Let’s Embarrass Each Other With Our Mopeds

[Six-cylinder]

After a couple of posts about mopeds in E bay cars for sale, so not to clutter that up with this nonsense I will start off.  When I was 16 my friends had fast mopeds like Garelli, Gilera and Derbi but I was persuaded by my father to spend what I had and not to take HP so I ended up with a Puch MS50D. Good decision not to borrow money as I came off it twice and hit one car in the 7 months I had it. On the other hand being a few years old it always needed something done to it. I was not very happy with it and wanted a Yamaha RD250 as soon as I was 17 but again my father persuaded me to buy a car instead. The picture is of the model I can’t find one of my bike!

 

In 2009 there was a mad moment in the pub when we were all going to ride to the Isle of Man TT on Mopeds in Dinner Jackets from Buckingham, I know, I know 50 year old blokes at there worst. When we sobered up we realized how silly it all was so toned down the event to load our mopeds into one of the guys Dodge Ram 2500HD and use them on the isle. A couple of them had pit bikes that there were going to use so me and a friend bought ours mine was a 1991 Honda SH50-H and I practised a bit locally. Unfortunately then 2 out of 5 dropped out including the owner of the pickup so we never went. But yes the photo is me on a moped in 2009! I need Help…..

 

 

[Junkman]

I was hardly ever mopedless since age 15.

First, I had a succession of Zündapp R50s and a KS50.

 

 

 

More rencently I had an NSU Quickly.

 

 

 

And now I have a Mobylette AV89.

 

[Six-cylinder]

I would like to get my bike licence but last time I enquired they wanted £700 for the complete coarse and exam.

[messerschmitt owner]

Current Pug Vivicity in green - bought new in 2000.

 

Had three Mobylettes - all the folding ones

plus a Brockhouse Corgi.

[hairnet]

kewl but need moar pedalz - else not moped

[hairnet]

  On 12/03/2015 at 17:15, Six-cylinder said:

I would like to get my bike licence but last time I enquired they wanted £700 for the complete coarse and exam.

the industry complains about the non buyage of teens or people not buying scooters and bikes and then theyre pointed to the roolz

 

then they go quiet

[hairnet]

mum had mid 70s pc 50 ped in very early 80s for going to work on

 

used to nick it out the shed and ride up and down the cobbled back alley on it (was only 9 )

 

then got the job of putting it away

 

old man had lambrettas when he met mum in 68

 

i passed my car test and they said no bikes

 

5 years after the car test passed bike and the first thing they said apart from well done??

 

gis a go

 

since then first thing theyve done when i bought a bike - they get a go

 

old man is only 5 ft 8 he struggled on the pan

 

auntie lil lived in ireland and wanted a yamaha passola so a 6 month old one (in period) was bought and he rode it from manc to tipperary

 

took him nearly a week

[Bobthebeard]

The current fleet.

[fordperv]

At 16 i had a kawasaki AR50, my dad said he'd buy me a 2 wheeler to get around on for doing well in my exams so a few weeks before my birthday took me round local bike shops, i saw this black and red AR50 with a light covering of dust and enquired, the Chap tried to fob me off with the old you don't want that, these peugeot speedfights are what people are going for, i stood my ground as I didn't like them and he pulled kawasaki out, it started first kick of the lever, that was it i was hooked, after doing my cbt a few weeks later I found out what a bloody fantastic thing it was as well, i modified the engine with new bigger bore and piston, reeds, carb and a fruity exhaust, i remember my dad clocked me at 60 i hadn't noticed him behind me when I got in later on he asked me how quick the bike went, i told him 30-35 obviously and he laughed at me and told me where I was when he clocked what speed i was going. got some happy memories of that little bike.

 

I need to do my bike licence, i have a 1995 suzuki RF600 waiting to come on road

 

 

It started life with me like this, it had lots of problems, which are now sorted

 

[castros_bro]

A wotits thingie Ex-purplebargeken of this parish

 

 

 

 

NACC odiham run with a load of pressganged pilots with dusty licences.

 

 

 

 

 

Going Hartlepool to Whitehaven Coast to Coast on HMW Supersport chasing PC50

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYT9PT3P8to

 

 

Benelli like the one owned b Mr. Sterling  Moss

 

 

 

 

My H2

 

 

 

 

one of many Velosolex but in red

 

 

Sachs

 

 

 

A small Garelli

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

Here's mine :

 

 

Moby 50V, bought from Mr.Castro of this parish sometime last year. Slower than a slow thing, but brilliant fun !

