HELP We want to buy a Scooter and have a Scooter Rack Fitted

belka

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We need some help from someone with hands on experience as to which lightweight scooter to buy and the best way to have this fitted to out vehicle. After emailing Autotrail they recommended Armitage Trailers and Towtal I have emailed both of them for advice and I am awaiting there replies.

As for bikes we're very unsure we think we need at least 125cc to carry both of us but welcome advice on lightweight scooters.
 
My Husband has booked his Motorbike tests to take during August and September
Thanks now we need a bike
 
hi .i use a 90cc chinese dax . carries two with a bit of a squeeze . was ok with my ex mrs . but if i take my mate its a bit different . but these days its easy to get a 110cc. i,m 17 stone my mates 19 stone . the bike weighs only about 80kg .and the handlebars fold down so it can take little room .
LIFAN LF110GY-3 110cc MONKEYBIKE with FOLDING BARS DAX | eBay
here,s one .cheap i reckon .
mines a jinchen . marketted in uk as easy rider .but i have had a few lifan and they arent bad for the money.
my mate bought one a couple of years ago . great bits of kit .
 
Scooter

If you're in south Cumbria have alook in at Park Road garage, Swarthmoor.
 
belka said:
We need some help from someone with hands on experience as to which lightweight scooter to buy and the best way to have this fitted to out vehicle. After emailing Autotrail they recommended Armitage Trailers and Towtal I have emailed both of them for advice and I am awaiting there replies.

As for bikes we're very unsure we think we need at least 125cc to carry both of us but welcome advice on lightweight scooters.
Click to expand...

All i can say is stay away from towtal i had nothing but probs from that lot .ken
 
Hi everyone

Well things have moved on we are about to buy a bike and are now experiencing problems getting Insurance to include Europe. Our trip will be 6 months and we are struggling to find a company does anyone have any suggestions?

Also regarding the bike rack I spoke to Armitage Trailers and the cost was just short of £1000 (we dont have an existing tow bar) anyway we were given a local guy who made bike racks in Barrow in Furness and he quoted us £600 last week.

Any help would be appreciated

Cheers
Belka
 
Hi

We didn't buy a monkey bike we bought a Honda PCX 125 so the bike rack advertised won't suit. Thanks for your help anyway!
 
I know you were looking at lightwight scooters, I looked into things and ended up using a light weight trailer for my bike, found in the end a trailer was easier for me to load, meant I was slightly restricted on speed, and sometimes gave a problem reversing, due to it not being visble in the mirrors till late, however it saved me a lot of effort and worked for me.
 
Take a look at the Honda Wave. Decended from the famous indestructable Honda 90 and now with more ccs and power.
Whatever you choose be sure to try it out and make sure it ticks all your boxes. I was once persuaded to buy an 80cc "twist and go" Honda scooter by my family. Nothing wrong with it except I really don't like it. It's still in my garage with 600 miles on the clock waiting for me to get fed up of falling over it!
Like "baldybloke" I also prefer towing but it's a matter of personal choice. If you are strong enough to lift a bike easily a rack may be your best option.
Armitages trailers have had some bad publicity on this site so shop carefully.
 
Dave Cooper trailers are very good and lightweight. I've owned one in the past and couldn't fault it. I think they do racks too.

Bike Racks & Trailers Supplier UK - Dave Cooper

AS for bikes, lots of good suggestions but its got to be something you are happy with and compfortable riding. Hondas are well known for reliability. I've no experience of monkeybikes or chinese sccoters, I quite fancy a monkey bke myself but I can't work out how to fit Beau (dog) on one!
 
We carry a Shineray 200 on the back of our van. Bought the rack on ebay, second hand and it came with strengtheners to fit to the chassis. it has served us well.Never insured it to go abroad so sorry, can't help there.
 
With regards to insurance, my past motorbike policies all had european cover included, only around 21 days, like most car ones? Is it worth checking, I used to ride abroad and never had to take out extra cover, you just notify them of the dates and the countries (roughly).
 
I got 365 day cover for our scooter from Carol Nash brokers. The insurer is Groupama and they were the only ones prepared to do 365 days. Hope this helps.
 
for bike racks etc try a company called P W S. You should find them on the net. BAZ.
 
hi ,i use one like this .mines a klipponoff . Towbar Mounted Motor Bike Rack | eBay
but loads on ebay .i bought mine from sammy millers the trials specialist about twenty years ago. great bit of kit .carries my suzuki 250 and others no probs . i made some removable adaptors for the chinese dax as it only as small wheels but worth every penny.
insurance wise all insurance taken out in the eu gives european cover for 365 days but in many cases only similar to third party . they do try to say they dont but it is compulsory . report them to the insurance ombudsman . dont let them get away with it.
 
Last edited:
Hello.

£600 is an outrage.

I have a different kind of camper - mines an ex minubus which had a wheelchair lift into the back door.

I also have a different kind of bike. A Benelli 899 TreK which weighs in around 200kg.

The strong steel fixings for wheelchair lift are still underneath.

Your camper is awesome - and I expect you want whatever you choose to do to look the job. Me too.

I did some asking about and called in some favours - I was pointed to a welder / fabricator who is very good at what he does, but he works out of an old workshop and his fee is very very good. For him, once we plan what to do, it will take a days work + the cost of the materials.

He is going to weld/fabricate and bolt on strong steel supports and then a folding bed onto which the bike will roll up on a ramp. This will flod up and secure when not in use.

You must have lights on the rear of this like a trailer if yours are obscured.

If it obscures your number plate one must be fitted higher up on your rig or placed on the bike rack.

You do not need an amazing scooter. 100cc is more than enough. 50mph is fast enough. They are all light weight pretty much.

You may wish to use aluminum for your rack.

I don't care my 4 litre can pull 6 ton.

I think £600 is on account of you showing up in that lovely motorhome.

My reccomendation is therefore;

Find someone who is a welding fabricator chap. He might restore safes. He might make gates and railings. He might make log stoves. He might spend his spare time rebuilding steam trains. He won't try and mug you off and you will get a bespoke job done by an actual craftsman.

Fabricate some supports. Fix a hinged frame with Aluminum checker plating. Fit fixing eyes. Use bolts as much as possible. You need to work out a way to stop bike moving forward and rubbing vehicle body. Bike needs to be covered over and lashed down with ratchet straps and a strong chain and lock. I prefer sleeved steel rope with eyes for a strong padlock. Master lock do them, available from all god DIY stores e.g. B&Q.

This really isn't a difficult task.

But can be made simple by throwing money at it until it works.

Best of luck.
 
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