with at
least 2-point suspension
to handle pot-holes and
provide for rider
comfort. When the kit arrived,
I was surprised
at how light the box was
that contained the
entire kit (about 19 pounds).
It took approximately
2 hours to assemble. The
only modification
I needed to make on my
bike was to drill
one small hole to accommodate
one of the
brackets for the motor.
When I did have a few questions,
my calls
to Golden Eagle were returned
immediately.
Customer service was very
friendly, helpful
and efficient.
My first ride on my new
bike was a blast!
The motor started after
a couple of pulls.
It was extremely easy to
ride and I was amazed
at how little pedaling
I needed to do (35cc
motor). Because I could
ride on the side
of the road (as opposed
to riding in traffic
when I rode the scooter)
I no longer needed
to compete for road space
with cars and trucks.
Other drivers also seemed
more respectful
of a bicyclist than they
were for a "motor
scooterist".
I was also surprised at
the tremendous interest
people expressed when they
saw my bike. I
didn't get any negative
reactions. I went
to REI to purchase a cargo
rack and the sales
representative who worked
there thought my
bike was extremely cool.
He was also amazed
at how little the entire
bike cost. A young
customer at the store (probably
14 years
old) just kept staring
at my bike and asking
me all sorts of questions.
To accommodate my trips
to the grocery store,
I purchased at Containers
and More a collapsible
plastic crate that is 14"
by 21".
This removable cargo space
carries at least
6 bags of groceries. I
also use a small carrier
on the back cargo rack
(see photo).
In summary, this bike provides
the following:
- Energy efficient - up to 200 MPG, low emissions
- Can carry 6+ bags of groceries & other
cargo
- Reliable
- Serviceable
- Lightweight
- Adequate range between fill-ups
- No oil-gas mixture needed
- Can be used both on-road and off-road
- Safety: About as safe as riding a bicycle
- Economical: Entire project cost less than
$900
I could not be more pleased
with the investment
I made in this bike.
P.S. -- We currently have
the technology
to produce low-emission
vehicles without
sacrificing convenience
(Toyota's Prius is
a good start) but there
is enormous economic
pressure from the oil industry
to maintain
the status quo (see the
movie "Who Killed
the Electric Car?").
It does not need
to be this way. I encourage
everyone to lower
their "carbon footprint"
by creating
alternatives to vehicles
that contribute
to global warming. A very
fun place to start
is with a bicycle conversion
kit from Golden
Eagle!
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