Modern Buddy

We were just talking about the Cushman and the word "agricultural" came up. It reminded me of these:
http://www.rokon.com/products/scout.htm

You've had a thread about these before. I'm not sure if they're street-legal but as far as agricultural goes, they can even pull a harrow.

There's even a side hack.

Anyway, regarding the Cushman's motor, some were bugged that such a device had a 400cc motor. I want to point out that this machine has a Kohler lawnmower-type engine that is 170+ cc and produces only 6.6 hp. It should also get outstanding mileage.

I believe it has some sort of automatic transmission. The Cushman could easily incorporate one as well, just like the old minibikes, which used a similar engine.

This would be great for post-Apocalypse: does everything , easy to repair, common parts all around. This bike is not street legal and moves with a speed of a turtle. For off road that is perfect. Not for streets though.

Stormswift wrote:This would be great for post-Apocalypse: does everything , easy to repair, common parts all around. This bike is not street legal and moves with a speed of a turtle. For off road that is perfect. Not for streets though.

+1! Awesome for SHTF. The only problems I can see with the ROKON is:

1. They have solid state ignitions which means if we get hit with an EMP you're out of luck. It won't run. I guess if you have a back-up mechanical ignition in the garage to swap it out, you'd be good-to-go.

2. I wish they used diesel engines instead of gas for fuel life and lower maintenance.

i followed a link to dealer within 20min of my house. who knew?

k1dude wrote: 2. I wish they used diesel engines instead of gas for fuel life and lower maintenance.

I totally agree. AND you could make your own fuel like a real zombie hunter would. Awesome.

Can always convert a gas engine to run on alcohol and distill your own

viney266 wrote:Can always convert a gas engine to run on alcohol and distill your own

Didn't know you could do that! Even better as I run on the same fuel.

Iirc, you could also fill the wheels with a liquid, so you could transport lots of pork gravy, and at the same slow yourself down more and improve traction.

Bb

That's right, the wheel drums are hollow and you can lay a Rokon on it's side and float it across water. Or you can fill the drums with drinking water or gasoline. People have taken Rokons on expeditions into Africa and the Amazon.

Tom wrote:

k1dude wrote: 2. I wish they used diesel engines instead of gas for fuel life and lower maintenance.

I totally agree. AND you could make your own fuel like a real zombie hunter would. Awesome.

Let me see, where is grandpa's moonshine recipe....

illnoise wrote:Iirc, you could also fill the wheels with a liquid, so you could transport lots of pork gravy, and at the same slow yourself down more and improve traction.

Bb

Pork gravy definitely slows me down.

Tom wrote:

viney266 wrote:Can always convert a gas engine to run on alcohol and distill your own

Didn't know you could do that! Even better as I run on the same fuel.

Just convert the metal fittings to stainless steel and run neoprene rubber fuel lines.

My new favorite show (at least for a weekend) is Rocket City Rednecks. They distilled their own moonshine then used it to propel a big model rocket.

Never met 'em but I have been to Huntsville. I don't get cable so I looked them up online. They certainly sound genuine.

The guy with the double-wide is by no means unique. I can't tell you the number of really brilliant people I know with no more than a high school education who are either welder/pipefitters or machinists. One in particular works for the local university in the agronomy department producing prototypes for the agricultural industry. His hobby is rebuilding Harleys.

Moonshining had mostly died out by the 60s. It still happens but is mostly for those who really prefer the stuff or just resent government interference in their lives and do it for spite. Even I have found old still sights in the course of my work but when my dad was still active in the field, they sometimes came upon them in operation.

...somewhat off topic, BUT
Apple Pie Moonshine is AWESOME.
I have some home-made stuff in the fridge at home

Just keep it quiet. It's legal to make either beer or wine but not distilled liquors.

I know, we usually make wine, but were watching "Justified" one night and figured we'd give it a try. NY really doesn't want you making anything, because they can't tax you on it if you brew it yourself.
...yet another reason to leave NY. I </3 NY.

Southerner wrote:The guy with the double-wide is by no means unique. I can't tell you the number of really brilliant people I know with no more than a high school education who are either welder/pipefitters or machinists.

One of the multi-degreed rocket scientists says about his pal Rog, the double wide guy: "He didn't really need any advanced degrees. He's probably the smartest one of us."

