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Bike on a cruiser deck?


vanboosh

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2 minutes ago, Flyboy said:

You are allowed 10% + 2mph before getting a ticket. 

A speed camera will pick you up less than that, regarding the towpath bikes then commonsense should prevail. The Police dont have enough officers to police the average town so i cant see teams of cops policing the towpath all of a sudden.

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21 minutes ago, Flyboy said:

You are allowed 10% + 2mph before getting a ticket.

That's a myth. 1mph over the limit is still breaking the law. 10% + 2mph is national guidance that the police have, the end of the day it's up to individual forces to set there own limits on when they will prosecute or issue fixed penalty. 

 

I know several people who were given tickets a few years ago for doing 42-43mph in a 40 limit around Kettering.

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8 hours ago, Flyboy said:

I think you will find that you are still deemed to be driving the bike if you do that, so are breaking the law. The same would apply to a motorised self propelled lawn mower that you walk behind.

Deemed by whom? I used to pass BW workers and they used to say hello. So lawnmowers are illegal on towpaths too? Really? Think about it...

8 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Yep, I think you would too - same way you'd still get done if you were the worse for alcohol and decided to walk it home.

Same way? I think being in control of a motorcycle with the engine running while drunk on the pavement it's completely different. You've brought alcohol and intoxication into it and that's not the same at all.

 

Anyway I used to do it all the time and nobody ever told me off because they could see I was considering other towoath users and not riding the bike.

Edited by blackrose
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13 minutes ago, blackrose said:

Deemed by whom? I used to pass BW workers and they used to say hello. So lawnmowers are illegal on towpaths too? Really? Think about it...

Same way? I think being in control of a motorcycle with the engine running while drunk on the pavement it's completely different. You've brought alcohol and intoxication into it and that's not the same at all.

 

Anyway I used to do it all the time and nobody ever told me off because they could see I was considering other towoath users and not riding the bike.

Canal Bye-Laws :

 

Towing Paths
Improper use of towing paths
(1) No person, unless authorised by the Board or otherwise
legally entitled so to do shall:
(a) Ride or drive any animal or vehicle over any towing path
(b) Obstruct any towing path or interfere with the authorised use

 

CaRT and their contractors will have dispensation.

 

Sorry to repeat Alan, beat me to it.

Edited by Flyboy
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22 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Probably covered in the Bye-laws :

 

(1) No person, unless authorised by the Board or otherwise
legally entitled so to do shall:
(a) Ride or drive any animal or vehicle over any towing path

Yes they are authorised

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1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Probably covered in the Bye-laws :

 

(1) No person, unless authorised by the Board or otherwise
legally entitled so to do shall:
(a) Ride or drive any animal or vehicle over any towing path

I wasn't riding or driving, I was pushing the bike with the engine idling so I don't think it is covered. As far as anyone looking is concerned they see me pushing a bike with the engine running. The fact that it's in gear and I let the clutch out occasionally isn't an issue. I'm not on the bike.

 

Anyway, people can quote the law until the cows come home, but I actually did it many times and nobody ever batted an eyelid including BW workers. In the real world people have more important things to worry about than a guy pushing a motorbike with the engine running. The only people who would care are the pedants on this forum! ?

Edited by blackrose
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9 hours ago, Flyboy said:

I think you will find that you are still deemed to be driving the bike if you do that, so are breaking the law. The same would apply to a motorised self propelled lawn mower that you walk behind.

Or indeed even a horse! Driving one consists of walking behind controlling it with long reins, possibly even while towing a boat. You need the boards permission to do that nowadays. Now I'm not sure where you'd be legally if you were instead leading the horse, after all if leading an animal on the towpath is not allowed that would rather compromise dog walking........?

Back on topic, I looked hard at the motorcycle options, even going so far as to design in a nice long 10' well deck, looked at hoists, scissor lift table, ramps etc. You have to bear in mind that you plus a heavy bike on a ramp resting on one gunwhale is going to make even a well ballasted deep drafted boat tilt alarmingly. In the end the cost and complexity of the engineering didn't justify the limited use so I shelved the idea. (The 10' deck is lovely though)

I'm looking again now at really small 125s - think monkey bike, or maybe wait until lightweight electrics become practical. The idea being to commute back to wherever a larger vehicle is, or just for shopping etc.

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21 minutes ago, blackrose said:

I wasn't riding or driving, I was pushing the bike with the engine idling so I don't think it is covered. As far as anyone looking is concerned they see me pushing a bike with the engine running. The fact that it's in gear and I let the clutch out occasionally isn't an issue. I'm not on the bike. 

 

Anyway, people can quote the law until the cows come home, but I actually did it many times and nobody ever batted an eyelid including BW workers. In the real world people have more important things to worry about than a guy pushing a motorbike with the engine running. The only people who would care are the pedants on this forum! ?

By your own admission you are driving the bike. You may not be on the bike but it is under power and you are controlling it.

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8 minutes ago, Flyboy said:

By your own admission you are driving the bike. You may not be on the bike but it is under power and you are controlling it.

