2013 Yamaha Zuma 125 with a TRAILER // Scooter touring at its finest! 

Personalization is what is attractive about Neil's setup. We all have slightly different needs and I'm sure Neil did this for well below a grand, which is at least half of what Yam would charge for this add-on.

Ain't that the truth?! I've ridden motorcycles all my life, but the small-bore bug really bit me about 7 years ago and hasn't let go. My buddy, Adrian, and I crushed 10K miles around the USA in 23 days on our Honda Super Cubs while pulling trailers behind them during the 2021 Scooter Cannonball (playlist here: ru-vid.com/group/PLLXxDh3JumLnSK37lF4AcrF28frAIfLfA ). That adventure cemented the small-bore experience for me permanently. Seeing such amazing places on such modest machines was truly awe-inspiring and humbling at the same time. Neil, who built this scooter rig, planned to ride the 2021 Cannonball with us but decided not to go. However, he and I rode the 2023 Scooter Cannonball last year, and we had another amazing adventure. He's hooked (even more so than before), and we're already planning for the 2025 Cannonball. BTW... I LOVE 💖 your Vespa teardrop video series! That's a real work of art, and the presentation is top-notch! 👏😉👍 --QM

There’s a huge thrill in doing capable things on seemingly incapable little machines. I’m hooked on it. Thanks for the compliment on my Vespa teardrop trailer. It was a super fun project. If you guys are ever near Phoenix, please reach out. Would love to sit and trade stories.

I'm considering doing a trip to NYC. Do you have a channel I could find? any suggestions. budget, etc etc. I've done lots of rusdttips and extended criss country trips. such as the OG CANNONBALL. I'm thinking a 200cc scooter.

My advice: Pack a gas can, take lots of small breaks and STRETCH really well when you get off the bike for any reason. Otherwise your muscles, bones, and nerve endings get fused and you’ll be in a world of pain. Connect with a forum of like-minded riders. They will support you. Welcome and rely on the kindness of others. Be open to new experiences, graciously eat whatever you’re offered. Be humble, transparent, and kind. You will get more in return than you can imagine. Be ready for anything. Monsoons, dust devils, road debris, reckless drivers…it all comes at you quickly. Appreciate and soak in every moment of the Journey. Most of all be grateful that a door opened in your life that permits you this experience. Gratitude, humility, and the experiences the Journey affords will change your life.

Thanks for the feedback! Neil is a very interesting guy, and he's one hell of a fabricator! He has nearly 50K miles on this little scoot now, and I'm looking forward to his notes on the engine rebuild that he's planning to do soon. It'll be interesting to see how the internals have held up over that many grueling, full-throttle miles. Cheers! 😉👍 --QM

Yamaha should offer him a deal to make this stuff. More polished better looking and powder coated. But, that oil catch is on point. The highway pegs they sell them as add on but, if he made his I wager is it stronger and the position of where the peg vs the add on ones appears to be better.

Neil has over 50K miles on that little Zuma 125 now! He rebuilt the top end of the engine recently with a new piston and rings (same size, didn't need overbore), new oil pump, and he resurfaced the valves. He also rebuilt the front forks and the CVT while he was in there. So, the little Zuma is ready for another 40-50K miles. I can't wait to see how high the count goes! 😉👍 --QM

Neil is a mad scientist fabricator, that's for sure! 😉👍 --QM

I was also wondering about those side of the faring wind deflectors too. I'm guessing they might be for a Honda Helix or he heated the acrylic/polycarbonate himself and fabricate them.

Agreed! Neil isn't much of a tech guy or into social media... he's a simple guy. If he ever decided to record his adventures or stuff that he does around his shop, then I'd gladly edit and produce it for him! 😉👍 --QM

The great thing about Neil's modifications is that EVERYTHING is functional instead of just flash and bling. All of his mods have gone through several iterations of refinement for long-distance touring. He has done a bunch of cross-drilling and lightening of parts where possible to shed weight and make the scooter more efficient. For example... he recreates and replaces his windscreen periodically... whenever the existing one develops cracks or road debris injuries. The screen's shape, the mounts, and the air vents have all gone through several improvements over time. That's a mad scientist engineer at work... unbridled and having fun with modifications! 😉👍 --QM

Well, you might not need to wait much longer! He has two new 2022 Zuma 125's that he's playing with already. I haven't seen them yet, but he might be out touring with one of them as early as our meet-up in March. 😉👍 --QM

