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Can You Fit a Road Bike Into an Elan? Yes You Can.

PostPosted: Wed May 25, 2016 9:15 pm
by Stevie-Heathie
Who said these Elans weren't practical? :--)

All ready to drop the Lotus off at Lakeside Engineering (as recommended by folks on here) for some TLC and MOT tomorrow morning. Then on the bike and off to work.

Love the cable tie :-)

Steve

Re: Can You Fit a Road Bike Into an Elan? Yes You Can.

PostPosted: Wed May 25, 2016 10:04 pm
by Stevie-Heathie
Basically it's cable tied to the roll cage.

Re: Can You Fit a Road Bike Into an Elan? Yes You Can.

PostPosted: Thu May 26, 2016 4:41 am
by lotocone
Good for you Steve. I see the bike in the Elan, but I'm not sure I believe it. My Honda Civic will hardly let me get a bike in with the wheels off. By the way, what's going on with your spokes?

Bob

Re: Can You Fit a Road Bike Into an Elan? Yes You Can.

PostPosted: Thu May 26, 2016 5:39 am
by Stevie-Heathie
Ha!

This is my commuting bike. I fitted 3M Scotchlite reflective clip on thingies to the spokes to help drivers see me in the dark.

Steve

Re: Can You Fit a Road Bike Into an Elan? Yes You Can.

PostPosted: Thu May 26, 2016 8:57 am
by theelanman
sniff petrol got a flan in theirs........

Re: Can You Fit a Road Bike Into an Elan? Yes You Can.

PostPosted: Thu May 26, 2016 12:44 pm
by RotoFlexible
Somewhere I have a photo from 35 years ago - my bike (wheels and all) bungee'd to the back braces of the roll bar. I wouldn't say it was in the Elan, exactly...

Re: Can You Fit a Road Bike Into an Elan? Yes You Can.

PostPosted: Thu May 26, 2016 1:14 pm
by billwill
I think a Brompton folding bike would fit easily in the boot of an Elan.

Re: Can You Fit a Road Bike Into an Elan? Yes You Can.

PostPosted: Thu May 26, 2016 5:09 pm
by The Veg
lotocone wrote:My Honda Civic will hardly let me get a bike in with the wheels off.


Perhaps you need an older Honda. Around 1991 my brother got a 24-channel mixer and half a drum-kit into his '77 Civic. I was in the passenger seat, so no gear went there.

Re: Can You Fit a Road Bike Into an Elan? Yes You Can.

PostPosted: Thu May 26, 2016 6:42 pm
by Chancer
And I got a complete bike inbetween the front and rear seats of a girlfriends Honda Civic, I was about to whip the wheels off and she said that I didnt need to, "silly woman" thought I but twas I the silly one, she did something really weird with the rear seat that I have never seen another car do and it created a large volume but also a very deep one, there was no tunnel intrusion.

When I was 17 and had broken down miles from home with my first motorbike, actually a sports moped, a Honda SS50 my dear father just said "tough" to me down the phone and hung up, (good grounding for later life!) my sister came out in her Triumph Herald convertible and we got the motorcycle in/on/hanging out in the tiny void behind the front seats that was not even big enough for a toddler :shock: I wish that I owned a camera in those days but they cost more than m motorcycle and would only be used once a year on Holiday.

Re: Can You Fit a Road Bike Into an Elan? Yes You Can.

PostPosted: Thu May 26, 2016 6:50 pm
by The Veg
About 7 years ago I got a complete BMW R100 motorcycle into a 2-door Mk IV GTI...but I guess that doesn't count as it was dismantled at the time! :mrgreen:

Re: Can You Fit a Road Bike Into an Elan? Yes You Can.

PostPosted: Thu May 26, 2016 9:25 pm
by Chancer
I collected a complete mini engine and transmission unit from a breakers yard in my mini for which it was destined, I just removed the passsenger seat and plonked it on the floor.

Re: Can You Fit a Road Bike Into an Elan? Yes You Can.

PostPosted: Thu May 26, 2016 9:27 pm
by stovekjj
Reminds me of carrying an 18.5 ft kevlar canoe on top of a TR4..
and then picking up four hitchhikers.. circa 1975...

can't see getting all the hitchhikers in my elan..

Re: Can You Fit a Road Bike Into an Elan? Yes You Can.

PostPosted: Fri May 27, 2016 12:58 pm
by Elan45
About 30 years ago, I used to do a 25mile time trial after work one day a week. At that time, my pre-airflow FHC was my summer daily driver. So, I took out the passenger seat, replaced the seat mounting bolts with longer bolts screwed in from below. Then I used wing nuts to retain the seat.

I could then temporarily, remove the seat , remove both front and rear wheels off the bike and carefully thread the frame into the passenger door. Wheels then stowed in the boot.

I probably transported my bike 10 times like this over a couple of years. The bike was completely inside the Elan. This is the Elan I am currently restoring and the wing nutted passenger seat feature will be retained.

Roger