Idiot proof single speed......

[sc00ter]

So, as some of you recall when I gave my old RadRunner 1 to friend in need, who then sold it because he doesn't think, might need a ebike after all. He's broke, moving to a assisted living type place ( can't bring whole ebike inside) and needs something to get around with. I'm not sure if he can grasp removing/installing the battery but that's on him. I told him that's a must. So, what's out there?
Jack Rabbit crossed my mind. No pedals.
Cheap Jetson ebike. No pedal version.
One of those Razor sit-down scooters. Again, no pedals.
Lectric, but I don't think he could pull the battery out. Not very smart.
Used RadRunner 1, but I KNOW he'll forget to cover the battery plug end and plug the battery in while wet.
I told him the battery is his gas tank. Don't fill it and it'll quit moving on its own, hence I said get something WITH pedals.
Anything on the less than $1000 end that fits this description? Trust me when I say he's not very smart.
Thanks for any help in advance!

 

[sc00ter]

Almost forgot. He has my old Fairdale Taj 26" BMX bike. A front wheel conversion is a option as well. Fork is 4130 cr-mo and the drop outs are cnc laser cut. It's a quality 26" BMX bike all around.

 

[sc00ter]

The gas electric scooter was mentioned, like a Honda Metropolitan, Genuine Buddy 50 or another quality 50cc scooter. No drivers license required for a 50cc in my state. BUT:
I know he'll get run over by not paying attention. Cars drive way aggressive in our 'hood.
He'll expect a "free" miracle when something beaks or wears out.
I'm NOT working on mopeds anymore. Hate working on mine!
The moped will get stolen. The assisted living building is in a not so good part of town.
So a moped is outta the consideration pool now.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

I don't know if this would work on any level but what about a way for him to do a rental, Bird kind of scooter? Probably less expensive than buying just about anything, especially if it gets stolen.

TT

 

[sc00ter]

Yes, that has come up as well. Only problem. He only has a flip phone and he can barely pay the bill on it, so he has no real way to unlock a rental scooter with his phone. We have Lyme in our area, Ekick scooters and ebikes. They are actually nice to ride.

And he acts like a normal "smart" phone is a quantum super computer. He can barely grasp the flip phone and doesn't know how to text! Not smart or rich but his heart is in the right place.

 

[Taylor57]

So, as some of you recall when I gave my old RadRunner 1 to friend in need, who then sold it because he doesn't think, might need a ebike after all. He's broke, moving to a assisted living type place ( can't bring whole ebike inside) and needs something to get around with. I'm not sure if he can grasp removing/installing the battery but that's on him. I told him that's a must. So, what's out there?
Jack Rabbit crossed my mind. No pedals.
Cheap Jetson ebike. No pedal version.
One of those Razor sit-down scooters. Again, no pedals.
Lectric, but I don't think he could pull the battery out. Not very smart.
Used RadRunner 1, but I KNOW he'll forget to cover the battery plug end and plug the battery in while wet.
I told him the battery is his gas tank. Don't fill it and it'll quit moving on its own, hence I said get something WITH pedals.
Anything on the less than $1000 end that fits this description? Trust me when I say he's not very smart.
Thanks for any help in advance!

What about a beat up car?

 

[sc00ter]

He could NEVER afford a car! Plus, I don't think he's actually driven a car since the early 90's! He's your stereotypical older bum type guy who works at a thrift store. He's 61 years old and he's not the smart, sharp 60 year old that has their act together. Far from it. Funny story for everyone reading this.

My wife was getting ready to donate her Subaru Baja to a charity awhile back. A stupid electrical gremlin made us stop driving it, plus I bought a new Honda Fit. Anyways, the Baja is clean and straight but it needed a little bit of love at the time. My friend here says "You can give it to me and I'll get others to drive me around." Yes, that was funny. Or the "When I get out of rehab I'll need rides to get some stuff done." Yeah, right. I hate driving and I'm not a taxi. Let me think of some other funny things he said.....So he's in the hospital on a restricted diet and he says "Can you grab me a steak and cheese sub with no tomato?" Uh, I don't do Uber Eats, Door Dash, Postmates and I went on and on. He eventually got the point. He says dumb stuff and it just doesn't register with him.