This trailer only weighs about 35 pounds unloaded (16 kg) and about 85 pounds fully loaded (38 kg), so it's more manageable than a passenger on the back seat. The trailer's center of gravity is very low, so the weight pushes inline with the rear wheel/axle. Slowing quickly while on a very steep downhill slope with reduced traction (e.g., gravel, sand, or ice) could be difficult because the trailer doesn't have its own brake on the rear wheel. 😉👍 --QM

Mój przyjaciel Neil jest właścicielem tej hulajnogi i dokonał znacznych modyfikacji na potrzeby długodystansowych wycieczek. Używa fabrycznych żarówek halogenowych o mocy 35W. Światła przyczepy są podłączone do zespołu tylnych świateł hulajnogi, co pobiera jedynie kolejne ~10 W mocy. Jedynym dodatkowym obciążeniem elektrycznym jest ładowarka USB do telefonu komórkowego o mocy 10 W. Dzięki! 😉👍 --QM

No, he prefers to live encumberment-free! 🤣 He leaves that chore to me, so I can chronicle our adventures. I am the one that insisted on doing features on his amazing craftmanship because he's too humble to delve into the self-promoting game. He is an amazing guy with lots of talent! 😉👍 --QM

@@QuasiMotard thats awesome, thanks for getting him to share this!

No, unfortunately Neil doesn't do anything on social media. He lets me publish the stuff that he wants to share, and I'm honored to do it for him! He's a helluva guy! 😉👍 --QM

Yes, Neil has ridden his little Zuma 125 on the back roads and rural highways for 50K miles! It can reach 60-62 MPH top speed under ideal circumstances (level ground, no headwinds). However, it's comfortable speed is 50-55 MPH all day long. Cheers! 😉 --QM

If you have that large of a cargo box on your rear rack (especially loaded), I can't imagine how that affects your handling! Neil's box is typically loaded with ~50-60 lbs of camping and cooking equipment. That much weight high and rearward of the rear axle would negatively affect handling and cornering feel. The beauty of these single-wheel trailers is that the weight is halved between the two axles... about 50/50% between the scooter's rear wheel and the trailer's wheel. All of the weight is down very low, so the center of gravity for the scooter isn't negatively impacted. 😉👍 --QM

Neil fabricated the front "hitch" (draw bar mount) for the trailer so it attaches at the upper-rear of the scooter's frame. That allows both ends of the trailer to be suspended instead of just the rear. So, the lowest that his trailer could sag is equal to the fully-compressed point of his rear suspension. The KipMoto SherpaX trailer that I pull with my other bikes is suspended differently. The "hoop" or hitch is mounted to the rear axle of the bike, so the front of the trailer isn't suspended per-se... it bounces up and down with the motion of the rear axle and wheel. There are pros/cons to both mounting approaches. The axle attachment is simpler and nearly universal, but the frame attachment allows the trailer to be fully-suspended. Cheers! 😉👍 --QM

We've been behind him on our PCX150's and verified his Zuma at 62 mph on GPS several times. It's amazing that he can maintain that speed with a 125cc scoot while pulling the trailer behind him. Neil is a tall guy, too... around 6'1" and around 220 pounds if I recall correctly. That little Yamaha is a juggernaut! 😉👍 --QM

@@QuasiMotard What set up does he have on variator/clutch? 62mph can only be achieved for a moment and only at steep dow hill and maybe a tail wind. I'm the same dimensions as Neil and have gotten mine to 60 only under the conditions I mentioned. The Zuma is a legit 54-59mph bike. Anything over that is riding conditions dependent.

@@optimusprime6436 I'm not sure what he's done inside the variator or clutch, if anything. I know that he has done extensive weight reductions all over the scoot, and his aero upgrades probably help his top speeds. Adrian and I have followed behind him on many occasions, and I've seen 61-62 MPH sustained on GPS when we're on flat/level ground without any headwinds. We were both very surprised during our first Ozarks trip at how fast his Zuma ran on the highway: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_hKgxFxoFCc.html . I don't know if I marked any other points where the GPS speeds were visible on camera, but I'll dig around. The really crazy thing is that he's pulling a trailer at those speeds... full-tilt boogie, and still getting 18-20K miles out of a CVT belt... that's awesome! 😉👍 --QM