Like many of us, [Paul] enjoys occasionally hitching up his tow-behind camper and heading out to the wilderness to get away from it all at his favorite campsite. Unlike the vast majority of those who share his passion for the outdoors, though, [Paul] is hitching his camper up to a bicycle. Both the camper and the bike are custom built from the ground up, and this video shows us a little more details on [Paul]’s preferred mode of transportation.
While he is known for building custom vehicles of one sort or another, this latest one is a more traditional bicycle frame that he has modified only slightly to fit a recumbent-style seat and a small gas-powered motor. Even though the motor is decades old, it started right up and gives the power needed to pull the custom camper. [Paul] builds one-person campers like this out of corrugated plastic for durability and light weight, and this one is specifically designed for his size and sleeping style. It includes everything needed for a night under the stars, too, including a stove, storage compartments, and a few windows.
With the bike and camper combined weighing in at just over 200 pounds, the motor can be used as a pedal-assist device thanks to the clever engineering behind a front-wheel-drive pedal system on this bike. With all of that custom fabrication, [Paul] is free to head out to the wilderness without all the encumbrances (and high price) of traditional motor vehicle-based camping. For those curious about some of [Paul]’s other vehicle creations, take a look at this tiny speedboat for one.
Neat idea, but that exposed drive belt is making me kinda nervous…
Off road on private property, you’re fine, but they’d never allow this on public roads in the uk, at least, not without some sort of temporary show licence. I’m not sure if there’s an exception for anything really old. No doubt someone would report it and you’d need to explain yourself.
No, it’d be a nightmare in the UK… I have successfully registered a push iron with a 32cc Cyclemaster driven rear wheel, but something like the OP’s (rather fine) machine built from scratch would surely have to be inspected, taxed and have annual MOTs. At least the Cyclemaster is so old as to only need insurance (tax is £0 and MOT exempt as over 40 years old).
No, the way to do this in the UK would be make the bike an EV. There are already plenty of £100 mountain bikes with Aliexpress 2kW eBike conversions on that attract no attention a) because unless ridden at 50km/h they can’t be distinguished from legal models and b) all traffic policing here is done by ANPR these days, and you’d be very unlucky indeed to encounter a real, live cop on the Queen’s Highway, especially in the sticks where I live. No registration needed, no number plate, tax, insurance or MOT either and – if you’re sensible – zero risk of getting caught either.
Even on private property. Most EU countries mandate motor vehicle insurance. For example it applies for lawnmower in France if your lawnmower have a steering wheel and a seat.
Since it mandatory, if anything goes wrong (ie, burn your house, injure a third party…), you end up in a legal misery.
49cc, 2 horse power in the United States is the magic combination to be considered a “moped”. Every state has Moped vehicles on the books. In most states you don’t need a license, you don’t need insurance, you don’t have to register it or have plates. And if you have an ID on you that proves you are from one of those states that have no requirement. You can ride it across the country with no issues from the coppers. The only trouble you can get in is if you get on the interstate. Or exceed 25 mph in those states where there is a moped speed limit.
Actually you can ride bikes on most of the interstate system
Here you would not be able to ride that on public roads and no motorized vehicles on pretty well any path or park.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-motorized_access_on_freeways#U.S._states_permitting_bicycle_use_on_interstate_highways
I count 31 states listing “Prohibited (possible exceptions)” and a lot more that have at least some level of restrictions. I don’t think that qualifies as allowed on “most of the Interstate system”. Although I’ll grant that several of the states that allow it are very big, so if someone wants to count up the total Interstate miles that are yes or no, I’d love to be proven technically wrong. The best kind of wrong.
Camper trike: http://www.z-triton.com