Couple of great months enjoying this community—some super cool people and excellent advice. Sorry to say that the coolness does get taken down a notch when Moped Army Veterans With Attitudes say crap like “didn’t you do a search?”; but thankfully the coolness far outweighs the turd factor. That said, I need to search for threads on what’s good, bad, and ‘run-away-and DO-NOT-BUY that P.O.S!’ for late model Tomos. Got a shot at a late ‘90’s Sprint and the thrill of the chase is strong...
Those are A35 sprints are good bikes and there aren't really any real downsides. Your checklist is going to be basically the same as any other moped. Most minor issues are really price negotiating points more than anything else.
• Paperwork: If your state requires a title, make sure that is in order, and that the title matches the number on the frame.
• Frame: Is the tank rusty, are the vin decals in place, is the vin stamped into the right side motor mount? Some models only had the vin number on foil decals which fall off, fade or get worn through due to cable rub, etc.
• Signs of a wreck : Bent forks, damage to fork stop, large dents in the frame.
• General wear: Side to side slop in the swing-arm bushings. I don't think anyone ever greased these so if it doesn't have any major slop you know it has fairly low miles or has been well maintained. Sit on the bike and hold the front brake, now rock the bike back and forth with your feet, can you feel slop in the fork lowers or the steering head?
•Motor: Does the motor turn, have compression, or Run? Is the area around the drive sprocket and rear hub coated in oil or grease? If it's wet, oil is leaking around the pedal/kick shaft.
•If it runs and drives: Does the motor accelerate and shift well, or does it struggle to shift and chatter. Does it smoke heavily. This could be a rich oil mix, but heavy smoke is often a sign of a leaking crank seal on the transmission side. These motors aren't difficult to rebuild and you can still get most of the important parts. They are common enough that used parts shouldn't be a problem to find either.
Thanks, you mentioned a few things I haven’t yet found on my own—good bargaining points. The bike appears to be early 90’s and has been sitting behind a shop for years—missing the carb, exhaust disconnected, and rear brakes locked up or back wheel sitting off center. Got to check the swing arm too. Unsure about paperwork, but I offered extra cash if I get what I need for DMV. My two current bikes are vintage survivors, have kept them bone stock. Hope to find something like this Sprint (?) to try to add performance stuff. Can the stock Tomos lower end handle upgrades like the next size bigger bore top end without a big difference in reliability?
The A35 will handle most of the bolt on kits just fine, especially with the stock ignition.
If it's been sitting outside for any length of time with the carb off you can assume the crank is toast. By the description it sounds like a $100 parts bike tops, but that depends on your market. I usually start with $600 round number and take money off for everything it needs.
Steven.. Your profile indicates that you live in Florida. In Florida, if it has pedals, there is no title, just registration. You'll need the old registration card to get it registered in your name. Also download the bill of sale form from the Florida web site and fill that out as well and get it signed.
https://www.flhsmv.gov/pdf/forms/82050.pdf
If it is a Tomos kick, with pegs, it will have a title, and you will need the old title signed by the seller to get a new title in your name. You won't need a bill of sale form.
Couple of great months enjoying this community—some super cool people and excellent advice. Sorry to say that the coolness does get taken down a notch when Moped Army Veterans With Attitudes say crap.
the thing that bothers me the most is they have no advanced knowledge. sure they are great with bolt on kits. when it comes to design they fail. they are not that smart but will do anything to make you think they are. most moped army veterans are dumb asses. I'd make a post and prove it, but there is no point.
Just ignore that guy.
Don't worry bout the tough love. In case no one told you, tap the prompt in the upper right hand . It'll drop down a menu . I use SEARCH a lot. Say....type in Tomos A35 then scroll down till you see one that interests you, the tap it. Once you get the hang of it you'll be ok. Also the WIKI is a great source of info. Good luck, have fun, well come!
how can the poster ignore me when he writes : coolness does get taken down a notch when Moped Army Veterans With Attitudes say crap.
coolness goes down a couple more notches when you catch them in the act.
I did not write this, the poster knows there are problems here. brandon he's talking about you! any site you can get a manual and diagrams is a good one. download and read.
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