Getting back to Rokon, Crazy things to do in the garage with a mig welder and a six-pack has pictures of loads of off-the-wall Rokon modifications. Too bad many of the best links (like the three-wheel-drive, rail-riding, plywood covered platform Rokon) no longer work. But there are still several weird bikes (in line three-wheel-drive, anyone?).

For me, going to a 3-wheeler kinda kills it. There are certain things 3- and 4-wheelers don't do well, like traversing side slopes and going through really narrow places. From the pictures on the site, the Rokon must do them pretty well. Since my only remaining dirt bike is a trials bike, I think about stuff like that.

Southerner wrote:For me, going to a 3-wheeler kinda kills it. There are certain things 3- and 4-wheelers don't do well, like traversing side slopes and going through really narrow places. From the pictures on the site, the Rokon must do them pretty well. Since my only remaining dirt bike is a trials bike, I think about stuff like that.

I would never ride a three wheeler after I watched my friend crash and demolish his collar bone... but I will say, it depends on what you have for suspension and how heavy your 4 wheeler is when it comes to traversing side slopes. Also how adventurous you are plays a big part in getting through narrow spaces... I used to take mine through some pretty narrow washouts, and up some pretty steep side slope trails, I never flipped, rolled or anything. It was actually fun, kind of like figuring out a puzzle where you have to fit a big rectangle into a tiny one, and somehow make it out the other side.

I got an early introduction to the 3-wheeled ATV when my grandfather ordered one of the first Honda ATC 90s in the state. We still have what's left of it downstairs.

I think 3-wheelers got a bad rap myself. They're like anything else in that you have to learn what you can and can't do with them. Nonetheless, I like 4-wheelers as well but think they've gotten insanely big these days. Who needs a 750cc ATV, really?

For what it is, the Rokon can't be beat. Less than 300 pounds and darned near unstoppable.

I would love a Rokon, I just don't currently have a good way to transport it anywhere that I would be able to use it. At my parents' house the trails went through the woods right behind our house, and can be followed for hundreds of miles up to Lake Placid... but now my house/gigantic duplex apartment is in front of a high school :/

I agree with you on both the 3 wheeler and the 4 wheeler here.

The accident on the 3 wheeler was due to pure stupidity. I never had a problem on it before that day. But when you're 17 years old, and your friend takes a spill, and his collar bone is sticking out of his chest/shoulder, it's enough to turn you off for a good long time.

My last four wheeler was a (heavily modified) Yamaha 125. It could easily go 50 mph on straight, flat dirt (and road, but ya know, I didn't like having to buy new tires so frequently), and I don't see why you would ever need to go any faster than that. When it comes to being out in the woods and such, smaller is definitely better... it also helps to have a nice beefy suspension.

If you're using it to maybe plow your driveway in the winter time (and you have a HUGE driveway), or for farming purposes I could understand why a much more powerful engine might be necessary. But still, my 125 did a fine job on our 50-ish foot long driveway when we had two feet of snow dumped on us.

To each their own I suppose.

Yes, that would be a pretty shocking sight.

I had one friend myself who got himself tossed off a 4-wheeler at speed and ended up with a root stuck in his gut. He's OK now but it gave him problems for years. It didn't help that he was plastered at the time.

And don't even get me started on the people ride without a helmet, just because they're off-road.

Too expensive : P

(referring to the expedition comment above -- actually, no. It's perfect for people on a fun trip who can afford it).

My co-worker is from the Congo and was involved in disease surveillance throughout the 80's and 90's --- HIV and monkey pox, for which he ran a clinic in the middle of nowhere. He helped organize teams throughout the jungles. He's shown me pictures of the equipment they'd use, and the "road" conditions.

Some of the riders would carry a wood plank strapped to their vehicle to use as crossings over obstacles. Like a piece of wood you'd get from home depot for $5, not even six inches wide and probably less than two inches thick.

I'll show him the Rokon and see what he thinks, but I know he'll look at the listed price and laugh his butt off. My bet is: "Nobody in Africa will use this. They will buy 10 cheap motorbikes [dirt bikes frequently] But, it is nice. "


edit for sidenote: He spent a week with Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta when they were filming "Planet in Peril" in 2008. He took them on an expedition throughout part of Africa when the focus was on the monkeypox virus. transcript from CNN. Neat stuff.

Yes, there are a lot of cheaper, single cylinder bikes from Asia used over there as I understand it. And I expect they'd have an easier time getting parts for them as well.

