Old style mopeds.

[TheSmiler]

I'm considering getting a little old autocycle like an old mobylette for local journeys such as visiting friends or relatives. Just wondered if anyone has any experience with them in the past or possibly owns one now ?

Obviously won't be ragged around everywhere more as a garage back up Sunday runner.
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CB125>CG125>GN125>ER5>K100RS>R1100RS>K100RS
A2 completed 23/07/15 Ready for the Golden Crisp Packet

[Bhud]

I've never owned one, but almost did, as I grew up on the continent in the 80s. In fact the first powered 2-wheeler I ever rode and owned was in 2002. However, on the continent, in the 80s, everyone seemed to own a Mobylette or Tomos or equivalent 2-stroke moped, aged 14 and up. They were brought to school and parked in the playground. Teachers had them, too. NOBODY wore a helmet. Du pain, du vin, du Boursin was actually how people lived. It was the epitome. You wouldn't believe how many of these Mobylettes there were. They lined the streets of Paris. Tolerated everywhere, ridden maniacally, across age and class boundaries, etc.

The past is a different country. They do things differently there.

What do you plan to do with one? A BMW K75 can still, to this day, more than hold its own in the UK. A Mobylette on the other hand... Some things belong in the past.

[stevo as b4]

I've had daft delusional thoughts like this in the past, you can convince yourself all sorts of semi classic old shit could be useful to you, but it's just fooling yourself into wasting cash on more old broken shit that you'll never get any use out of or be able to get rid of to any sane human being.

If you need cheap around town transport that you don't want to worry about, spend much on, or give a shit what it looks like then just buy a cheap Chinese scooter or something.

I've half wanted a PK series classic Vespa for years, but being a temperamental two stroke scooter and having a world of tuning parts and support around them I'd have it in bits one day and it'd never be a reliable usable commuter again.

If you want an old moped to tinker with or surround yourself with non running broken crap then just buy one, but don't fall for the old "it'll be a useful bit of kit and do a job". Been there done that and I'm trying to learn from it.

[WD Forte]

I know a guy with two Mobys and fixed one up for him
He actually got done for speeding on it!
26 in 20mph zone
(true story)

Kind of fun for 10 minutes or so I suppose, but they're gutless, slow and smelly with crap brakes and lights.
You'd struggle to find a simpler PTW and any modern 50cc scoot would leave it in its dust.
Nevertheless he loves it and I'll admit it is a conversation starter

The 1976 one was just restyled 1940s technology
https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=324407
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bikers smell of wee

[Teflon-Mike]

My Uncle has a similar notion, many years ago. Chris was bringing in truck-loads of old scrap from Italy... hmm, this will pee some-one off! Things like, Aprillia AF1's, Gilera CX's and the like! Lol! Yup, it really did come into the country as 'old scrap', thanks to Italian contentious taxation laws. Chris was interested in Cafe-Racer era stuff like Moto-Guzzi Falcone's or less common Ducati singles, but he bought 'job-lots' of old scrap to get them, and they'd get unloaded from the truck up our farm, be dumped in a heap, then Chris would sort out what he wanted.

Nursing my Grandmother as well as his then wife through terminal, at the time, Unc decided 'it would be a bit of fun' to have a go at restoring 'something' from the scrap pile to help him take his mind off stuff for a while... and Chris laughed, and said 'have what you want!', when he pulled a 40cc Moto-Guzzi 'Trotter' out of the pile.....

I Don't have a photo, unfortunately, because it was hilarious... but Uncle, is NOT a small chappy! 6 foot and at least 18 stone... you have to just imagine him pottering to the Bulldog-Bash on this step-thru-moped thing... and then at the gate, shrugging when directed to a muddy field to park up, and just picking it up by the cupboard handle on the down-tube and carrying it around the site with him like a hand-bag!

Your probably too young, by a century or so, to recall the 1952 Film 'The Importance of being Ernest', in which Margeret Rutherford, screeches the line "A_ _ _H-A-A-N-D_ _ _B-A-A-G!!.. but apt association.

Anyhow; he wanted to get a dating letter so he could register the Guzzi V50 he was restoring co-incidentally, so went to the Guzzi-Owners Club stand... to join, where he was asked "So what Guzzi do you own?" and LIFTED the 'Ha-a-n-d B-a-a-g onto the papering table to show them! Lol; "This one!" he replied.

Err, yeah.... oy-dee-uz!

There probably is one, or more in there some-where.... none of them particularly sensible!

In Unc's case, the tax exemption laws were stimulus to put any of this little fleet of 'classic' mopeds on the road, after restoring them.

As a resto-project? Not such a daft oy-de-ah; he could have been playing golf, or fishing, or making match-stick ships in a bottle...

As viable road-transport? Eeek. Well, it is cheap I suppose! Especially if tax-exempt. Insurance can be pretty negligible too, depending.

