Future of MABs

I think about the future of MABs and where it's headed. I also get a little spooked when I add up what I've got invested over the years, certainly not a fortune, but enough to make me not want them to be regulated out of existence. You might know how that goes, you get a bike then another and start swapping power plants and experimenting and before you know it, you build a bunch to figure out what you really want and should be building, lol.

I'm getting a little disgusted with the way the whole MAB thing is playing out though, and not just the "choppers" and "board trackers" but the mission creep that's going on with bigger engines, faster speeds, questionable safety features on a bicycle frame made by a manufacturer to be pedaled 12 MPH max. I'm seeing Harbor Freight 100cc and 200cc etc. just because they are dirt cheap. It's an entry for every yahoo out there who lost their license to get a walmart huffy and think he's easy rider, a get yer motor running low ball with no license, insurance, tags but oh it's still a bicycle even though the those engines are too wide to pedal.

It's also plays right into the hands of every 16 year old kid who can register on a message forum and role play as one of the guys and be encouraged by the other children there who happen to 50+ years old. It's obvious that to many, (most) of these guys that MABs are just a toy, something to brag about on message forums without spending a lot of dough, and the extent of build integrity just enough to ride once and a while and only just sufficient to buzz the neighborhood and piss the neighbors off. IOW, a hobby they'll do for a while until they get bored or slapped down by local cops when neighbors complain and then drop it.

I would just like to be able to be allowed to continue to ride and don't like where it's going. But I am seeing this encouraged on the some sites apparently without regard for the future of MABs. (and the sake of a quick buck today) It's gotten so I've even changed my views somewhat on HT engines and think about encouraging their use over some of the other engine choices that get recommended for in-frame, the HTs that are 50cc anyway, add a decent muffler and at least they are narrow enough to still be able to feign they can be pedaled.

I've also come to see the value in MAB racing, something I see happening at various places around the web. It provides a LEGAL outlet for the need-for-speed and if done right and responsibly could offer a good public view to the sport. The folks just have to know and be told, race bikes are for the track and not the street and don't mix that up.

I read about the history of MABs and appreciate the early Popes, Schwinns (Whizzer)and Harley Davidson's that came up from bicycles but I look at them as quaint collectibles now. As soon as Mr. Harley and Mr. Davidson got their chops together with enough cash in the bank, they dropped bicycle frames and built a plant to make real motorcycles with dedicated frames, brakes, wheels and suspension, etc.

I get more useful, real people, inspiration from the history of MBs in Europe. The Euros have long been able to keep things separate with a rich history in bicycles, motor assisted bicycles, mopeds and motorcycles. The Cyclemasters and VeloSolexes were kept as motor assist bicycles for 125 years without blurring the lines or causing the authorities to worry much. I was reading recently the the French Postal Service once had a fleet of a couple thousand Velosolexes for local route delivery. They recognized the real value in that appropriate technology: lightweight, navigable on narrow lanes, cost effective, reliable and able to assist human productivity.

Take a look around and if you're in the least bit interested and informed about the MAB scene, ask yourself what does the future of motored bikes look like?