real speed - a 1971 Mobylette

[forddeliveryboy]

Having messed about in fields on go carts with engines too big for safety, the odd motorbike and so on, to my horror my old man bought me something I thought looked intended for a local curate. The rich kids had 'real bikes', which although only 50cc looked as if they'd do 100mph. Like this AR50.

 

 

This French shite had bloody pedals to make it start, was metallic bronze and looked appalling to my just-16 eyes - all curves, metal, metallic paint and modesty covers like something Victorian which a dusty old Aunt might have in her shed. It even sported a front reg plate like a pre-war thing, ready to separate an unwary pedestrian . Worse still, it had no MoT and needed work, as I found out by riding it up and down the street. If something isn't instant when you're 16, you're not interested. Well I wasn't, anyway. But it was my only chance beyond the push-bike. Nothing else was available to impress the girls. (ha!)

 

This is what it looked like.

 

 

 

 

What would girls think? What would blokes think? Oh fuck.

 

To my dismay it passed its test fairly easily and I buckled on the half-face helmet it came with - the ignominy was complete. I sat on the big fat saddle and pedalled it to go. It even sounded shite, with Daf-style gearing the engine just buzzed at whatever speed made most sense for it. So under full acceleration from the lights, it sounded like a female opera singer attempting a rapid glissando while drunk and gargling.

 

But on the road it was comfy, handled well and was surprisingly quick. All the other 'real bikes' were limited to 30mph, this one was showing an easy 43mph on its almost-rectangular Huret speedo. Was it accurate? In the days before sat nav you never knew, unless you rode (illigully) along railway tracks or motorways and timed the posts, but one thing I did find out - after school I could give the flash lads on their expensive machines a decent standing start (to avoid too many people seeing the starting method) then roar past. Speed is the ultimate weapon, by which all arguments are won. I won so convincingly, the others stopped laughing. A bit.

 

A mate had a late 70s one (my Luxomatic was from 1971), which to my pleasure was slower and began to look puny next to mine, with its pared-down build. I began to appreciate the solidity of its construction both in sidewinds and on the day we made an epic 200 mile journey, which ended a mile from home. The drivebelt wore out, no doubt a result of off-roading in sand. I pedalled it the rest of the way.

 

The 60mph sound barrier was broken on a long downhill in the Yorkshire Dales, even if the air filter did rattle off - the engine had sounded like it was getting ready for a launch into outer space and I thought it had blown when the note got suddenly a lot louder. And I didn't fall off, once. Happy days.

 

.

[castros_bro]

Some 50 year old bloke goingC2C  (Hartlepool to Whitehaven)  on a Moby found in a skip in Belgium. Somewhere I have an ally 60cc cylinder + piston, AMAL (Spanish) carb and expansion chamber to make it shred rear tyres

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7pFmM6Uhbw

 

 

More can be experienced at the NACC run at Odiham 22nd June 2014

[fordperv]

I had a Kawasaki ar50 for my 1st on road bike when I was 16 in 2000 I made a few modifications and it would do 65mph on a flat road with ease I loved it because it pissed on the chips of the Peugeot speedfight and aprilia rs50 lot

[purplebargeken]

I had the same coloured Mobi. Junkman now has it. It even runs. 

[forddeliveryboy]

I had the same coloured Mobi. Junkman now has it. It even runs. 

 

Does he use it much?

[wuvvum]

That style of Mobylette always did go fairly well for what they were.  Mine would buzz along at 50 on the flat in its heyday, albeit with an expansion exhaust fitted.  Some of the later and more basic models (AV41, Cady etc) were rather gutless though, not helped by the lack of variator.

[stuboy]

i know of a crappy green thing from the 70's and one from 60's that not got a speedo

[eddyramrod]

I had a grey 1972 Moby, UWM 617L.  I failed to get along with it and eventually flogged it to the owner of a Chinese chippy.

[junkyarddog]

I had a knackered Honda 50 bought for £30 out of a cowshed,

being young and stupid,I decided to test drive it(after I managed to get it to run)

up and down the quiet county road where I live.

