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I've tried this in the Motorcycle & Scooter thread with no answer so far:
I have a 1952 Trojan Mini Motor on a Phillips 3-speed - working about as well as you'd expect, but I'm getting very hot when pedal "assisting" up the local hills. The law says it has an engine, so a helmet is mandatory, and I'm fairly sure that a cycle helmet isn't sufficient in any legal sense.
Is there such a thing as a motorcycle helmet that is ventilated enough to be comfortable pedaling a heavy bike with an extra 20 lbs of metal bolted to it?I did look into this, when the engine is running you need a registration plate, MOT (daylight if no permanent lights), insurance and a helmet, engine off and boom! it's a normal bicycle.
Does the Trojan not have enough oomph to get you up the hill on it's own?
Originally a lathe motor, IIRC.
Dammit-
It has to be a bit more than 'engine off' - advice from the NACC is that the engine needs to be made incapable of being started, achieved through the removal or absence of components, and just what counts as 'incapable' is a matter of judgement.
Quite correct about it originally being a light industrial engine of about 1 h.p. - enough oomph via friction drive against the tyre for around 8% inclines without pedalling - much steeper and it all slows down, and as the revs drop so does the power, hence the need for pedal assistance to keep the speed up somewhere above 15mph.
This particular problem comes from living in the Clee Hills - if I want to go more than a couple of miles from home I encounter gradients between 12% (preferred route) and 20% (very much 1 way)
If I was to be honest, the real problem is using it in the first place...
I suspect another helmet, this time with a removable liner for cleaning, is the way forward, and accept that on a warm day I'll be very warm. Unless anyone knows a better way?
MrE
I've tried this in the Motorcycle & Scooter thread with no answer so far:
I have a 1952 Trojan Mini Motor on a Phillips 3-speed - working about as well as you'd expect, but I'm getting very hot when pedal "assisting" up the local hills. The law says it has an engine, so a helmet is mandatory, and I'm fairly sure that a cycle helmet isn't sufficient in any legal sense.
Is there such a thing as a motorcycle helmet that is ventilated enough to be comfortable pedaling a heavy bike with an extra 20 lbs of metal bolted to it?