I have only had experiences with Tomos, Honda and Garelli and out of those three different brands I would have to give the nod to Tomos.
It seems their mopeds are the easiest to work on and get/keep running. Plenty of available parts make it easier too. I have owned 4 Tomos and not one gave me any problems other than gummed up carbs from sitting too long. All else was fine. Great brand.
What's your take? (edited)
The mopeds that a left totally stock. Those are reliable (with a few exceptions).
I've had quite a few mopeds Tomas hands down has to be one of them I have seen one so messed up it should not have ran and a guy ran it for two years just like that if it sounded like like a rattle can when it ran it had an intermittent seizure in a bearing it had a freaking Hub on the flywheel that had play in it it had totally trashed all the needle bearings in the clutch it had no pads left on on it and it still ran I have made it home with bad case bearings missing gears worn sprockets broken studs missing chambers ran without regulator with just the sheer amount of wiring working as a resistor so that it didn't over load I've ridden this frame for almost a hundred thousand miles if not more
> Full Tuck Wrote:
> -------------------------------------------------------
> The mopeds that a left totally stock. Those are reliable (with a few
> exceptions).
Yep...old school "survivor" ones...no mods, and a carb should never gum up, if going to sit for more than a day or two, close petcock and run it dry.
Any honda
No such thing.
"reliable" can be qualified. Always run, never leaves you stranded...? or always runs well?
Over time I've put many thousands of miles on three Puchs, often a long way from home, and never once been stranded. But im a macgyver, and Puch mopeds are so blessedly simple that you're never more than a random paperclip to get back on the road. But I have to say that low grade simplicity means that the fuckers never, ever run the same way two days in a row. Often not even on the same ride. The Puch is too much a slightly upgraded toy to hold its "tune" for long.
Not to rant but the 12mm Bing is better suited to a child's mini ATV that never leaves the yard than any "reliable" form of transportation. There was already far superior front suspension on many mountain bikes by 1984 than on the Newport! Yikes! Triple crown that always loosened unless you overdrive the bolts, handle bar clamps same story, hell, every fastener on the bike. Still, never left me stranded. So there's that. But puchs are my only personal reference.
A neighbor rereconditions scooters and peds for hobby. I've seen various yamahoppers, hobbits, Vespas, and others up close in various stages of rebuild and almost always been impressed by the difference in build/component quality compared to my puchs. The carbs, forks, castings fasteners, hand controls, etc, much much more 'motorcycle' level of quality. My Newport is something halfway between Schwinn and Yamaha.
Not sure what I contributed here. Just some thoughts (edited)
Motomarina Sebring ranks high with Morini or Minarelli engines. Frames and components like shocks and triple tree give no trouble.
Stock or mildly kitted,they are dependable.
I’m shocked with these responses. Everyone knows that the most reliable moped is a Puch.
End of thread.
Puch>Tomos>Minarelli>Honda>Peugeot/Moby>everything else
^Not necessarily
I'd say Tomos with modern CDI where you don't have to mess with points.
The most reliable I have ever had is my stock '78 Hobbit.
Hands down my Kreidler has been the most reliable bike I have ever owned. I've had it since 2010 and now it lives in Ohio where it still runs. It's a rolling pile of trash but it wont die. I think the trans fluid is a watery atf sludge.
I hate to say it but a stock Sachs if not beaten upon will go ten thousand miles easy. Slowly
Actually all 3-speed Jawa 50 shifty models - Pioneers ans Mustangs, they will be very reliable if you equip them with aftermarket electronic ignition.
All other Jawa models are not so reliable.
Stock, unmolested mopeds. My first thought would be a Hobbit.
There is no most reliable. Only the least unreliable.
True enough.
The most beaten up, abused and neglected mopeds that still started and ran reliably I've seen are Kreidlers, Puchs, Sachs and Vespas. I've never seen a Honda survive abuse very well at all, they're just not very robust IMHO.
Mopeds are only as reliable as the mechanic.
> Boot 2Thehead Wrote:
> -------------------------------------------------------
> Mopeds are only as reliable as the mechanic.
^This...…………..just like cars.
> - schmiddy Wrote:
> -------------------------------------------------------
> True enough.
>
> The most beaten up, abused and neglected mopeds that still started and
> ran reliably I've seen are Kreidlers, Puchs, Sachs and Vespas. I've
> never seen a Honda survive abuse very well at all, they're just not very
> robust IMHO.
You have way to much faith in my effort and ability. Japanese engineering is much better at Mopeds than i am
> Alex Gween Blastard Wrote:
> -------------------------------------------------------
> Japanese engineering is much better
Exactly why I bought a Suzuki FA50 .
It's very reliable . ;)
A 2019 Tomos. A late-70s anything will be a ticking timebomb depending on how it was treated the last 40 years. Even something well maintained could have a seal stop sealing, or a float sink, or any number of problems.
The most reliable moped would be any stock moped that has been fully rebuilt, properly, using the exact correct parts. Or one that has been in a timewarp where time has not been able to have its way with any of the rubber or wear components.
As I think somebody said before, a moped is only as reliable as the person maintaining it.
Exactly what Nash said, I've experienced this first hand when purchasing 80's Tomos - old moped will most likely have old worn out parts, worn out/cracked seals, rusted gas tank, rusted cables, totting tires, electronics not making contacts due to rust, etc etc...
For reliability it's better to buy fairly new ped (no more then 10 yrs) or something that's been completely rebuilt from top to bottom, but those can be very costly. (edited)
Cant really second the opinion here that stock form is most reliable. I get the basic premise... when you modify an 8000 rpm 1.5hp, 30 mph vehicle to 12000 rpm 4hp, 50 mph, you're going to face sooner than later trade offs in "reliability". My Honda civic will easily go 300k, stock, with tender loving care, with nothing more major than a timing belt. There are insane modifications, easily had, to the basic powerplant that will reduce that expectation to more like 50k.
Same with mopeds.
But some mods can work to your favor. Tops for me was simply slapping a good brand (I'll vouch for KMC) 415hd chain. Regina has a nicely priced 415hd too. Best " mod" I've ever made. With the stock chain i was constantly adjusting for stretch to the point where the damn chain exceeded its pitch spec and started prematurely eating the sprocket teeth (mismatched).
After adding a far stronger chain, at 2hp, I adjusted once a year, if that, and the sprockets lasted longer.
MR16 led headlight.
Pair of these up front. Wired parallel to the magn. No other mods. Not even a regulator.
Tail light.
Burning these leds for three years. Originals still fine. Amazing output and reliability compared to the fucking filaments I replaced. These are already three years old. Better spec'd versions are available. New tech is cool.
Rear shocks. This is about the most shameful component on a puch. Really guys? Fuck. Again, OEM belongs on a child's toy.
Just a pair of 16 dollar a pair pit pike shocks, free ship, from aliexpress, were a 10x improvement.
I'm ranting again. It's late.
Next on the docket is Treats cdi party pack. I have a hunch, hope it's a good one, that the suspected failure rates are linked to poor grounding. Easily remedied. We'll see.
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