[RayMK]

In 1966 a friend in Wendover let me have a ride on his Raleigh Runabout. The brutal power of this device (compared to my 3 speed pushbike) left its mark.  My moped story really starts in 1967 when I was a spotty teenager at school in Germany - Dad was in the RAF so it was a new home and school every two years or thereabouts.  Shopping trips from RAF Bruggen often had me being dragged around Roermond rather than the NAAFI at Rheindahlen.  Roermond, being Dutch, was populated by thousands of mopeds and there were several dealerships to wander round, furthering my teenage fantasy of getting some POWER.  I soon realised that mopeds were ridiculously cheap and thus within reach of a few months saving, although this did not in any way reduce my consumption of Amstel.  Parents tried to guide me by listing the pitfalls of moped ownership, as they do, but my mind was set.  I bought a brand new Peugeot CT moped for about 500 Guilders - I've still got the receipt somewhere.  I did not have the patience to save for the deluxe model with suspension front and rear, but managed to scrape enough together to at least have teles on the front.  Next problem was getting legal.  Oblivious of the special regulations applicable to British forces personnel and their families, I simply went to a German insurance broker and filled in a form or two, paid a few DM, received an insurance plate and I was away.  For a blissful week I rode around, marvelling at the shear speed of the thing, a heady 27mph on the flat (this assumes no wind and adopting a racing position).  The military police ignored me at first then, probably attracted by my extrovert riding style, stopped me to check documents.  Of course, they were not appropriate for me, only legit for a German citizen.  I had to pass a driving theory test and take a driving test to satisfy the British Forces Germany system.  Both were quickly polished off, although riding a moped whilst being followed by a driving examiner in a military landrover  was both daunting and embarrassing.  It was a windy day and the test was conducted in Moenchengladbach, a busy city with trams and hills.

 

Moped ownership opened up new travelling opportunities and gave a rampant teenager much needed independence.  Trips to the Eifel Mountains and into the Netherlands became the order of the day.  I was a bit pissed off by a 6th form girl who rode a Batavus moped which was much faster than my Peugeot, and I was a sitting duck for the local German lads who had exotica like Kreidlers which were in another league despite being 50cc, same as mine.  I decided to release more performance by modifying the tiny exhaust and silencer.  Basically, I opened up all the tubes and holes to let the exhaust gas out (teenage logic).  What this did was only partially successful.  Outright speed downhill was transformed - it would reach 50mph at screamingly high rpm, but any torque or hill climbing ability that it had before had vanished.  No worries, it had pedals for the hills. 

 

When dad was posted back to the UK - Lincolnshire - I rode the Peugeot back via Ostend, using about 2 gallons for the trip.  It also managed a camping holiday to Braemar and the Isle of Skye, accompanied by my friend who had a Honda SS125.  His boredom at moped speeds was noticeable.  It also rained a lot.   In 1971 I bought a CZ175 and passed my test.  The Peugeot was relegated to sheds or garages for several years.  Its last serious use was in 1981 when my transport of the day broke down and it was MOT'd and used for several months of commuting 20 miles a day.  Currently, the Peugeot is propped up in my garage. 

[Junkman]

I still find it hard to believe that you need a licence, a reg and an MoT for a moped in this country.

[twosmoke300]

Ts50x for me . I managed to get the same bike back nearly 20 years later too ! And it's in reasonable nick . Lord knows what I'm going to do with it tho but I couldn't let it go .

[UltraWomble]

I really do need another Tomos in my life (preferably a A43 Disco)

 

I am however an incredible fat knacker and 50cc is woefully underpowered for me.

 

EDIT

Ohhhhh Look whats in Woodplumpton

http://www.gumtree.com/p/puch-motorbikes/tomos-disco-a35-moped/1104083680

[Bobthebeard]

The NSU Quickly* is a runner and has V5 . The plan is to get it roadworthy and run it just as it is. No restoration etc. Just make it safe and MOT'd. Proper old skool transport. Would be a shame to ruin the patina IMHO.

 

Edit I want to keep the numberplate and in the same bent condition. Is that going to be legal?

