Over the Thanksgiving holiday we wrapped up another long awaited review. This is actually our first motorcycle review! The MadAss has always been of those hard-to-classify designs. It has elements of a trials bike, a BMX, a mountain bike, a moped, a scooter. I was expecting this one to come in as an automatic. It would be a bit easier to compare to other modern scooters that way, but the only thing scooter about this bike was the engine.
If you’d like to see what we thought after 200 miles of testing you can head over to Motorcycle.com or Motorcycle-USA to read the whole thing and watch a companion video edited to show what it looks like and sounds on the road.
3. December 2009 at 3:44 am
Definitely on my "hot list."
Rear Shock:
How is the rear shock adjustable? Probably just preload only.
Forks:
These are probably fairly cheaply made damping rod forks – think screen door opener. It appears that Race Tech makes emulators for 43mm forks that might work and (in combination with better springs) clear up the front a lot. ~$140 for a DIY install.
Performance:
I'm a big guy, so I am definitely interested in the performance improvements, although it seems like this is still solidly a "non-freeway" vehicle. It would be nice to be able to be a "part of traffic" on a 50mph limit through way on an uphill.
Luggage:
Looking around the Interwebs, it seems like there are a lot of luggage rack options, and for fairly light loads it would be beyond trivial to simply get some different bolts and bits from the hardware store to whip up something yourself with no welding required – the narrow frame under the seat is perfect!
3. December 2009 at 3:08 pm
Thanks, Steve. I've been looking forward to this one.
5. December 2009 at 1:07 pm
Seriously, 220-pounds is porky. My 150-pound mini-chopper is as fast as this MadAss but has a CVT and 90cc engine. A real manufacturer should be able to build a small "moped" motorcycle that is sub 100-pounds easy… toss on a FJR1300-esque electronic cluchless shift system and bump the 125cc engine up to 15hp for 65mph cruising. I'd buy that! Remember the 88-pound and 100cc Derbi DH2.0 ?
http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2008/05/08/
derbi-dh-20-motorcycle-mountain-bike-concept/
- Dudel
24. December 2009 at 11:08 am
No fuel gage? No injection? And shifting gears on such a tiny engine is just outdated. How long is that madass around? 10 years? That motorcycle-mountainbike concept just blows it away. -Emile