MOPED ARMY

Nothing lasts forever. Possessions are temporary.

Experience is where it’s at.

Have a fling with a favorite model. Build it up, ride it, have fun. Don’t be afraid to part ways. You get to experience something new and so does someone else.

I feel like being overly attached to things is dangerous. Live for the good times.

I like rippers and stock modded bikes so what I did for our personal bikes is to combined them both to make a bike that can go between 55-60mph yet still be a grocery getter which they are used for sometimes,

I did this by necessity because around 15 years ago there was really nowhere halfway far out here you could go without going on 45 to 55 mph roads first, if you don’t go five mph over the speed limit you’ll get mowed down so high speed with fast takeoff was needed,

I try to keep as much factory look, feel, parts and reliability as possible

Now there is so many housing developments they dropped the speed limit down to 35 some to 25mph on many rds so a 40mph bike works 3 of the 4 directions so I really don’t need to build like that anymore

But my favorite bike still is a Magnum frame bike, gila or polini reed kit, Puch za50 engine but with a mild pipe, mild timing and higher gearing that allows for good temperatures, lower rpm which increases engine life,

I replace tires more than I rebuild engines

Ripping stock junky mopeds in the winter on country roads with snow suit gear is mad fun

I am all over the place with this. I have sold probably 3 bikes that I swore at some time that I would be buried with. I dont miss them. I want bikes to be in people's hands that will enjoy them more than I am trying to get over on them. I get that people see their mopeds as an investment, but that aspect is nothing compared to having fun riding with friends.

I can't see myself ever getting rid of my first Motron Medalist. I saved up my lawn mowing and parachute packing money, paid cash, was hit by a drunk driver, replaced the entire back end, had chronic back pain for 40 plus years, moved it to 4 different places, rebuilt the top end twice, and was told that one of my kids is willing to take it for a ride at some point. Too many memories to get rid of this bike.

I miss that, a lot..

I get emotionally attached to whatever oddball piece of junk I've resurrected from the dead, but the feeling fades when I get another basket case.

When I got my rusty Carabela running, I loved it. Reliable, semi-rare, beautiful in that ugly way, mostly stock and a 43mph rider.

Then I got the Cimatti Gran Prix XL, and sold the Carabela for a profit.

I love the Cimatti. Another rare, reliable, fast bike, and at the moment, think I'll never sell it. But who knows what will come along next?

And then there's the Ducati Piuma 48. I put a lot of time and money into making it perfect. I love staring at it. But it's not that fun to ride. It's slow (35) and it shifts funky with the handshifter. If the motor blows, which it will, eventually, if I ride it a lot, it's not an easy replacement. It's really far from being an easy fix. It's searching eBay Italy all over again. So it's a garage queen. With a cover on it. And will inevitably be sold, hopefully for a premium price at a big fancy auction...

I'm not a collector, I'm more like the hospital, where I bring them back from the dead, then send them on their way to enjoy the rest of their lives.

I think at this stage I can comfortably say I've had 150 mopeds go through my hands, I've been trying to lighten my load from almost 40 down to 5, currently at 9. I've sold 1 bike I said I'd never sell being my first mb5 so someone could enjoy it and flex their city hard as fuck, I have 2 bikes I think I'll have forever or until a stupid number gets offered of my tomos (lowmos) chopper and my NS50. I genuinely feel if you haven't rode the bike in 3 months then you're ready to sell to someone that will ride it. We're not all adam moyer or chad burke that can keep 200+ bikes at all times. Pass the obsession onto someone new

I miss my 77 Vespa Ciao. Bought it with the engine in a box, filled with sand and completely neglected. Loved messing around with that rotary valve engine. Such a simple bike. Regret selling that one.

As a sort of OG moped rider, my getting back into this (3rd time) was nostalgia and a love of wrenching. Doubt I’d ever sell my ‘77 Maxi, first bike I got in the modern era. Reminds me of what it was like having a moped back in 1977 every time I ride it.