Moped Army

Aaron Fowler

livin' fast, ridin' slow, 26 miles/day, 5 days a week. I'm a computer software engineer that loves tinkering, gaming, and beer.

Rallies:
HS - Southbound and Drowned 2010
HS - The Trend is Over 2011
WLR - Southern Comfort 2 2011 (utter disaster, thanx to Dusty for the good times and hospitality)
SG - Cinco De SlowGo
Tentative:
RVA - Ride or Cry Richmond Never Dies

B - Pancakes, Peds, and PBR "Blast to the Bridges"

Everything below this point is to remind me of things i should remember.

awesome parts i should use:
1) Suzuki GSF600 Bandit projection headlamp

:::::::::::: Future Plans ::::::::::::
1) Tune Yellow and Blue MOAR
2a) wallow in the depths of cylinder porting/matching/timeing for a while. Who knows, i might even write a program (or excel spreadsheet) to handle all the math so i only have to do it once.
2b) The Scorpumos will eventually returned, be sent out for powder coating, and then return for assembly and tuning.
3) get back to my moby

X) write a program to merge Excel spreadsheets
Y) refurb the Vespa Sprint Deloce: www.scootermercato.com


:::::::::::: Garage ::::::::::::
clean+organized


dirty+clutered


:::::::::::: 2008 Tomos Streetmate ::::::::::::
trade in progress, chillin in the garage for only periodic use.



to go:
0. stop breaking plasitc stuff
1. Trade Pending
2. periodically tighten the chain

completed/acquired/installed:
1. 50cc high comp head w/ improved squish clearance
2. BiTurbo pipe
3. 24T rear sprocket

before -> after above mods:
uphill: 16 -> 25
flats: 23 -> 35+

A)
airbox replaced by purple pantyhose(+7 to speeds above, difficult to start, exceptional throttle response)
B/Current)
airbox w/ some holes drilled in specific locations(+5 to speeds above, 1-kick start, exceptional throttle response)


::::::::::::AV7 Mobylette 50V::::::::::::
AKA, The Never Ending Project or "that garage fixture"

back to the project phase! removed some parts that Liz needed for her 40 (keep reading, its further down)

My moby just has so many problems that i need to fix...i made too many ill compromises in the beginning. Its on the back burner while i finish other projects and perfect all the skills i'll need to avoid causing the self destruction of another high-performance Moby engine. I can confidently say i have stock-ish Moby engines covered now.




custom flywheel mounted pull start
MBK CDI Party
65cc Parmakit
Bidalot pipe
19mm clamp mount PHBG w/ Molassi intake
Doppler crank
powder coated frame
Doppler ER2 / stock variator for initial carb tuning
Doppler ER2 pulley w/ 11T sprocket
48T rear sprocket
Gazelles
Tomos Revival front fork w/ hyrdo brakes
Honda CR-80 front wheel + axle + random washers
Twisted chrome side-stand
pedal shaft pegs


to go:
0. get a looser belt
1. reset engine spacing
2. install Bidalot pipe
4. tune ignition + carb
5. test rope start with ER2 installed?!?!



::::::::::::[Tomos A3] Scorpion Scrambler::::::::::::



Scorpion scrambler frame
Puch EBRs + front wheel assembly
rebuilt A3 engine
20mm VM Mikuni
weak-ends mikuni intake
techno bullet

to go:
1. found a welder, new engine mounts + seat mount + Pipe mount
2. same dude is rebuilding the A3 engine
3. powder coating
4. build


::::::::::::2007 A55 Street-Sprint::::::::::::
A wonderful mix of Sprint and Streetmate parts, 27x26 gearing, a hack-modded airbox to increase air-flow, and a bone stock A55 engine. i accelerate like a kitted ped up to about 20, then it takes off even faster up to 35, finally leveling off with a top speed right at 40. hill climbing is a strange experience because top speed is well past the top of the power curve, so it looses speed untill youre back up near the top of the power band, between 30-35. Im averaging between 83 and 111 mpg



Tomos A55 Sprint forks + engine + center stand + ignition
A35 bars
Streetmate frame + swing-arm + intake + carb + airbox(modded)
adjustable shocks
Technigas Next R - silver edition
27x26
Jets: 64 main -40 idle -40 choke

to go:
0. install a stiffer spring on the 2nd gear clutch
1. keep it tuned for weather (duct tape on the airbox)
2. adjust handlebar angle


::::::::::::AV7 Mobylette 40T::::::::::::
my wife's ped. Thats right, shes doin the work, im supervising (teaching and helping), and im not allowed to sell it



