MOPED ARMY

Avoid French bikes at first.never buy an indian...vespa stuff can be hard........best beginners would be a puch, minerelli or even Honda...

For the record, my first bike was a Moby...exhaust was stripped, so got a new jug. New intake and Sha. Tires, engine mount bushings. And Wiring.. the bike looked new when I got it.took a lotta time and money chasing problems..

It was fine after that...until the switch mechanism in the driven pully exploded at 40, sending a chunk of the lever into my thigh meat...

Edit- I'm not anti Moby. I actually love them...especially legsheilds...mmmm. if you ever get a Moby, buy a greasegun! (edited)

love the 83 black hobbit

I'd say:

Just get a nice Tomos so you can repair it easily if needed.OR If you happen to run upon an Italian moped, with Minarelli or Franco-Morini power,buy it.

I've always said, "If you have the right tools, and a manual, You can do anything".

Hands down, the worst moped ever, and my first bike, is the Columbia Open Road. That being said, I learned mopeds on that bike, because if you can keep an Open Road, on the road, you're doing it right. What a POSHIT.

I would vote Puch, Tomos, or Mineralli for first bikes. I have total respect for hobbits but the carbs are a bit more annoying to get to and therefore will make it a bit more annoying to modfiy or just work on. With a Puch, Tomos, or Mineralli the carb is off in seconds. Lets be real, most older bikes need fuel systems cleans so Im just suggesting he starts off with the easiest of bikes to do that too. Not to mention there are plenty of parts availability for the above 3. Hobbits had quite a bit of variety in their PA motors (slow & fast model). Also, 95 & up tomos mopeds came stock with CDI ignition, which is one less headache for a newbie.

But if the right Hobbit deal came your way i wouldn't tell you to skip... just given the choice id opt for one of the above 3.

Despite what some people see as idiosyncrasies or even hindrances, Vespa's are REALLY easy bike to learn on.

hobbits rule! the carbs are a bitch! tomos is a super common first bike, so is puch. Maybe because theyre most common but i also wonder if there are fewer peo[le here that had a jawa as their first bike just because those people that did wind up bailing? like take 5 people, 5 bikes. 2 have puchs, ones a tomos ones a jawa and ones a moby. jawa and moby get so pissed they get out the game, 5 years later theirs bikes sit nonrunning while riders 1-3 have gone on to more and more mopeds, they buy out the old moby and jawa, and for those 5 bikes now 100% of the people still on mopeds started on puch and tomos.

I'm a noon, and I've done a lot of work on my Vespa, which didn't seem difficult to me. But I got a lot of help from members here, the WIKI pages, and the shop manual I found. Plus I like it.

The motor is cradled, which could be annoying but not crazy. Its abit more annoying to pull out of the frame than a puch or tomos. But i think vespas main issue is the parts availability. There are parts out there, just not like a puch or tomos.

jawa and moby get so pissed they get out the game, 5 years later theirs bikes sit nonrunning while riders 1-3 have gone on to more and more mopeds

This is exactly it. Jawa & Mobys are fun but they just dont make good starting points. If you want someone to get into the hobby its best to get their feet wet first. There are dudes on here that swear by mobys but time and time again we see frustration from less skilled riders with these bikes.

I think a Maxi is a good first bike.

Looks like the consensus is Puch, Tomos, or Mineralli very appreciative for the info. Now time to join a moped gang lol.

Hanging out with a moped gang or enthusiasts is your best bet. Misery loves company.

If you have some mechanical aptitude and proper support then just go for what feels best to you. try to ride as many different brands and models as possible.

That said, my opinions are that You can’t lose with a Puch as your first moped. The E50 is stupid simple and requires only a couple of common specialized tools for complete rebuilds. Plus, they are forgiving as hell and there’s always a market for them and their parts. Common tube framed models like Pintos and Free Spirits are easiest to work with.

Tomos is a very good fist timer, very common but are kind of “meh”.

Hobbits are good, but not great first mopeds. Carb, as stated, and the subframe design has drawbacks - they aren’t super robust. Easy to make them go faster but you’d soon run into component limitations that are more expensive to overcome.

Avoid Mobys until you get some experience. Kreidlers are cool but avoid them all together due to lack of performance enhancements, parts availability and specialized tools.

Sachs powered bikes can be fantastic if you don’t mind either going slower than everyone else or being prepared for unexpected fixing if you make ‘em fast - clutches on them have severe limitations.

Hobbits need to split the frame to access the carb. Vespas need to drop the engine to access the points. Otherwise both are great each in their own way. The problem is that the two most common moped maintenance repairs are carb and points!

Minarellis Morinis and Puchs are easy and unobstructed. So are most Tomos except the older short intake ones where you also need to drop the motor to access the carb.

My Moby was my first bike. Didn't do anything fancy with it, but just basic maintenance and all was really easy for this noob. I just sat with a manual and did it.

My bike from hell was a Tomas Targa. I think the dealer absolutely fucked it up and it never did run right. It ran with giant clouds of smoke behind it and I didn't know what it was. Neither did the idiot dealer I got it from. I could probably fix it now, but back then it became something to dump

Now I play with my Urbans tweaking away. Sometimes they work, sometimes not. The stock carbs are a royal pain to get into. It feels like you're pulling half the bike apart to get to it. Yes, I know it's a noped before I get jumped on.

I love them though.

this.