Oh, the Subaru Baja. I wen't thru it with my limited electrical skills and found a loose wire. Turns out the lazy stereo shop (now outta business) did the sloppiest install in all of auto start alarm history! The loose wire was activating the ECU kill feature. I had the aftermarket alarm and auto start removed/wiring cleaned up and the car has been stone dead reliable since. We put new tires on it, all new front bushings, new struts (I did those. Yucky mess!) and now rotate it out and drive it every other week. Currently has 223,000 miles and I would drive it cross country without a second thought. Now making space for it in the garage. Wife loves it again and wants to fix the paint and body up now.

 

[sc00ter]

I had a nice neighbor in the early 2000's and he asked me to go look at a used car with him. So we go look at this clapped out trashy Dodge Sprint. Hell no! The guy has a limited budget ($1400 if I recall) but was constantly on the look out. I had a 89 Toyota Van. A bit over 120,000 miles, mint as mint can be with working A.C., new tires and all service records. I purchased a new to me Toyota Camry wagon and the dealer tried to low ball me on the van. So I saw my neighbor one day and said "Find a car yet?" and he goes "Still looking." So I said "How about a Toyota Van?" and he said he could never afford a van like mine. So I said "It's yours if you want it." and he was stunned, thinking I was joking. Once I convinced him it was his if he wanted it he cried like a baby. He offered me all the money he had put aside but I wouldn't take it. He will always help me in a pinch till this day. Rescue me if I break down, help move stuff and invites me over to dinner. He STILL has the van I gave him! Him and his wife have a little painting business they started and they use that van. Van still looks good for a 89 and he keeps the services up on it. I just wanted it to go to a good home and get loved, and it did. He got on his feet and has been running strong ever since.

 

[Dewey]

Almost forgot. He has my old Fairdale Taj 26" BMX bike. A front wheel conversion is a option as well. Fork is 4130 cr-mo and the drop outs are cnc laser cut. It's a quality 26" BMX bike all around.

Propella Mini is rather like a BMX, lightweight at around 35lb, battery can be charged on or off the bike. Class 1 so no throttle.

MINI — Propella Electric Bikes Lightweight Commuter E-Bikes

THE PROPELLA MINI IS A COMPACT AND LIGHTWEIGHT BIKE PERFECT FOR URBAN RIDING! THE MINI IS PERFECT FOR RIDERS SEEKING TO STORE OR TRANSPORT A BIKE IN SMALLER LIVING SPACES OR VEHICLES. IT’S ALSO GREAT FOR RIDERS THAT ARE NEW TO E-BIKES AND ARE LOOKING FOR A LIGHT, AFFORDABLE, AND STYLISH OPTION!

www.propella.bike

Propella MINI Review | ElectricBikeReview.com

Price: $949.00 | Model Year: 2022 | An extremely light weight 35.5lb, affordable, good looking, single speed, compact Class 1 electric bike. Fits easily into most elevators and closets. Available in one frame style: high-step, size: 18.5

electricbikereview.com

Propella Mini Review 2022 | Electric Bike Report

The Propella Mini is a rolling reminder that sometimes less is more. Less can be cheaper; less can be lighter; and sometimes, less can just be more fun. In this Propella Mini review, we dive into this super affordable, super simplistic and super quirky electric bike to see how it performs in the...

electricbikereport.com

 

[Taylor57]

Just buy him a Lectric mini for 799 and call it a day...

 

[tomjasz]

A low-budget front gear drive motor on an old school one speed coaster brake cruiser. 36V 350W with battery under $500.
OR your BMX Just give good lessons on cheap battery care.

