New J-tat at Seth towers

[seth]

I sent off my form for the NACC today

 

Pog here's the direct gov link about teh CBT

 

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/LearnerAndNewDrivers/RidingMotorcyclesAndMopeds/DG_4022430

 

If you passed before Feb '01 your OK on a moped

 

Having spent a little time tinkering today I have begun loosing respect for bike restorers. How easy is this little stuff!

[Torsten2001]

But please remember that pre Aug 01 1977 ie R Reg and earlier there was no restriction on mopeds the only proviso being it must have pedals. The Raleigh Mopeds I posted pics could be quite potent depending on model so the Supermatic, Super Tourist and Super 50 were capable of up to 55 mph standard but as they have the Mobylette engine they can be tuned to incredible levels by purchasing performance bits off the shelf in France!

The thing that got me into them is the sheer diversity of the things. The mopeds from people like Heinkel, Batavus, NSU, Victoria were the cheap Chinese imports of their day but being German / Dutch the quality was superb, as was the early Jap stuff including the Honda P50 which was a copy of the BSA Winged Wheel and Cyclemaster. The UK put out tons of different and odd machines in sometimes tiny numbers all superb quality like the BSA Ariel 3, Ambassador Moped, Clark Scamp (from a mast maker in the Isle Of Wight), Norman Lido, Norton Villiers Triumph Easy Rider, BSA Boxer. Then there's the clip on Engines like the Trojan Mini Motor from Croydon, the Cyclemaster, Power Pak, Cymota etc that you literally bought in a small box with number plates etc and bolted on to your bicycle in minutes creating a motorcycle, some of which like the Cyclemaster were only 25cc in their early form or the 18cc Diesel Lohmann which were frankly hopeless, have a look:

Heinkel Perle

NSU Quickly

Honda P50 (engine in the back wheel)

18cc Diesel Lohmann

Power Pak

Cymota

Cyclemaster

Norman Lido

Amassador

BSA Ariel 3

BSA Winged Wheel

Norton Villers Triumph Easy Rider

Batavus

Victoria Vicky

Trojan Mini Motor

Clark Scamp

BSA Boxer

I'll get my coat!

[pogweasel]

Cheers fella. This is a whole new world of exciting shed-tinkering. Thus far my only contact with motorcycles has been when I bought a C90 for a fiver when I was about 15. My mate got an AR50 for £20 at the same time. Ergo, we spend several happy hours ragging them round some fields. On the way home, I crashed the C90 into the river off the towpath, and never really bothered again after that. Still got the exhaust burn scar on my leg. Polyester shorts not a good option then.

[stoterstangen90]

This is um, perhaps bad timing what with Father Ted's recent incident but I went and picked this up today. I've never owned anything two wheeled before but can apparently ride this 49cc monster without doing a CBT. So its going to be a minimal cost exersize in low buck city mobility. 1972 vintage Honda PC50 for these like me that wouldn't know his handlebars from his chain box. Being a '72 it will even save me 15 (yes, fifteen! Count 'em) pounds on tax a year! It runs but I need to MOT it too. Much smaller than a car though so not particularly worried about that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

*sits back and awaits chicken related jokes...

what a nice PC50.

I have pc50's and ps 50's as well.

 

Nice

[Torsten2001]

Cheers fella. This is a whole new world of exciting shed-tinkering. Thus far my only contact with motorcycles has been when I bought a C90 for a fiver when I was about 15. My mate got an AR50 for £20 at the same time. Ergo, we spend several happy hours ragging them round some fields. On the way home, I crashed the C90 into the river off the towpath, and never really bothered again after that. Still got the exhaust burn scar on my leg. Polyester shorts not a good option then.

Might be worth retreiving that C90 and having a go with that!!

[VWPowered]

wow not seen a C90 in years lol

 

see lots of these here.. in fact was offered 2 for €150 the other week

 

 

and obviously peugoet..

 

 

still buys these new, but very shite...

