I have his and hers 5 Star General mopeds, I think they were made in the 70s or 80s by the General Co. in NJ (out of business). They have Marinelli motors that run great. Has any one have any info on these mopeds or motors?
I have his and hers 5 Star General mopeds, I think they were made in the 70s or 80s by the General Co. in NJ (out of business). They have Marinelli motors that run great. Has any one have any info on these mopeds or motors?
correction: Minarelli motors
Never heard of them. Are they for sale ... ??
Yes i have heard of these in fact i saw one in good conditon in a junkyard the other day. As far as i know all the parts are i was going to take the clutch cable of it its says General kinda old with a blue green logo on the side of the engine is that it?
Ev
It sounds like one, the two that I have are silver, with General on the tanks, with five stars on the engine covers, the "His" bike has a straight seat with a cargo rack on the back, the "Hers" bike has a solo seat with detachable saddle type baskets, both are in excellent condition with low miles, I've them for 7 years now.
I might be interested in the "his" bike..
or even the "hers" for my sister..
how much? where are you located?
--Nick
As long as they have a name brand engine like Minerelli, you should have no prolems getting parts for the engine.
The "General" specific parts would be hard to get, but most likely the more common parts like brakes and controls are shared by other makes.
Jim C.
not for sale at this time, Nick, but thanks for your interest.
Thanks for that info Jim, I'm finding out more from this website, there is a moped shop near me that has engine parts, and like you said, a lot of the other parts are standard/universal parts that are easily replaceble. Have you ever heard of these bikes, or are they just a small East coast co. that took a dive? They are a well made, sturdy bikes that ride great.
Many of the mopeds were copies of other models w/ their logos sprayed on. Contact HandyBikes and they might know what goes where. A lot of American mopeds were only European mopeds made under contract. The general moped might have used parts from other moped models and assembled them w/ their own logos/colors. That was very common. Someone at handybikes might know. A lot of Minarelli-based mopeds look very similar (unless the manufacturer actually made its own frame parts, like Carabella, but many did not).
Bottom line ... you might still be able to get body parts for them. And Jim is correct, you will always be able to fin Minarelli engine parts and other standard parts.
Here is the URL for Zippy's Moped Garage Forum.
There was also a mention of the Generals here also.
http://disc.server.com/discussion.cgi?id=100029
Enjoy your new rides!
Jim C.
Miguel, I agree,some of the parts could be easily replaced-controls,cables,lights,rims, etc. Currently, the bikes don't need anything, they are still in original condition, it's good to know engine parts are still available. Is the Minarelli engine still produced for any current applications? Jim
Thanks Jim, I'm going to check it out right now. If anyone else has heard or have a General, let me know.
I'm not sure if Minarelli engines are still produced, though I suspect variations on the V.1 (which is on most mopeds) are made. Minarelli still produces engines, mainly for small tractors and things.
But there are many junked up mopeds that have working engine parts. HandyBikes or other moped shops carry them. I also know a guy in Italy who can get parts and will ship to the US. He's reliable and not expensive (I got a 14.12 carburator for less than $30). He said he can get other parts and such. Email me if you want his email address and need parts.
You might also be able to use body parts form other mopeds if you need them. The Decepticons have some "chopper" models w/ different parts. Like Garelli forks on a Sachs. Things like that. I think many frame mounted tanks, for example, could go on any moped. Either way, it is TOTALLY possible to keep Minarelli-based mopeds fixed and running.
Thanks Miguel, I'm glad I found this forum, there is alot of info here. If anyone sees or knows anything about Generals, or owns one, please reply. I'll keep checking this site. Thanks guys.
in case you missed them we have some photos in the photo gallery. I know that photos aren't as good as information, but it could be interesting.
Do these look like your moped?
<img src="http://www.mopedarmy.com/img/gallery/1981_general_5_star.jpg">;
<img src="http://www.mopedarmy.com/img/gallery/1982_5_star_general.jpg">;
That's it!, the silver one, it's exactly the one I have, in the same condition also. The other General I have is silver too, with a solo seat and a "step thru" design. Thanks for telling me about the photos, I missed them. Now everyone can see what I've been talking about. Who's the owners?
I'm not sure who the owners are...I get photos submited somtimes, and somtimes take them myself - but i think that these photos were from an ebay auction that I saw.
There are three people in the Moped Owners Directory that have General's though if you want to contact them.
<a href="http://www.mopedarmy.com/resources.php3?sub=mopedowners&mopedownerssub=search&id=133">Josh Weisbrot</a>
<a href="http://www.mopedarmy.com/resources.php3?sub=mopedowners&mopedownerssub=search&id=246">Tom Garofalo</a>
<a href="http://www.mopedarmy.com/resources.php3?sub=mopedowners&mopedownerssub=search&id=227">Kreegarg Jensen</a>
Check it out ... there's a 5 Star General owner's manual on eBay!
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=525190385
I love it when ebay comes through like that....
Thanks for the manual,Miguel. I happen to have that, and the V1 engine (Minarelli)
shop/repair manual, plus the original General Moped sales flyer/photos, The original owner gave me everything, including the first spark plug?(NGK). I like to keep old plugs handy to throw at wild dogs that chase me, or dumb ass cagers(automobile drivers) that cut me off. (I'm sure that the Moped Army does not agree to that type of activity) but road rash CAN change your lifestyle.
does any one have or know some one that has the cover plates for a 5 star general
I own a General 5-Star and i'm trying to fix it up, but I don't have a clue where to get parts. Does anyone know where to get them???
call handybikes ... and check other links in the resource section. most of them ship nation-wide.
My 5-Star just recently has been giving me some problems, i can get it to start for like a second, then it just dies again, what can i do to fix it???
you'll have to be more specific. first off, i assume you have a minarelli v1 engine? when exactly does it die? find fred's troubleshooting guide in this forum (search under "how to fix your moped") and follow that. get back to us if any of that is unclear. be sure you have spark and compression. and clean your carburator.
the more specific you are, the better we can help you.
I can get it to run fine, if the choke is on, and yes i have a Minarelli v1 engine. I'm just wrapping a string around it, so it stays down. Thanks for the info.
string? that doesn't sound good to me ... be sure it's bolted down tight on something. start troubleshooting (check compression, carburetor, exhaust, clutch etc.). post what exactly you have done to fix it, what seems to be wrong, and someone can help you from there.
ok, thanks
wait! don't bolt down your choke. i thought you were using string to hold your engine on. that would've been bad. you should be able to ride w/o choking it nonstop. it's probably a carburetor problem, if that's the case.
be sure to take it appart and clean it very very thoroughly. put it back together carefully. be sure the air filter is good and the jet is clear. make sure you have fuel flow. is your petcock working? do you have a good fuel mix (i'm sure you know that you need to premix fuel, right?)?
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