[hairnet]

  On 12/03/2015 at 18:01, RayMK said:

In 1966 a friend in Wendover let me have a ride on his Raleigh Runabout. The brutal power of this device (compared to my 3 speed pushbike) left its mark.  My moped story really starts in 1967 when I was a spotty teenager at school in Germany - Dad was in the RAF so it was a new home and school every two years or thereabouts.  Shopping trips from RAF Bruggen often had me being dragged around Roermond rather than the NAAFI at Rheindahlen.  Roermond, being Dutch, was populated my thousands of mopeds and there were several dealerships to wander round, furthering my teenage fantasy of getting some POWER.  I soon realised that mopeds were ridiculously cheap and thus within reach of a few months saving, although this did not in any way reduce my consumption of Amstel.  Parents tried to guide me by listing the pitfalls of moped ownership, as they do, but my mind was set.  I bought a brand new Peugeot CT moped for about 500 Guilders - I've still got the receipt somewhere.  I did not have the patience to save for the deluxe model with suspension front and rear, but managed to scrape enough together to at least have teles on the front.  Next problem was getting legal.  Oblivious of the special regulations applicable to British forces personnel and their families, I simply went to a German insurance broker and filled in a form or two, paid a few DM, received an insurance plate and I was away.  For a blissful week I rode around, marvelling at the shear speed of the thing, a heady 27mph on the flat (this assumes no wind and adopting a racing position).  The military police ignored me at first then, probably attracted by my extrovert riding style, stopped me to check documents.  Of course, they were not appropriate for me, only legit for a German citizen.  I had to pass a driving theory test and take a driving test to satisfy the British Forces Germany system.  Both were quickly polished off, although riding a moped whilst being followed by a driving examiner in a military landrover  was both daunting and embarrassing.  It was a windy day and the test was conducted in Moenchengladbach, a busy city with trams and hills.

 

Moped ownership opened up new travelling opportunities and gave a rampant teenager much needed independence.  Trips to the Eifel Mountains and into the Netherlands became the order of the day.  I was a bit pissed off by a 6th form girl who rode a Batavus moped which was much faster than my Peugeot, and I was a sitting duck for the local German lads who had exotica like Kreidlers which were in another league despite being 50cc, same as mine.  I decided to release more performance by modifying the tiny exhaust and silencer.  Basically, I opened up all the tubes and holes to let the exhaust gas out (teenage logic).  What this did was only partially successful.  Outright speed downhill was transformed - it would reach 50mph at screamingly high rpm, but any torque or hill climbing ability that it had before had vanished.  No worries, it had pedals for the hills. 

 

When dad was posted back to the UK - Lincolnshire - I rode the Peugeot back via Ostend, using about 2 gallons for the trip.  It also managed a camping holiday to Braemar and the Isle of Skye, accompanied by my friend who had a Honda SS125.  His boredom at moped speeds was noticeable.  It also rained a lot.   In 1971 I bought a CZ175 and passed my test.  The Peugeot was relegated to sheds or garages for several years.  Its last serious use was in 1981 when my transport of the day broke down and it was MOT'd and used for several months of commuting 20 miles a day.  Currently, the Peugeot is propped up in my garage. 

 

RA FOOKIN SPECT and PICS!!!

 

  On 12/03/2015 at 18:10, Junkman said:

I still find it hard to believe that you need a licence, a reg and an MoT for a moped in this country.

cos everywhere in euro 14 and no tests at all ffs

[alf892]

I wanted motorised transport from the moment I left the womb.......

 

I had a paper round and a Saturday job with the sole purpose of getting a moped when I turned 16. The governmenent tried to spoil this (nothing changes...) but announcing restrictions on sports mopeds so I had to buy early. I chose the Honda ss50 5 speed which cost about £260 new....reg UNK16R. I had to wait some months before I could legally ride it on the road.

 

Fuck did I give that poor thing a hard time. Lost count of the number of times it had engine rebuilds in warranty. Usually the result of racing Fizzies down the biggest hill I could find.........me laying flat on the tank.

After warranty I learnt about valve timing the hard way when changing a burnt out valve with limited tools and even more limited knowledge.

 

After that I took the enormous step up to a knackered C90.............then a newRD250LC (XVS448X I think) which was nothing short of a revelation. I did 14000 miles on that before writing it off during a race with Triumph 2500

[Cavcraft]

PEEP PEEP MUTHAFLIPPAS

 

[Christine]

 I wish i had a Raleigh Wisp , then i could post on this thread ...

[New POD]

  On 12/03/2015 at 17:15, Six-cylinder said:

I would like to get my bike licence but last time I enquired they wanted £700 for the complete coarse and exam.

 

 

Do what the bloke down the road (who had done time) from me did (when I was a student in Coventry).  He had a Z900. No licence, no tax, no insurance, no V5 in his name, and if the police want to stop you, give it loads, and disappear. Ever such a nice chap, salt of the earth, loved his mother, kind to animals, hated the police.

As I say he'd done time, and not for anything trivial.

I found this out when he lent me some tools to fix my Z500.

[martc]

PC50 - my first motorised transport

Puch 3 Speed - my third (C70 in between) - it was fab, as fast as an SS50 but the insurance was half the price because of the residual step through.

