A feat of engineering genius. Slow, unstable, totally insufficient for the task in hand. The moto-taxi. In previous adventures we've used old Fiat Pandas and Tuk-tuks, which whilst awful in their own right, were at least built as a complete vehicle in their own right.
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| The mototaxi |
The moto-taxi is more like a latter day "hybrid" vehicle. Part motorbike (the front wheel, engine and seat) and part sofa (the bench seat at the back). In some senses, an obvious choice for carrying people from a central station to the nearest market, on a flat street. Less practical when you think of a fearsome drudge through wet season rains, scaling the Andes and then blasting through the breathless, rainless deserts in the West.
The moto-taxi is one of the least reliable vehicles known to man. Here is the spec:
Engine Size: 125cc
Engine Type: Single cylinder, 4 stroke, air cooled
Horse Power: 50 bgpp. Given how feeble the moto-taxi is, we have used a new denomination of power (brake guinea pig power)
Load: It should just about hold Chris, Rich and their bags and still be able to move.
Drive Chain: 3 x 1 chain driven
Brakes: Terrible drum brakes
Top Speed: <2 kmph (up hill), 60-70ish kmph (down a steep hill), terminal velocity (if we go off the edge)
