Thought you all may be interested in seeing my restoration efforts on my 78 Mobylette. My neighbor gave me this moped as she didn't know what to do with it. The bike had been sitting for the last 15 years in her garage and was covered with sawdust, cobwebs and lots of surface rust. The speedo cable was busted and the speedo was removed and bungee corded to the seat. No idea if it ran or not so I brought it out into the daylight for the first time in mid October of 2022.
Here is what it looked like first in her garage and then outside. Pretty rough but I could see the potential for a restoration. I am retired so I have plenty of time to work on it. Also, I have been a motorcycle rider most of my life starting on a Rupp mini bike back in the 60's. I've owned street bikes and dirt bikes so I know how to work on motorcycles.
Of course the tank was empty and rusty but surprisingly not horrible. After a washdown and overall inspection, I found everything the bike came with from the factory to be present. The engine turned over and a thumb on the sparkplug hole proved some compression. Of course there was no spark, no surprise there. But mechanically the bike looked in very good shape.
After photographing every possible angle I could think of for reference, I decided to just tear the bike down for a restoration. Bagging and marking parts, testing electrical components, and cleaning the tank were first on the list. Took a week of washing out, adding simple green, washing again and filling with Evaporust for several days all the while using at least a hundred BB gun BBs and agitating the frame like crazy, finally it cleaned up well with no leaks or debris present. I then soaked down the interior of the tank with WD40 to keep it from surface rusting till it's time for the gasoline mix.
The lower part of the frame where the kick stand mounts was heavily encrusted with oil and road dirt. I got a little too ambitious and used Gunk engine degreaser on that area which not only removed the filth but took some of the paint with it. So glad I didn't spray that stuff anywhere else.
Overall the paint was in excellent shape and I was not planning on a repaint so touchup will be in order. I am planning on rebuilding the engine and have ordered the parts.
I have started reassembly and the difference from start till now is striking, so stay tuned if interested....