Yes but I didn't admit it, I stated it. Again, the point is that nobody else on the towpath really notices me letting the clutch out slightly. They just see me "pushing" the bike. And the other point is that they don't care because I'm not riding the bike and I'm moving at walking speed. Only pedants would care.

Edited by blackrose
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21 minutes ago, Jim Riley said:

So, a dog on a lead or otherwise, is being "driven" down the towpath, just as a cow might be. 

Yay! No more barkers eggs on t'towpath when they enforce this one. 

Barkers eggs, thats brilliant.

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13 hours ago, blackrose said:

I wasn't riding or driving, I was pushing the bike with the engine idling so I don't think it is covered. As far as anyone looking is concerned they see me pushing a bike with the engine running. The fact that it's in gear and I let the clutch out occasionally isn't an issue. I'm not on the bike.

 

Anyway, people can quote the law until the cows come home, but I actually did it many times and nobody ever batted an eyelid including BW workers. In the real world people have more important things to worry about than a guy pushing a motorbike with the engine running. The only people who would care are the pedants on this forum! ?

I'd rather you approach me walking alongside the bike than a staffie owner (or any number of other breeds)  not on a lead which, I believe, is also an offence? 

 

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I've been pondering this question of personal transport options to cover a 100 mile each-way trip every couple of weeks, and my thinking was I might use a car, but there are obvious hassles with that.

This bow-cutaway and motorbike idea looks pretty feasible- although I don't want to rule out lots of good boats because I need a 10 foot long front deck, so a smallish bike will be preferable. 

Weight also seems to be a big issue. Ideally I would want a middleweight bike for 100 mile trips, and there do seem to be a decent number of contributions from people who carry and use middleweight bikes seemingly with no problems. 

But I can't help having nagging doubts about manhandling a 200kg bike on and off a boat, and along 200 yards of muddy towpath to get to the road (I'm reasoning that I won't always be able to moor up right next to bridges/road junctions etc) . 

A bit of research seems to point to a 125cc weighing about 130kg and with about 15hp as a decent overall compromise- they will get up 70mph so you can stay ahead of big lorries on fast roads, but they can still be manhandled around without too much stress. 

But a lightweight 250 might be suitable--the Honda CRF250R looks like a possible candidate, for example. 

Ultimately of course, the only people who really understand how difficult or otherwise it is are the ones who are actually running bikes from boats. 

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2 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

I've been pondering this question of personal transport options to cover a 100 mile each-way trip every couple of weeks, and my thinking was I might use a car, but there are obvious hassles with that.

This bow-cutaway and motorbike idea looks pretty feasible- although I don't want to rule out lots of good boats because I need a 10 foot long front deck, so a smallish bike will be preferable. 

Weight also seems to be a big issue. Ideally I would want a middleweight bike for 100 mile trips, and there do seem to be a decent number of contributions from people who carry and use middleweight bikes seemingly with no problems. 

But I can't help having nagging doubts about manhandling a 200kg bike on and off a boat, and along 200 yards of muddy towpath to get to the road (I'm reasoning that I won't always be able to moor up right next to bridges/road junctions etc) . 

A bit of research seems to point to a 125cc weighing about 130kg and with about 15hp as a decent overall compromise- they will get up 70mph so you can stay ahead of big lorries on fast roads, but they can still be manhandled around without too much stress. 

But a lightweight 250 might be suitable--the Honda CRF250R looks like a possible candidate, for example. 

Ultimately of course, the only people who really understand how difficult or otherwise it is are the ones who are actually running bikes from boats. 

FYI - a KTM 390 is a lightweight motorcycle at around 150kg.

bike hoist.jpg

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6a00d83451b11469e2010537159718970b.jpg

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Wow, didn't expect to come back to so many posts! Regarding bikes on the towpath, I'm sure there are options and ideas about pushing bikes down it that are sensible and you can get away with. I'm not judging anyone else, people do as they please. Personally I feel slightly uncomfortable with it, not for legal reasons but if I'm moored up for a week or two (or longer), I don't want to piss off my neighbours! Hence my plan dropping the bike off in places more accessible, mooring up a little further down the canal and walking back to it. Of course, this may be wishful thinking, but we'll see. 

 

Blackrose, you've pretty much entirely put me off the bike on the stern idea. All I can picture now is trying to decide if I should sacrifice my bike by throwing her overboard to save my boat before going over a weir. 

 

I do love the idea of a tug and I have been looking for them, but I will both live, work aboard and want to be able to cruise the whole network, space inside is important, so it depends if I can find a shorter tug deck without an engine room. My original plan was to just find something with a long bow and get a crane like the photo above (thanks Mark!), but they don't seem very common? Love that rear bracket thingy, but I think that might be slightly terrifying in the locks...

 

Tony1, as pointed out by Markinaboat, my bike is a pretty lightweight KTM 390cc Duke. It's more of a city bike, but you can cruise motorways with relative ease. The only downside is the tank is annoyingly small, but it does mean its lighter on the return trip to get it back on the boat! I've used 125s, but was riding 600+ as soon as I got my licence and I'd honestly struggle going back to a small bike. It's not just about personal transport for me!

 

p.s. Thanks Goliath. I'll now have 'Breaking the Law' stuck in my head for the rest of the day

Edited by vanboosh
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