MBK CDI party
50cc Airsal kit
Polini 50cc high comp head
SHA 14.12 + shorty intake + stock filter(couple screens removed)
Dimoby clutch
TuneR pulley w/ 13T Peugeot sprocket
40T rear sprocket
Vintage SIM pipe
Bullet headlight

needs:
0) heat cycle the exhaust
1) tune the carb+ignition
2) break-in rides

janky:
0) pedal crank arms
1) pedal chain free wheel
2) paint
3) center stand bolt(s)
5) tires

to go:
0) need to do plug chops, the carbs main jet very close
1) ride!
5) disassemble, fix the jankiness, rebuild/repaint/etc

::::::::::::Ex mopeds::::::::::::
1987 Derbi Variant Sport
2001 Tomos Targa
???? Sears Free Spirit
???? Tomos A3 Sprint

:::::::::::: learning opportunities ::::::::::::

0) shelters greatly decrease the likelihood weather will prevent work on your moped.
1) engineering your own solution will work better and be quicker to perform than finding the stock part specified in the manual.
2) if something isn't broken or completely non-functional when taking apart moped, expect a crucial and most likely irreplaceable part to break. proceed to #1
3) if unable to figure out how to put something back together that wasn't elegant, especially effective, and/or visually appealing to begin with, proceed to #1
4) connecting the spark plug wire to the spark plug causes combustion, pushing the piston down, eventually spinning the rear wheel so that you don't have to with the pedals.
5) Drain the gas tank before transporting a moped in your car. Not 5 minutes before, but rather days in advance. *this also applies to oil reservoirs
6) Work on your moped with a friend. At some point, they will pick up something random and ask, "what is this for?" You will look and discover you have to take off everything you just put back on.
7) Does your moped start, run, and then die after a few minutes? First thing (instead of 4th as in my case) you should do is empty and clean your gas tank b/c it may be full of sand, which will block the fuel filter, petcock, and petcock intake.
8) Always come up with 2 ways (or more) to fix an issue. This doubles (at a minimum) your chances for not failing the first attempt.
9) When something is slightly larger than its new home allows, use a metal file.
10) "C" is for closed, "R" is for reserve, and no letter is open. Positioning the petcock lever appropriately prevents your float bowl from being empty with 1/2 tank of gas. Also, you might not kick your air filter off in the middle of an intersection when the moped quits and you start pedaling frantically.
11) Some Tomos center stands don't work when facing backwards.
12) Take a moment to go read #4 again.
13) Before removing a part that seems pointless, make sure removing it won't cause a cascade of failures.
14) Even if you spend all day failing to fix an issue, so long as you don't break anything else, you've succeeded in determining how NOT to do something.
15) If a part you're removing is stuck behind something else, before you break something in the vicinity attempting to force it out, begin removing the parts needed to free it. You never know when your stuck part will just fall out.
16) Drink beer when working on your moped. Make sure not to exceed the moped tinkerer's equivalent Ballmer Peak.
17) Hard plastics become brittle when cold.
18) Stripped moby flywheel nuts are no match for airplane grade rotary cutting tools.
19) When in doubt and well beyond your skill set, stop working and consult someone/something who/that possesses the required skills/knowledge
20) pullers make "cleaning rusty threads" the most difficult part of removing that which they were designed to pull off.
21) Sometimes a simpler approach to a problem is superior.
22) Don't expect anyone to do what you expect them to while riding. Else, you could end up pancaking on the back of a green Jeep Cherokee.
23) Its ideal for your significant other to adore at least one of your mopeds as much as you adore them all.
24) Money isn't the answer to moped problems, knowledge is.
25) Tomos front and rear brake hubs are different and will not work properly when swapped. Don't spend an hour trying to straighten the front wheel with the rear hub on it.
26) "Quality of used parts" and "how quickly they arrive" are inversely proportional.
27) Eventually, you'll run out of original, stock parts to replace.
28) Money is an abstract method to obtain goods and services. Avoiding it entirely via bartering with moped parts nets me services and free space in the garage simultaneously.
29) Finding a bonus gift in a box of moped parts is an indication that the contents will not be disappointing.
30) Incompatible new parts are potentially usable if you can figure out how to make'em work. Damaged used parts are rarely worth the effort
31) Planning a moped ride should be treated like "getting the band back together".
32) Back to #16, once the Peak has been exceeded, thou shalt not stand on anything except the floor, most especially NOT the workbench while trying to start a moped that's hanging from the ceiling.
33) RTFM, search Mopedarmy via Google, search all the intarwebs, reflect, then consider asking questions.
34) RTSD, else you may forget something important.
35) no matter how many times you try, setting your MBK CDI to fire 1.2 to 1.5 mm ATDC will not result in a running moped. Though the repetition does help build the skill required to accuratly set the timing.