B-U-T... and tis is possibly the piss-in-your-porridge... where you living these days and how many bikes you already had nicked? And how many mates do you think you'd get to visit before some bike-larf chav ad-it-away?_____Remember, these are things light enough to carry around a rally camp, like a ladies hand bag!

Two thoughts strike at that idea; and I have image of chav running along side, pointing and laughing, yelling at his mayte, "Look! It Burtie Basset on a BMX!" whilst you curse being able to go any faster and get out the way.... Other is, would they collapse laughing in the road, and give up before a 12 year old with a base-ball-bat knocked you off and 'ad away with t?

After that, the general discomfort of riding any of these old mopeds... from the Trotter to No1-Sons C50, and night-maring at the peculiar instability of a genuine French Velo-Solex with shopping basket front-wheel drive engine.... sort of like a drunk bear on a skate-board.... After something with even a modicum of mass, like a CB125... err... yeah.. Nooooo! comes the resounding! It just not 'nice''

FUN... for five minutes... but after that? Not really.

And the 'sensible'...

The 'cheap' has to be considered hard. Check the new Historic-Vehicle-Status regs. I believe that contrary to popular myth, to gain HVS now a vehicle has to be over 40 years old, not 25. They have introduced the suggested 'rolling' age-limit, but the cut off is essentially back where it was to start, somewhere around 1972, before the moped-laws were 'invented'. MOT exemption, isn't worth a lot, either, MOT requirements on a moped are particularly 'lax' anyway, and you are still responsible for ensuring the vehicle 'road-worthy'.

Ultra miles-per-gallon? Seems appealing, but? How many bludy miles you gonna do? You'd have to cover a lot of ground for 200mpg to save so much fuel that paid for the extra insurance... even if at old duffer rates, you did find a policy for less than the cancellation fee, like around £50!

B-U-T... this all practicality... and the short answer is they dont have bog all... it is pretty much an entirely emotive thing.... and if it appeals you wont be dissuaded... at least not unless you have tried it...

So, its probably a non-question, really, and our advice rather wasted.

If you are deturmined enough on the idea, nothing will stop you... apart perhaps from a 12 year old Chav with a baseball bat... and you will HAVE to do it.

If you aren't? You probably wouldn't get very far any-way!

Completely your call, BUT.... there is absolutely NO 'sensible' in the suggestion what-so-ever, no matter how much you try and con yourself how important the appearances seem to be!

But on the scales of daft oy-dee-az? Well... its probably not a lot dafter than restoring a bunch of old 'onda tioddlers, or trying to foy-tah a brick.... but.... it IS dafter!

I would ask how much daft you dare, b-u-t... I suspect that could be an awful lot!
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My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[Tankie]

The moped enthusiast is still alive and well, machines and parts are still available.
I have a Trojan Mini motor attachment on a rod braked 50's cycle which is an early example of a moped. I must admit a lot of them do not suit modern roads , and a lot of road users have never seen such machines and don't understand how under powered and under braked these machines are, but 60's and 70's mopeds have a resonable performance in most departments and no longer need to be taxed or have a yearly test.

https://www.mopedland.co.uk/index.html

https://www.icenicam.org.uk/
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Always learning, everyday is a school day

[Sister Sledge]

Not one of those but did have an ancient Puch Maxi many years ago.
Long story short I rebuilt it and used it across the whole county of Northumberland. It would be ridden from Newcastle to the Scottish Border, the coast to the Cumbrian Border. There were a few down sides though..
The bike was old. Sure the engineering was superb inside that engine but I dunno - just didn't trust the thing. Yes on the flat it was quite good but there was no way I was going to ride it flat out. If it had broke it would have killed me trying to pedal it back home 40 miles.
Instead I chose to ride it at around 20 mph on the small country roads that interlace the county. The same roads that the old men cyclists would use. Meetings with those old men cyclists became quite a game because they could go up hills better than my ped could! (I'm a big bloke)
The Puch was actually good for certain things. You could take in the scenery and it was a relaxed ride. That was in the middle of nowhere though and with almost no cars passing. The Puch was a nightmare in traffic. Underpowered and once it managed to get to 30 mph it would leave a lovely blue line of 2T smoke along the road behind. The Puch would also turn a lot of heads but that was probably people laughing at me

I sold the Puch to a bloke from South Shields - he took it away in the back of his car. It lifted in like a bicycle. He told me he'd gotten rid of his old 'estate runabout' and deeply regretted it. He had normal motorcycles and used that old runabout to meet with mates in various estates South of the Tyne. My old Puch was to be a replacement for it.
Just checked and it's still alive and on a SORN.

I suppose old peds do have a place but in everyday traffic or on even the gentlest of hills it'll struggle.
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CCM 404 DS

[G]

If it's just for local stuff, why would you choose one over an electric bike?

(Apart from the hipster aspect, anyway.)

[Polarbear]

I haven't ridden and old style moped since I had my P50 and Puch Maxi back in 1973.