Since there are at least two companies making copies of the Honda Cub, I wonder if somebody would do well to reintroduce the Trail 110 also. That underbone frame is quite scooterish, offering convenience that some moderate off-roaders are bound to like. I imagine many scooter folk would be attracted to them.

Edwub wrote:Too expensive : P

(referring to the expedition comment above -- actually, no. It's perfect for people on a fun trip who can afford it).

My co-worker is from the Congo and was involved in disease surveillance throughout the 80's and 90's --- HIV and monkey pox, for which he ran a clinic in the middle of nowhere. He helped organize teams throughout the jungles. He's shown me pictures of the equipment they'd use, and the "road" conditions.

Some of the riders would carry a wood plank strapped to their vehicle to use as crossings over obstacles. Like a piece of wood you'd get from home depot for $5, not even six inches wide and probably less than two inches thick.

I'll show him the Rokon and see what he thinks, but I know he'll look at the listed price and laugh his butt off. My bet is: "Nobody in Africa will use this. They will buy 10 cheap motorbikes [dirt bikes frequently] But, it is nice. "


edit for sidenote: He spent a week with Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta when they were filming "Planet in Peril" in 2008. He took them on an expedition throughout part of Africa when the focus was on the monkeypox virus. transcript from CNN. Neat stuff.

Apples and Oranges, or in this particular context, Tools and Transportation, where the Rokon is the tool.

The price of a Rokon is roughly the same as a 400cc King Quad. If you need to carry a dead deer out of the woods, a 4-wheeler is the way to go. I would also prefer one for live passengers as well.

The Rokon can fit on a small carrier that attaches to a receiver hitch on the back of a car. Doesn't need a trailer or a pickup to carry it. It will also take up less space in a garage.

It's just a matter of what you need.

Here is an off the wall question: would refrigerators provide shielding from electromagnetic whatever it is that fries electronics after nuc? blast?

Could. What's needed is called a Bernoulli Box. At its most basic, it's a metal box. Since currents of run around and not through said box, the contents are safe.

I'm told that's the real reason you can be safe from lightning inside a car. Not because of the insulation afforded by the tires, but because you're enclosed in a metal loop.

And that is the sum total of my knowledge on the subject.

I guess at the first sign of trouble I will throw the netbook and spare Buddy ignition into the fridge and hope for the best

Stormswift wrote:Here is an off the wall question: would refrigerators provide shielding from electromagnetic whatever it is that fries electronics after nuc? blast?

Huh?

Stormswift wrote:I guess at the first sign of trouble I will throw the netbook and spare Buddy ignition into the fridge and hope for the best

It's not quite that simple. The concept you're thinking of is called a Faraday Cage. But it if the refrigerator is plugged in, a high altitude detonated nuke will likely fry your computer and Buddy ignition. Although I have no idea how you would have had advanced warning that an EMP blast was going to hit, and had time to remove and store your ignition. Your spook connections run deeper than mine.

The problem with the frig being plugged-in is the plug, wire, and entire electrical system will act as an antennae magnifying the effects of the EMP and it will have a built-in handy penetration right into the contents of the frig. A proper Faraday Cage will be isolated from any external inputs and the external cage needs to be grounded into actual soil. Then the protected contents need to be insulated from the external metal enclosure.

So ideally you'd have something like a steel construction box with all bolt holes welded shut (to prevent any waves from penetrating). It would need to be grounded with a cable attached to the box and a 4' grounding rod hammered into the ground. Then you'd place the items you want protected into a wood box constructed of wood and glue. Then put the box into the metal construction box. I wouldn't even use a foam or plastic cooler to place the items in, because I wouldn't want the risk of a static charge developing.

The frig is better than nothing, but I wouldn't really count on it being effective.

A simple test is to turn on a portable radio and place it in the Faraday Cage substitute you chose. If you can hear it, radio waves can penetrate the cage, so it won't work. If the radio loses it's signal and falls silent, you are likely to have found a proper container.

Thanks for the correction.

The Faraday Cage was what I was trying to think of.

A Bernoulli Box was a trade name for a removable disk drive.

Really fascinating. Always learn something new around here. The solution off course is to have an old non-working unplugged fridge in the basement for storage purposes.Though I suspect at this point nukes are so detectable and so cumbersome they are not the primary choice of weapon for present day warfare.I worry more about Zombies