Almost forgot. He has my old Fairdale Taj 26" BMX bike. A front wheel conversion is a option as well. Fork is 4130 cr-mo and the drop outs are cnc laser cut. It's a quality 26" BMX bike all around.

 

[PSm]

So, as some of you recall when I gave my old RadRunner 1 to friend in need, who then sold it because he doesn't think, might need a ebike after all. He's broke, moving to a assisted living type place ( can't bring whole ebike inside) and needs something to get around with. I'm not sure if he can grasp removing/installing the battery but that's on him. I told him that's a must. So, what's out there?
Jack Rabbit crossed my mind. No pedals.
Cheap Jetson ebike. No pedal version.
One of those Razor sit-down scooters. Again, no pedals.
Lectric, but I don't think he could pull the battery out. Not very smart.
Used RadRunner 1, but I KNOW he'll forget to cover the battery plug end and plug the battery in while wet.
I told him the battery is his gas tank. Don't fill it and it'll quit moving on its own, hence I said get something WITH pedals.
Anything on the less than $1000 end that fits this description? Trust me when I say he's not very smart.
Thanks for any help in advance!

As much I’d like to recommend something that can be purchased, based on your description, the sad reality might be that he really can’t (or wouldn’t safely be able to, or isn’t capable of dealing with complexity to) get around using mechanical/electrical vehicles. Walking, or relying on others, might be the real answer for someone going into an “assisted living type place.”

He's broke, moving to a assisted living type place ( can't bring whole ebike inside) and needs something to get around with.

 

[PSm]

Almost forgot. He has my old Fairdale Taj 26" BMX bike. A front wheel conversion is a option as well. Fork is 4130 cr-mo and the drop outs are cnc laser cut. It's a quality 26" BMX bike all around.

This may be what he needs to stick with, if as you say he isn’t very smart or capable. Mechanical bike, no electronics.

 

[Rexlion]

I applaud you for trying to help this gent, but I think an ebike gift is going to be wasted. Hey, look at his track record: he didn't keep the last one you gave him, and he has a history of making bad decisions. A plain ol' bicycle will help with the exercise and with some close transportation, and it's simple enough (I hope) to not give him issues. Beyond that, he'll need an Uber or something. That's just the way it is.

But you're like my daughter. Heart of gold, and can't resist helping a helpless soul or a lost puppy. She knew a guy like this, not fully present cranially, and she helped him and helped him and helped him. In the long run it was like the proverbial 'taking a whizz into a brisk headwind.' After several years of this, she simply and finally had to stop helping... and she had to change her phone number because he wouldn't stop calling her for assistance even though she'd moved out of town.

Poor guy. One summer he was complaining how hot it was in the little house that his brother had bought for him. He said the central a/c just wouldn't keep up; something must be wrong with it! Turns out he'd been up in the attic, had seen how dirty it looked with all that white, dusty stuff littering it, and had spent weeks vacuuming up all that crap.............. Only, you know what crap he vacuumed, right? All of the blown-in insulation!

 

[sc00ter]

My wife reminded me of this little gem. My wife found him a nice used Sun beach cruiser. Aluminum frame, double wall rims, Nexus 3 speed hub, so she grabbed it for him. He got evicted because he got mad and walked off his job so his employer fired him. He put all his stuff in a mini storage, including the Sun bike, and then lost the storage unit. Plus I forgot about this gem till today! When he sold the RadRunner I went to pick it up for the new owner. While loading it I caught the back part of the Subaru tonneau cover (heavy azz ebike) and cracked it. Guess the price for a replacement cover, $1300! I'm replacing my tonneau cover instead.

So thanks for the suggestions but he's currently on his own. Plus he needs the exercise.

 

[Dewey]

Sorry to read about the tonneau cover. No good deed goes unpunished.

 

[Rexlion]

Anyone who's feeling generous, please buy me a new travel trailer? I have the brand and model all picked out!

 

[PSm]

We’ve all been there, and try to help out up to a point, but the person has to be willing and capable to change. Sometimes that’s an impossible task.