If you have trails right out of your house, it doesn't get better than that.

Good question though. Dras, you have a pickup? Or a trailer?  If you have to haul your bike you may want to consider those haulers that plug into your rear hitch receiver and it just holds it a couple feet off the ground. Pretty slick. Otherwise a ramp and a pickup isnt bad, but that last step is a doosey if you get unbalanced.

The big trails are about an hour away. Three national forest areas though with many miles, so they should be pretty good. Probably 6-8 mx tracks in the area, half or so have some trails. My friend's private track is about 20 minutes away, probably 3 miles of trails there too. There are other local private spots, I just need to get with someone who knows them. I wish I could just ride from the house, but I live in the city.

I have a pickup and folding aluminum ramp. The guy I bought it from showed me to use the stand as the step up/down at the tailgate as you walk it up or down. Works great, I just have to leave enough gas in my own tank to hoss it around after riding.

Thanks for the tip on the hitch carrier, I'll take a look.

Companion Unit #1

Nice! Congrats! I love 4 wheelers:)

How's the weather up there for riding?

It's been very comfortable. Low 70s to mid 80s.

I've found I really like riding trails in the national forest, extremely fun. I think I'd ride until I passed out if it weren't for others being with me. Still working on the motocross thing but that's slow going, I keep feeling like I'm about to "get it" though.

Dad bought a 400 quad similar to the one above, so we picked up a 7x16 trailer to haul it all. About to go look at a TTR 125 for Amy. I'm going to have to stop buying toys soon, the garage is going to be full. (Keeping Dad's at my place so it has company.)

Bought the TTR.

Now I need to find a jet boat.

Gosh, my new toy seems downright pedestrian by comparison! 

http://www.xootr.com/kick-scooter_street.html

Quote from: buckworks on April 23, 2012, 11:57:42 PM
Gosh, my new toy seems downright pedestrian by comparison! 

http://www.xootr.com/kick-scooter_street.html

hehe, just need to bolt a 6.5 hp engine on there and you're set!

I've been seeing commuters using those push scooters lately.  It makes sense they are light-weight and compact.  People use them as an alternative to bikes and then fold them up and carry them on the buses & trains.

Quote from: buckworks on April 23, 2012, 11:57:42 PM
Gosh, my new toy seems downright pedestrian by comparison! 

http://www.xootr.com/kick-scooter_street.html

That is expensive!!!  Looks like fun though.

I want to build something electic that I can solar charge.  Just for fun really, something like this maybe - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kChARK_blPE&feature=related

Funny, I actually have an electric chopper very similar to that, but it has a rear hub motor and is 36v 10Ah.

Quote from: littleman on April 26, 2012, 06:11:31 PM
Funny, I actually have an electric chopper very similar to that, but it has a rear hub motor and is 36v 10Ah.

Cool. do before I spend any money, is it worth the fun value?

When I buy myself a toy I'm always cheap.  Schwinn actually made some electronic stingrays a few years ago.  The frames for them are a bit larger than the regular stingrays choppers.

They were equipped with a relatively slow 24v system and marketed them to children.  They had some problems, the lead batteries were heavy and made the bike weigh 100 lbs.  Also, in the US it is illegal for kids to ride electric bikes until they are 16 y.o. in most places.  So, these bikes sat on the shelves and could be picked up for like $200.

The company that made the hub motor put electronics in it and the controller that could take either 24v or 36v.  So, I was able to scrap the lead batteries and put in a 10 Ah 36v lithium iron battery pack.  My total investment is maybe $375.

My setup probably isn't as fast as the one in the video, but it is fun to ride around on locally.  Sometimes I put around with the kids in the church parking lot next to where I live. There was an Earth-Day event here last weekend and they were featuring electric cars, motorcycles and ebikes.  The ebikes they featured cost like $2k+.  People seemed to like the little chopper more and asked a lot of questions.

One thing that happens though is that you always seem to want to upgrade.  I've been considering replacing the hub motor with a 1000W 48v system, but that gets very pricy when you consider the battery pack and all.

To answer your question: Smiles per dollar I'd say it was worth it.

Well, I am very tempted now.

I love vehicles.  I drove a C-Zero (http://www.citroen.co.uk/new-cars/car-range/citroen-c-zero/#/new-cars/car-range/citroen-c-zero/) on Monday (worked for Citroen for many years) and I really enjoyed it.  It wasn't fast, but had power, and was just different to anything I have ever driven and great fun.  I was very impressed with the idea of electric power, especially if it could be solar charged.  The downside, it is just over priced, even with the tax breaks in the UK for electric company vehicles. 

The Renault Twizzy looks fun though and is a decent price - http://www.renault.co.uk/cars/model/twizy/product.aspx

Would it work as a car?  It would for me, but only as a second car.  I am most excited by the idea of a DIY vehicle though.

Quoteyou always seem to want to upgrade

That's why I went with the top-of-the-line scooter model right from the get-go.