What a long strange trip it's been. I bought this thing a few years back on Ebay, got it for a song. I felt like a crook taking it home. I mean it was drab looking but mostly there and had some new parts with it. Poor guy just didnt list it well. The word moped was NOT in the title anywhere.
I tried to get it running back then but determined I had a bum carb. Last year I picked up a small mikuni from a late 60's Yamaha 50. I had to make an adapter of sorts for the intake. Fast forward to now, and I wound up putting new rings on it and finally it is running. (It was agony)
I am far from meticulous, but money is in short supply. I've done some things Im not too proud of to get this thing going. I've been trying to get it ready for a family vacation we are taking to a beach town. Of course they rent scooters there, but $40 a day. I wanted to have something for my kids to tool around the island with.
It takes me back to my youth, when I had a little Honda SL70, and I did everything imaginable to keep it running even though I was broke as hell. Wait a minute, Im still broke as hell.... I made a pipe for this moped (That can't be too efficient), cobbled up the Yamaha carb to fit, there is copious epoxy putty in places I'd rather not mention, I had to make a throttle cable, I made a custom headlight out of an old motorcycle light I had...it was burnt, and had been a sealed beam so I reamed it out and epoxied this little halogen lamp in there. (It not only works, it's nice and bright!) I made a seat pan out of some nice hard maple laminate (super hard, super strong stuff) IVe got some foam for it-now I gotta get some vinyl from the fabric store scrap bin..(Yeah I made a custom seat before so it might actually turn out well)....my god it goes on.
The thing is, Ive been working on bikes for 26 years now, I race vintage class motocross, Ive got some really nicely sorted and prepared machinery, but this little moped.....<gulp> It's like a junk yard wars deal. I should be ashamed of myself! LOL! If it holds together I promised my kids Id get a big bore kit for it this winter and do it up right when money will be a bit better for me (tax refund).
I can say the little minarelli hauled my rather large self down the road ok. Surprising really, but I definitely need some more CCs before I would dare take it out in traffic. THats another thing, Ive got three sons, 16, 19 and 20 who just have grand ideas about taking this thing all over town. (none of them have a car yet) and that worries me. I have a 40 year old Kawasaki 2stroke streetbike, and I see some scary stuff out there on it. I told them let's run the wheels off it on the island, where there are many, many scooters buzzing around, and people are alot more kind than here in southwest Baltimore. I've got to get it better sorted before they take it off to visit their girlfriends, and ride it to work, etc. Im thinking of going for a 70cc or 80cc kit, something that will make at least 40. Nothing hyper, I just want to get to the speed limit quickly. I just think too little power is dangerous.
My god Im rambling on!
Thanks to everyone on this board for all the input from my incessant posts on the repair section!