 

Of course the local plod decided to drive down the road at the exact same time,

got a tug,and was threatened with having the book thrown at me if I was ever caught on it again.....

 

I swapped it the next day for a non running Mk2 Escort

[Junkman]

Does he use it much?

 

No he doesn't. It's still in its restoration phase.

[forddeliveryboy]

No he doesn't. It's still in its restoration phase.

 

Tell him to get on with it, they're a wheeze. Just don't drive into the back of a Cavalier when gawping at girls on the pavement opposite.

[Junkman]

He knows.

He also bought an expansion box, 22 Dell Orto, and a 70cc barrel from phroggy Phrance, for some serious OMGHP increase,  a severe OMGMPG decrease, and more rapid back of Chavalier hiddage due to urban ornithology.

He is keenly looking forward to some Burt Munro style whizzage this summer.

[forddeliveryboy]

He knows.

He also bought an expansion box, 22 Dell Orto, and a 70cc barrel from phroggy Phrance, for some serious OMGHP increase,  a severe OMGMPG decrease, and more rapid back of Chavalier hiddage due to urban ornithology.

He is keenly looking forward to some Burt Munro style whizzage this summer.

 

Advise - engine is already highly uprated version of original slug. Fdb managed to damage the bottom end with the standard factory breathing and compression, let alone OMGHP mods.

[Junkman]

Installation of the OMGHP mods is only considered once the infernal machine has been carefully run in after this long period of standage.

[wuvvum]

A 22mm carb is way over the top for one of these, even with a 70cc kit.

[Junkman]

It wasn't back in 1978, so it isn't now.

[jbz2079]

Didn't Batavus produce something similar to the Mobylette?

There was a young lad round our way had a German Kreidler ped that looked a bit simple compared to the

Suzuki A50P and the Yahama FS1E, a bit basic like one of those Italian Malaguti or Gitane mongrels with the quick melt engines.

 

There was nothing basic about how it went though, the only other ped that could keep up with it was a Puch Grand Prix Special, it was

a spruced up M50 with mag wheels, disc brake and a JPS type black paint job.

 

Both these had engines with massive finning on the barrels and heads, it it had been a jap engine it would pass for a 125 in barrel size.

This made them just about unburstable could be ridden flat out for hours on end.

 

I sampled a Mobylette another long lived oldie that had its engine mounted over the front wheel.

This was not noted for it's performance as the engine drove the front tire by a roller mounted on the crankshaft.

You pulled an extra lever on the handle bars to decompress the engine, start pedalling, spinning the engine , then drop the lever, the engine would start, sometimes and off you would wobble.

 

27 MPH was about it's lot, we all tried for hours to crack 30, but it never happened.

We also discovered that rain could have a bad effect on the friction between the drive roller and the front tyre.

 

Another worrying feature was the direct powered candles that were supposed to be lights, when the engine stopped, no lights whatsoever!

Definatly the  motorcycling like of a 2CV but nowhere near as practical.

[wuvvum]

 

I sampled a Mobylette another long lived oldie that had its engine mounted over the front wheel.

This was not noted for it's performance as the engine drove the front tire by a roller mounted on the crankshaft.

You pulled an extra lever on the handle bars to decompress the engine, start pedalling, spinning the engine , then drop the lever, the engine would start, sometimes and off you would wobble.

 

27 MPH was about it's lot, we all tried for hours to crack 30, but it never happened.

We also discovered that rain could have a bad effect on the friction between the drive roller and the front tyre.

 

Another worrying feature was the direct powered candles that were supposed to be lights, when the engine stopped, no lights whatsoever!

Definatly the  motorcycling like of a 2CV but nowhere near as practical.

 

That would have been a Solex.  Probably a 3800 if it would do 27.  Funny old machines they were (and are - I believe they're still made).

[jbz2079]

That was it Wuvvum a Solex.

This one was deep red in colour and had been a shipyard workers transport to work everyday for 15 years.

The only maintainance it ever had was a new plug once a year, regular oiling to the moving parts and a few tyres.

The engine had never been in bits.

[gtd2000]

What a great time for this topic to raise its head!