I think they'd be a liability on todays roads for anything other than going to a Sunday show off once a month.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[ScottT]

There is quite a big moped community these days, with many runs and events for them.
The tuning side of them is also very popular with a dealer in Holland specialising in tuning parts for Puch Maxis.

This one has a 75cc barrel, note the expansion chamber, he says its good for 45-50mph
https://scontent.flhr3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/42771037_2212365588773588_45604684303433728_n.jpg?_nc_cat=111&_nc_ht=scontent.flhr3-1.fna&oh=98c9ec096dc06904fff7edf8e13a2fce&oe=5D0E2274


Also things like this
https://scontent.flhr3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/46525790_10157106725919575_6652511991946543104_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_ht=scontent.flhr3-1.fna&oh=1cde24cabec8600b6ac592d7d7c8392f&oe=5CDC67F4


There is a group based in the North East that toured parts of Europe last year on them, they are doing the Lake District this year.
A VMCC group toured Holland last year on cyclemotors!
Get one, you'll pay aroud £500 for a reasonable runner, play with it, have some fun and when you come to sell it you should get your money back.

Or turn one into a cafe racer like this.
https://scontent.flhr3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/53369491_1050175768500672_8794433326585741312_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&_nc_ht=scontent.flhr3-1.fna&oh=1d6fd3b28d4af3a65973e33f9b85351e&oe=5D1E00CB

[The Shaggy D.A.]

If it's for the novelty value, I'd go for it. If there's any chance you'd need to rely on it at all, go for a C90.
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Chances are quite high you are not in my Monkeysphere, and I don't care about you. Don't take it personally.
Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5

[stinkwheel]

Next time I take my van to france, there will probably be an autocycle-shaped space left in the back when I'm packing it.

The French have WAY better autocycles than we do, in all sorts of shapes and sizes. You can pick them up at flea markets for sweetie money.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Tankie]

Autocycles are not mopeds these started pre second world war and are typically around the 100 cc mark
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Always learning, everyday is a school day

[pepperami]

Many moons ago I had an idea similar to that = get a ped for local trips & shops.
I bought a Honda C90 and never regretted it.
Many smiles, many miles and very little maintenance to keep it going at very little cost.

An older Honda C90 in good condition = winner winner chicken dinner
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I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!

[G]

Have you seen the price of C90s these days?

Though for me; I've had a stock C90 and 'Purple helmets' style one with a mt50 front end - both sucked, I'd say and there's much better ways to spend that sort of money .
(Though if they keep appreciating, you could have VERY cheap riding.)

[stinkwheel]

[The Shaggy D.A.]

As far as I believe, an Autocycle is a bicycle modified to use an engine, whereas a moped is one designed from the beginning to have one, and if built after 1977 neded to be restricted to 30 mph.
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Chances are quite high you are not in my Monkeysphere, and I don't care about you. Don't take it personally.
Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5

[steve the grease]

I think its worth saying that the law changed back in 1977 before that date a moped was " A motorcycle under 50cc capable of being propelled independantly by pedal power" So no restriction on speed then .

Which is where all the big buck Fizzies and SS50's come in. back in the day there were also Garelli's KTM's Malagutti's and god knows what else with minarreli engine capable of nearly 50 .

Then there were all the Mobylettes and so forth , the ones with the rocking engine at least ( Supermatic?) will do well over 30. The prices on these have not gone mad yet. BUT there is little spares backup in the UK in 2019 . They must have been reasonably reliable 'cos I went to the lake district on mine camping about 140 miles ( but that is another story) . As complicated as a knife and fork the primary is done with a belt , as the revs go up an expanding pulley operates and the engine moves back as the gearing changes, odd to see , but it works. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jplu9-Wh0zI

Just to answer your query in the UK after the war there were some bicycles fitted with engines, so literally a mechanically assisted bicycle, ( autocycle) some of these were up to 98cc, so technically now a motorcycle not a moped (50cc). As engine power output increased these were limited to 50cc so yes an autocycle and a moped. Then there as I described at the top a m/c capable of being propelled by pedals - a moped.

Do it have some fun , in twenty years everything will be electric.

[mentalboy]

I had a Mobylette Motobecane. Just don't!
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Make mine a Corona.

[Qyburn]

I'd quite enjoy one of those French bikes with the motor on the front wheel, Velosolex. We hired a couple when I was on holiday as a teenager and they were a lot of fun.
https://www.icenicam.org.uk/articles5/art0080.html
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Lord Qyburn

[garth]

I'm building this at the moment.

https://i.ibb.co/7CrFJJC/IMG-20190308-224008-901.jpg
image upload


/Whore
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You ain't a has been if you never was

[TheSmiler]

Thanks for the replies for the mean time I've decided against it as an outfit has come into my lap at a decent price with leading link forks. Needs some work but it's going to take my time up fixing that.
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CB125>CG125>GN125>ER5>K100RS>R1100RS>K100RS
A2 completed 23/07/15 Ready for the Golden Crisp Packet

[Mr Hammers]

[Pjay]

I'd just buy a Grom.
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[mentalboy]