[pogweasel]

C90 was later retrieved from the river. Though can't remember what happened to it after that. I suppose it might even be buried at the back of my folks garage....

[VWPowered]

ahh the fun we had acorss fields in those

[Torsten2001]

Funnily enough I have a mint C90, and a C50!VW, those solex's are magic, can you still get hold of them? I want!

[ashmicro]

Had a C90 myself, of 1974 vintage. It was a bit tatty but complete when I got it, so I resprayed it and rebuilt the engine. I then got the offer of a KH100 Kawasaki, so sold the '90.The young man who bought it crashed into a set of goalposts the day after.

[seth]

Well, I've replaced a couple of bushes in the front suspension levers, changed the plug, checked the tappets and adjusted the timing which was a bit out and it now purrs like a kitten Front fork bearings might be borked though.

[Torsten2001]

Sounds like it's almost ready for the MOT, Carole Nash for cheap insurance!

[seth]

Got my membership through from the NACC the other day. The little magazine is great! Here's a couple of quotes from an article that I thought might be appreciated here:"The A712 was another sweeping hill down into New Galloway - I must have touched 35mph at least. A dog leg over Water of Ken and up into the Braes of Glenkens to climb up to Moniaive where a noticable chill in the air prompted a hot chocoloate.""Cups emptied and not to be outdone, we buzzed through the village sounding like a strimmers convention."One chap celebrated his 70th birthday while on a ride from Lands End to John O Groats on a "New Hudson" Appears to be a club full of eccentric old fools. Great!

[seth]

Todays happenings. Uh Oh!

 

 

 

 

I made it to the petrol station and back so its full of fresh juice now. A bit scary though! I think I need some more practice. Didn't help that it wasn't running well due ot the manky fuel it had in. But, I managed (just!) not to crash in a spectacularly embarrasing fashion and am still alive.

[dollywobbler]

Jeepers! That said, just cycling on roads is darned scary when you haven't done it for a while.I rode my first motorbike last year - a Honda monkeybike, but not on the road - and not with a helmet. Worried that it was quite good fun...

[500tops]

I rode my first motorbike last year - a Honda monkeybike, but not on the road - and not with a helmet. Worried that it was quite good fun...

you were reluctant at first, but it soon won you over!

[pogweasel]

Look out, it's 'Easy Rider'

 

Get your motor running...

...head out on the highway...

..looking for adventure...

...or whatever comes our way...

 

HI M8 IS DAT STREETHAWK CAN U DO WHEELIES?

[seth]

OLO!

[dollywobbler]

I rode my first motorbike last year - a Honda monkeybike, but not on the road - and not with a helmet. Worried that it was quite good fun...

you were reluctant at first, but it soon won you over!

I didn't want to spoon it with such an audience - others took the falls though! Brave of you and Oboe (I think?) to let folk out on them!

[seth]

Hadn't told you my taxing issue. Mini rant ahead!

 

Now before I start I realise that this ought to be tax exempt but as it was last taxed in 1988 (!) it needs a visit to teh DVLA office which I knwo would take eleventy billion hours. I have read elsewhere that if you actually paid the tax in this circumstance it would trigger teh babbage works in Swansea and once it woke up they'd change teh taxation class and refund the money. To be honest at £15 for a years tax (I may or may not get back) against a morning in Borehamwood I opted for the former.

 

The DVLA website wouldn't let me do it on line and our current local post office staff are real jobsworths so I wasn't looking forward to what came next. Sure enough up pops an alarm on her computer about a gap in taxation. I explain that it had been off the road from well before the Sorn time and therefore didn't need it and there was no issue. She ends up phoning up the DVLA but doesn't actually tell them this rather important fact (as I doubt she'd ever come across it before but wouldn't listen to me) so the advice she is given is to let me have a new disc but that I should contact the DVLA myelf ASAP to volunteer the back tax or they'd come chasing after me with fines.

 

Obviously this starts me worrying that maybe there's been some change so I phone them up and have it quickly confiremd that I am in fact 100% correct. Very much want to go back to the post office with some