 

After seeing the Tomos moped for sale on the eBay thread, I got in touch with a girfriend back in the UK who had one when she was 16 and sent her the link under the title of "relive your youth"

 

We had a bit of a chat last night and she said she fell off it nearly every time she rode it, so wouldn't be making a bid!

 

I asked how fast did it go and she was sure it did 40+ MPH and the fastest she had out of it was 50MPH?

 

Is that likely for a Tomos moped?

 

I had a Yamaha FS1E (JSH661P) which was not restricted, that would achieve 46MPH (indicated) on the flat, with the head down and then got up to the giddy speed of 56MPH downhill (head on the tank) until I shattered the piston...then it only did 40MPH on the flat..head down..with the new piston kit 

 

Just like this one but mine wasn't in this condition...even at only 6 years of age

 

 

I'm sure if we had all of the information resources that are available today we could have got some serious speed out of these little bikes but alas there was no internet for the common man in the early 1980's.

 

Before I found the FS1E I looked at a Simpson SB51 (?) which looked absolutely horrendous in my eyes at the age of 16...I can certainly identify with the street cred concerns that you faced FDB

That Mobylette looks fantastic now though!

[Cavcraft]

I'd love an AR (or AE) 50 or 80, definitely the most stylish starter bike of their time.

[jbz2079]

I started in motorised transport on a £100 Fizzy. (NGD344M)

It was nothing special, but it was my first taste of real freedom.

While everyone else rode around town endlessly annoying everyone else, a friend and I would be away somewhere when we got the chance.

 

As I lived in Glasgow, 15 minutes was the time it took to break clear of the city and be roaming around the open countryside.

Life was never more fun or carefree as that first year, running around on the Fizzy.

 

During the summer we used to organise Sunday runs.

We would set out early with some local friends, sometimes eight or nine peds and cover a few miles.

One memorable Sunday was up Loch Lommond side and back through Stirlingshire, 200 miles.

An older friend had a Russian Combo and he used to carry the tools, two stroke oil a few spare spark plugs and a puncture repair kit.

 

Simple fun of the type that is so hard to come by these days.

[forddeliveryboy]

That's it, the feeling of real freedom. All your life reliant on parents, then a 49cc petrol engine brings you the power to be independent, sort of! The Mobylette would average 80mpg, ridden afap, but on a 30mph restricted economy run, managed 170ish. Looking back, it was a great piece of design with the variable gearing and sturdy construction.

 

I see their earliest contraptions were slow, but looked just like a bicycle and don't resemble the common VeloSolex, which set me thinking...

 

[twosmoke300]

My first transport was a Suzuki ts50x which I had for a year when I lived in a village called auchnagatt ,about 25 miles north of Aberdeen.

Living I'm such a remote place it was essential. I did 10k on that bike .

The best bit is that I have got it back and it sits complete and alive in my workshop in Cornwall . Makes me smile every time I see it

[panhard65]

I started with an NSU Quickly 1962 23F it was the top of the range one and I bought it from a number plate dealer in Forest gate. He had a selection in his yard all in a big pile in the corner along with a load of Vespa's and Lambretta's. I pulled this one out and pushed it down to the station and talked the gaurd into letting me take it on the train back to Cambridge. It was a great bike and would keep up with my mates and their FS1E's the only downer was the lights were total crap. They are starting to make good money now with quite a following. I remember I was the first member of the NSU owners club with a quickly.

This is like the one I had but mine had leg guards from an earlier bike.

Now you have got me looking at old mopeds again I saw one of these go through Cheffins auction 5 or 6 years ago but it went for a bit too much considering there was no paperwork.

It's a Monet Goyon starlett I might have to bring something ped like back when I go to Le Mans in June as we are taking the caravan there should be room to squeeze one in.

[jbz2079]

I used to be memerised by those belt drive Mobys.

It was basically the same system as the Daf Variomatic cars, where the belt climbed up the front pulley to give a higher ratio

so the back wheel turned faster.

 

What amused me was to allow the belt to climb the pulley the engine used to swing rearward on it's mounts against a spring.

Very simple but I always thought ingenious.

 

The same principal is used on modern car CVT transmissions, not quite as sucessfully though, they are troublesome.