 

I now have a CBF600N, quite old fashioned in a newish bike way. And also considerably more powerful than any other bike I've had (although the Guzzi 1000 SP3 was close) - it produces 76hp from 600cc and weighs approx. 200kg but is now considered to be exceptionally tame.

[Fabergé Greggs]

My first. Raleigh RM4 which is an Un-variated mobylette. Slow as fuck. 

 

 

The next, Puch maxi. Spent a bit on a dellorto carb, electronic ignition and a super nice expansion chamber. Wakened it up nicely and was very useable. 

 

Then this, 70cc airsal kit, ported case, race clutch, clubman bars. Had a lovely expansion chamber on it but somebody KNICKED THE EXHAUST!!! Very zippy though and loads of fun. 

 

Doesn't really count as a moped but I currently do a daily central london dash on my old C90:

 

[hairnet]

  On 12/03/2015 at 18:35, Bobthebeard said:

The NSU Quickly* is a runner and has V5 . The plan is to get it roadworthy and run it just as it is. No restoration etc. Just make it safe and MOT'd. Proper old skool transport. Would be a shame to ruin the patina IMHO.image.jpg

 

Edit I want to keep the numberplate and in the same bent condition. Is that going to be legal?

yes

 

you can get away with quite a lot on pre 70 stuff

[hairnet]

 

 

hehe - not done this for a while - honda 50 run in mayo about 5 years ago (me in left corner)

 

you notice yer man in the middle of the pic no plate - pulled from a hedge put pez in - roll - no mot on 1985 (as is now) and older

 

his was early 70s no tax either 

[Bobthebeard]

  On 12/03/2015 at 20:27, hairnet said:

yes

 

you can get away with quite a lot on pre 70 stuff

Lovely! That is what I wanted to hear.

[purplebargeken]

Junkman now has my Mobi. At least it now runs!

[hairnet]

  On 12/03/2015 at 20:50, Bobthebeard said:

Lovely! That is what I wanted to hear.

as long as it can be read when they write it into the computer......

 

and its a black plate long as its legible - no matter how knackered

[plasticvandan]

Ok, when I was 16-17 I went moped crazy,I'll try and remember them all,and obviously many didn't stay for long....

First bike was a purple 74 puch maxi S with grey legshields and matching panniers

Then we have:

Mobylette V50

Mobylette Cady

mobylette V40

Mobylette AV89

Puch MS50D

Brockhouse Corgi x9

Raleigh Wisp x4

Honda PC50

NSU Quickly x6

Raleigh RM6 Runabout x3

Raleigh RM9 Ultramatic

Ariel 3

Velosolex x2

Cycle master

Power Pak

Honda C90 x4

Honda C70

Simson Spatz

 

Don't ask how many bigger bikes I've had...

[RayMK]

  On 12/03/2015 at 18:42, hairnet said:

RA FOOKIN SPECT and PICS!!!

 

cos everywhere in euro 14 and no tests at all ffs

Well, you did ask!  I'm not sure whether to be impressed by my efforts to find old documents or whether it's just another case of a sad old hoarder who never throws anything away  .  Nevertheless, here are the results of my digging in assorted boxes and photo albums, and I've even made the effort to photo the Peugeot where it has rested for at least 20 years.  Photo 1 shows the Peugeot leaning against my dad's caravan, an Astral 12ft. This was my bedroom for the last few months in Germany because my dad got an extension of duty to allow me to finish 'A' levels before returning to the UK. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to stay in married quarters, so a private hiring was obtained....with only 1 bedroom.  Photo 2 shows the brochure that I viewed under the sheets at night to avoid detection by my parents of unhealthy desires, plus the operating instructions (in Dutch), Guarantee, receipt (300DM paid - being a border town, they accepted DM), BFG licence, registration (CP389B) and insurance, and a couple of MOTs, one from Lincolnshire, the other from Bucks (moved again!). Photo 3 shows the driving instructions for British Dependents and the actual map that I used for my overnight ride from Germany to Ostend on the way back to the UK. Photos 4,5 and 6 show the Peugeot in its current resting place. This assumes I can upload without cocking up the process.  The photo (6) of my camera of the period (yes, I've still got it!) indicates why I did not have it with me when on mopedding holidays. In the pre-digital age, we could not afford to take loads of photos even when I could accommodate a bulky camera. 

 

An edit:  I had to register the moped on returning to the UK, I vaguely remember having to go to Maidenhead the day after arriving, where it was given the registration SKM26H.  Sometime in the late 1970's I had some spare paint......which ended up on the Peugeot.  If and when I restore it, the original pale metallic blue will be reinstated.

Another edit.  It was Maidstone, not Marlborough.