Tried purchasing a moped a few years ago but deal fell through. Looking to try again. I'm in the Kansas City area but was looking for suggestions for which mopeds I should try to get/ which I should avoid at all costs. Found a Batavus regency for sale but will I be in over my head as a total beginner?
Get a puch
Puch, Tomos with A35 motor, or any Italian ped with a Minarelli V1 or Franco Morini motor.
Honda hobbit was my first moped. When i sold it i bought another honda hobbit.
If you want it for educational reasons such as figuring out how it works and why it doesn't start, runs sporadically & needs replacement parts, get an older vintage one (best get Tomos or Puch) because you can find large variety of spare parts for those.
If you want something stable as a daily commuter without having to constantly work on it, get newer Tomos with A55 engine. (edited)
http://www.mopedarmy.com/wiki/Category:For_Newbies
http://www.mopedarmy.com/wiki/First_moped
hobbit CAN be a good first moped if you get a PA50-ii, but that difference can be lost on 1st time buyers and so I'm usually a little more hesitant on that recommendation...
Batavus is squarely in the not recommended categoty, but not quite in the avoid at all costs category. no performance parts but decently simple and reasonable access to knowledge and stock-ish replacement parts.
Ciao.
puch or tomos for ease of parts service but sachs when left mostly stock can be a very reliable ped and generally are cheaper to buy. parts a bit tougher to get but still worth looking for. but still a puch or a tomos is the way to go if you can find one
Garelli is easy enough to work on and parts are not that difficult to find, unless it's a two speed.
As far as Puch goes, well that would depend on which motor it has. Most beginners are gonna have problems working on the ZA50 while the E50 is a bit simpler and doesn't require as many special tools.
Any of the Jap peds are pretty straight forward and not difficult to work on.
Tomos with A35 engine, probably the single easiest moped engine to work on, modify, and get performance parts for. Parts and how-to guides for them are all over the place
pm sent
PUCH
a Batavus Regency is a good beginner moped
plentiful parts
reliable engine
The regency looks like it uses the M56 belt drive motor. I don't know if this is still the case but be sure to inspect the condition said belt as they are very hard to come by.
If it's anything like an M48 (which I don't think it is) you will never break 35mph without serious work.
V1 motors forever. It's what I started on and it will always be my favorite.
Born to be WillD Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> http://www.mopedarmy.com/wiki/Category:For_Newbies
>
>
> http://www.mopedarmy.com/wiki/First_moped
>
> hobbit CAN be a good first moped if you get a
> PA50-ii, but that difference can be lost on 1st
> time buyers and so I'm usually a little more
> hesitant on that recommendation...
>
> Batavus is squarely in the not recommended
> categoty, but not quite in the avoid at all costs
> category. no performance parts but decently simple
> and reasonable access to knowledge and stock-ish
> replacement parts.
I wont recommend anything belt driven as a first bike, let alone variated. so much easier to deal with hard numbers and one gear ratio rather than a consortium of "i think im variating about 3/4 of the way and also my carb is never clean enough."
you can get a puch, run a proma/kstar/15 sha for cheap without a rebuild of a first go and have a 45mph moped and then fix and rebuild to learn as you go.
If you can afford to buy "new", get a SSR Lazer 5. It has the dependable 4 stroke engine, chain drive, no mixing of oil/gas, and you won't have to worry
about working on it all the time. I bought one new in 2012 and it still runs like new. Most here on MA only like 2 strokes, so ignore the bad comments to follow this post. Just being honest and speaking from experience.
Would say a Puch e-50 or Jc Penny model, same engine, but I would also recommend a Honda Hobbit, but only if it is all stock and in excellent shape, these are very reliable and after you learn a bit they can be made very fast. Make sure it is a Pa-50II not a I. I own one and it has been my most reliable bike ever. All mopeds will require work at some point, so ask yourself of your mechanical ability or if you know someone who can help you if needed. If you are not handy around mechanical things and just want to ride consider a scooter, just get a big name one, Honda, Yamaha, Vespa, Kymco, avoid Chinese makes. Look into your laws regarding mopeds and if you live in a title/plate state make sure the bike you buy is able to be registered if required.
ignore the post from jim rees. he takes joy in watching people buy low quality chinese garbage that can go no farther than a department store bicycle. it is a condition he is working on with his psychologist.
