Jog in a Box

[joginabox]

Jog in a Box. Fly and Go! 

I'm currently in Mexico, a long way from my home in Canada. In Mexico, I've noticed a lot of scooters running around, mostly Yamahas or Yamaha clones with a few Hondas thrown in.

And I got to thinking how useful it would be to have a scooter to bring with me on my trips. And how much fun I had having briefly owned a Honda Aero 80 in the 90's.

I have a folding bike that fits behind the seat of my pickup truck and I use that when I am on long road trips. Very useful!

What would be even more useful is to carry a scooter in a suitcase, or in 2 custom suitcases, and fly it with me wherever I go. Or UPS, FedEX or even truck or bus it to wherever it is to go if I can't fly it for various reasons. 

And that idea gave rise to a thought experiment which I've dubbed the "Jog in a Box".

I was wondering what scooter would be suitable as it would have to have the following characteristics: 

• light weight, as far under 100 lbs as possible to reduce over charges by airlines
• fully street legal ie all legal lighting, horn requirements met
• reliable
• parts readily available
• easily dismantled so that it fits in a suitcase
• fit in a 26" x 26" x 10" suitcase or 2 of them. 62 inches is the size limit for airline luggage before they classify it as oversized.

Now what seems to fit this criteria is a horizontal engined Yamaha Jog. The engines are strong, reliable and relatively efficient and easily upgraded to 70+ cc, or 100cc+.  

In Mexico the Yamaha 100cc BWS is still available new so I would pick up a drivetrain when I was here. 

Jogs can be stripped down to a minimal weight. I've seen claims of 88 pounds for a stripped racing Jog, but it was not really road legal. I do not want to attract any police attention in Canada, the US or Mexico for any possible equipment violations. Mexican police don't seem to care about equipment but the others do. 

I would plan on cutting the frame tube so that it could be easily joined plus adding a frame brace to stiffen it up when it is all re-assembled at the destination. Then the front and rear can be separated and put in different suitcases. 

Bicyclists have solved the problem of breaking down bicycles to fit in suitcases for travel many years ago. Here is a link to the hardware, made by S&S Machine which is not certified for bicycles with only mono-tube frames. So the additional frame brace is a requirement for the Jog in a Box. Their website is worth studying. 

www.sandsmachine.com/spec_cm.htm

S & S also supplies suitcases though the cost of 2 of them, and the couplers, would probably exceed the cost of the completely refurbished Jog. 

www.sandsmachine.com/ac_hard.htm

I would envision carrying extra carbs jetted for the altitude I was planning on being at. So 4 for me, sea-level, 3500, 5200 and 8000 feet. A quick carb swap and I am on my way.

I would guess that a lot of gear could be carried along with the scooters in the suitcases as I typically ride in full gear: helmet, boots, jacket, gloves, etc.

I am particularly interested in the weight of the stock Jog and in how much I can reduce the weight. 

Is this doable? I am willing to spend a few dollars and some cash to build one if it is. 

Thx
Jog In A Box

[90GTVert]

to the forum.

Something like this would be nice, but their price is steep. They do show up on eBay from time to time. It may be worth spending more to fold/unfold in 30 seconds.
www.diblasi.com/home.htm

Turning a scoot into a folding scoot would prob be cheaper, but there's gonna be a big difference in setup time. You'll have to link the frame, add the frame brace, prob install the wheels, install the handlebars or find some that can fold in, hook up brake cables, connect wiring, and prob more that I'm not thinking ATM.

The wiring could be easy enough. I did a custom harness for one of my scoots and used two large connectors to split the harness in the center.

[kevin55950]

Welcome!
Interesting project! If you want to save weight, make a mold of your OEM fenders, find some carbon fiber (eBay is a good place, if you can pay for CF) or fiberglass and make a lighter copy of your fenders. There is a big difference in weight between the ABS plastics and fiberglass. Fiberglass and CF is really easy to repair if it break in transport. You can also change the heavy headlight with a lighter one. Save weight by buying a Lithium (Ballistic brand) battery that can go in any position without leaking, lasts WAY more than the std. batteries and are less than a pound for scooter model.

Taking a Yamaha Jog is a good idea because they have a pretty large ''foot rest'' so you can fold it easier. They're made simple so it's easy to modify plastics/frame etc. The Jog small wheels are also an advantage here.

Maybe gas leaking from carb may be a problem. You might find "Ecotrons" injecton system for two stroke, a member on the forum has installed one of those kit on his zuma.

Great project! It will be fun to see it progressing !

[aznatama]

Be aware that many airlines have restrictions as to what can be checked in... I know TSA prohibited items includes any spillable batteries, gasoline, flammable liquids, etc.

So you'll need to completely empty out the gas tank, perhaps also completely drain the oil, and use a sealed lithium battery. Not sure if it's worth it unless you are going to the middle of nowhere and need a small bike...

[jmkjr72]

like was said the fuel and oil will be a big issue
and even if you drain the tanks dont be surprised if a sniffer in the airport says it cant go on the plane
then you should go with a battery less setup


the thing is there used to be folding scooters made and the market for them died off because they were actually not very practical

and all this is before any customs issues it would be much easier to ride across the border then it is to ship a motor vehicle
if you bought it in mexico as a candian citizen can you even bring it back with you

the engineer on our ashland job was a candian and he coundnt even take the rental car back into canada because of the laws

[ottootto]

interesting idea
welcome!!!!

(thumb down for diblasi useless stuff....)