Good one Squiggy, I was hoping you would puke up a few words...
stop texting me jim. I will not buy one of your horrible tin foil chinese mopads
So if someone bought an SSR Lazer today, would it be a 2017 model or a left over 2012 model??
On second thought if you are asking what moped to buy fist, that goes against the whole culture of peds.
You should just dive deep into whatever moped you can get your hands on and learn everything there is to know about that particular motor and frame. Rebuild, tune, upgrade the crap out of the thing. Make mistakes, realized you didn't buy the best beginner bike and learn from your mistakes. Progress as a moped enthusiast and self made mechanic. Get to know the community go to a rally. Get left in the dust. Lather rinse repeat, until you build a badass bike that can hang with the rest of us.
If that doesn't sound like a good time to you then I recommend you leave mopeds now and buy yourself a scooter. Or better yet a bicycle.
Sqiggy, a 2012, OR a 2017 SSR Lazer 5 would be better than
what you ride... my 2012 still runs and rides the exact same
as when I first bought it. What a great little bike the SSR Lazer 5 is!
Due 2 the fact said powers that be who in turn have asked this old fart not 2 bring up the subject , I won't be telling you what 2 buy .. However here's a hint , S---S , all the way .
Hi Jim!
I've lurked here about a month reading all the hate on the lazer 5. I've owned it a month and have put about 115 miles on it so far. Everything seems great. It does take off a little slow but it's a 4-stroke not a 2 stroke. The speed does indeed seem limited to 30 miles per hour. I'm not surprised because the moped is built to adhere to California moped laws. Seems sprocket changes/cdi will let you exceed those limits even without a 72cc bore kit.
I didn't know much about mopeds or I might have bought a 2 stroke just to learn on my moped community on fixing it over and over. But as a NEW buyer/rider of anything 2 wheeled I went with something I didn't need a motorcycle license for (because i'm lazy) took gas and not some oil/gas mix and was NEW. There is basically no choices of new mopeds out there which led me to the lazer 5. This won't be my last moped because I'm having loads of fun but as a starter bike I see no downsides except maybe price for some. It's great looking and weird people are stopping me and asking me questions and taking my picture.
I bought what I thought was cool, even after doing plenty of research. My m48 powered batavus is a hot mess right now but it'll be fun doing work to make it mine. At least I hope.
I think it really depends on what approach you take to mopeds. I think it is fun to learn about them and drive down the road at a blistering 27mph. You might just want something that will probably not let you down but there are plenty of good suggestions here pointing you in the right direction.
Steve, thanks for your input. As I've said, I've had mine since new in 2012 and haven't had any problems other than a replacement battery. I've ridden all over three counties, back roads, dozens of times, and it never let me down. I agree, the 2 strokes have faster take offs, but i'll take the 4 stroke anytime over the 2's. I'm glad you're enjoying your Lazer 5, and the more you ride it, the better you will like it. I just wish more MA members were open minded about them, but I guess they need something, someone, to pick on to make them feel better about themselves. Keep me posted on yours, and i'll do the same.
Thanks for all the suggestions! Looks like there's now a Tomos top tank available in my area...the style of the top tank tomos & Batavus is so appealing to me...but I can definitely see the value in getting a dependable Puch. Looks like I have some thinking to do..
Step 1) Send an email to Linda
Step 2)....
Haven't heard from her in a few years but she's in KC and i'm sure she'd be more than happy to see someone get their life ruined by mopeds. Shoot her an email.
linda was a powerhouse of good for MA, especially the wiki
Want to post in this forum? We'd love to have you join the discussion, but first: