Moped muppetry

[willld]

Two times in the past week a moped has decided it would be good to go round the outside of me when I'm turning right at a roundabout, single-carrigeway road, fortunately I've spotted them first and slowed down to let them past.

I'm not sure if it was the same moron but it won't be long before someone doesn't see him and takes him out. He's riding with L plates and I'm pretty sure no-one would instruct anyone to do this manouvre.

I've no problem with bikes filtering, but on a roundabout when I'm looking out for traffic to the right it seems to be a pretty stupid way of riding.

[Noesph]

seems the norm around here, with chavs driving on the pavements aswell (I've seen a chav drive a ropey old bmw down the pavement here too.)

They love doing wheelies on mopeds around here, and I keep hoping they will fall off........

ah, South London

[a311]

Unfortunately it doesn't take much to get on the roads on a moped etc. CBT which you can't really fail takes a day then away you go from the age of 16. I got into bikes after having my car license for many years and often thought when going through the training how can a 16 year old with no road sense be let loose with such little training? I can't say I've heard of too many accidents locally involving mopeds etc which is quite surprising as the numbers on the road seem to have gone up allot.

Generally, at this time of year in particular you see yoofs riding with no gloves, proper gear etc. a 125cc might top out at 50-60mph but I bet it hurts just as much coming off a moped at 50mph as it does on a litre sports bike.....

[otherman]

a311 said:

Generally, at this time of year in particular you see yoofs riding with no gloves, proper gear etc. a 125cc might top out at 50-60mph but I bet it hurts just as much coming off a moped at 50mph as it does on a litre sports bike.....

A moped is a 50cc bike restricted to 30mpg. What you're talking about there is a motorcycle that requires a substantial 2 part test to get on. Riders of those have had all the instruction - just dumb enough to ignore it.

[a311]

otherman said:

a311 said:

Generally, at this time of year in particular you see yoofs riding with no gloves, proper gear etc. a 125cc might top out at 50-60mph but I bet it hurts just as much coming off a moped at 50mph as it does on a litre sports bike.....

A moped is a 50cc bike restricted to 30mpg. What you're talking about there is a motorcycle that requires a substantial 2 part test to get on. Riders of those have had all the instruction - just dumb enough to ignore it.

30 MPG would be a bit turd on a moped! It's been a while but I think at 16 it's 50cc but straight onto a 125cc at 17 with CBT only.

[Brite spark]

otherman said:

A moped is a 50cc bike restricted to 30mpg. What you're talking about there is a motorcycle that requires a substantial 2 part test to get on. Riders of those have had all the instruction - just dumb enough to ignore it.

50cc at 16 but 125cc at 17 and still only on a cbt, not full test

[Xerstead]

otherman said:

A moped is a 50cc bike that should be restricted to 30mph...

EFA
I've been behind quite a few mopeds that look and sound like mopeds well over 30.

[smiffy180]

Xerstead said:

EFA
I've been behind quite a few mopeds that look and sound like mopeds well over 30.

Haha yeh my moped (well it was a 50cc geared motorbike) did 74mph down hill! No one keeps them standard now days. IMO they should do 40 so at least they dont piss of the majority of drivers.

[otherman]

smiffy180 said:

Xerstead said:

EFA
I've been behind quite a few mopeds that look and sound like mopeds well over 30.

Haha yeh my moped (well it was a 50cc geared motorbike) did 74mph down hill! No one keeps them standard now days. IMO they should do 40 so at least they dont piss of the majority of drivers.

So that would be and odl FS1E or something? Before the law changed they didn't have to be speed restricted.

[otherman]

Brite spark said:

otherman said:

A moped is a 50cc bike restricted to 30mph. What you're talking about there is a motorcycle that requires a substantial 2 part test to get on. Riders of those have had all the instruction - just dumb enough to ignore it.

50cc at 16 but 125cc at 17 and still only on a cbt, not full test

I was just making a point about what a moped is. Its a 50cc speed restricted bike. At 17 you are allowed to ride a 125 but that's a motorcycle, not a moped.

[Garlick]

In my day the 'peds of choice were:

FS1E
RD50 (drool)
AR50
DT50
MT-5

Everyone had Micron pipes and clip on bars, tales were told of 80mph runs (never witnessed) and we all had a great time.

Ruben had a beige Honda Melody, he escaped ribbing by attaching a flattened a coke can to his jeans and hanging off to get his knee down on local roundabouts.

Nowadays our group would be called chavs, back then we were just having a laugh....but no doubt annoyed locals with our buzzing about.

[CBR JGWRR]

Excellent!

[Baryonyx]

When I drive to work for weekday nightshifts I'm usually followed by a knackered 125cc bike an on L Plate down the Great North Road towards Newcastle city centre. Rider wearing dark clothing, headlight like a candle in a strong breeze. Always flying up the back of cars in lane 2, trying to go as fast as he can (despite it being a 50mph road) and cutting off to the city centre.

The foll riding the bike is nearly invisible on a black bike in dark clothing with a crap light. He insists on overtaking cars diagonally because his bike is so slow. Rather than moving to lane 2 and putting the power on, he speeds up behind the car he is overtaking and passes very close to the rear O/S bumper. Sometimes he's been stuck behind me in lane 2, sometimes he has undertaken me and I've ended up following him, watching with mild amusement as other drivers fail to see him (obviously not checking their mirrors).

Last I saw him, he was tailgating an Audi A6 down the GNR. The Audi was obviously unfamiliar with the road and nearly missed the O/S slip to the city centre. Cue a quick brake and the Audi swerving right, the pillock on the bike behind it nearly crashing into the back of the A6 before dangerously swerving around the O/S of the Audi and off down the road.

Haven't seen him in a few weeks now though, probably dead.

[mad4amanda]

Garlick said:

In my day the 'peds of choice were:

FS1E
RD50 (drool)
AR50
DT50
MT-5

Everyone had Micron pipes and clip on bars, tales were told of 80mph runs (never witnessed) and we all had a great time.

Ruben had a beige Honda Melody, he escaped ribbing by attaching a flattened a coke can to his jeans and hanging off to get his knee down on local roundabouts.

Nowadays our group would be called chavs, back then we were just having a laugh....but no doubt annoyed locals with our buzzing about.

What no AP50 ? come on it was the fastest!
Actually I got beat by an ss50 that was real fast!

[Garlick]

mad4amanda said:

What no AP50 ? come on it was the fastest!
Actually I got beat by an ss50 that was real fast!

Forgot about the AP!

Older brothers had 250 and 350LC's but two lads were heroes, one had an FZ750 'Pure Sports' (which he later dropped doing a wheelie by the chippy) and another with an FZR1000 'Genesis'

[jurbie]

Garlick said:

In my day the 'peds of choice were:

FS1E
RD50 (drool)
AR50
DT50
MT-5

Everyone had Micron pipes and clip on bars, tales were told of 80mph runs (never witnessed) and we all had a great time.

Ruben had a beige Honda Melody, he escaped ribbing by attaching a flattened a coke can to his jeans and hanging off to get his knee down on local roundabouts.

Nowadays our group would be called chavs, back then we were just having a laugh....but no doubt annoyed locals with our buzzing about.

Don't forget there was no CBT in those days either. I'll always remember my first run out on my RD50 with no more road sense than a cycling proficiency certificate earned many years previously. I only went a couple of miles to the petrol station (£2 for a full tank) and back but nearly died several times but it was still the greatest moment of my life up to that point and one I'll never forget. Like your brother mine also had an RD250LC or 'Elsie' as he called it.

[mad4amanda]

Garlick said:

mad4amanda said:

What no AP50 ? come on it was the fastest!
Actually I got beat by an ss50 that was real fast!

Forgot about the AP!

Older brothers had 250 and 350LC's but two lads were heroes, one had an FZ750 'Pure Sports' (which he later dropped doing a wheelie by the chippy) and another with an FZR1000 'Genesis'

Funnily enough had a conversation with the ops manager from focussed events on startline tonight at Brands about my favourite bike from my teens . It was a yellow and black RD250DX fitted with a black LC engine it allways parked at the bottom of union street in Maidstone and it was beautiful.
Only saw the owner 1 day and I had just got on my new gpz750r in green white and blue and he complemented me on my bike !
Those were the days aged 17 , jeans , BLJ and white Frank Thomas Paddock boots! We were so cool.

[smiffy180]

otherman said:

So that would be and odl FS1E or something? Before the law changed they didn't have to be speed restricted.

Nope, was only 4 years ago

[New POD]

Xerstead said:

otherman said:

A moped is a 50cc bike that should be restricted to 30mph...

EFA
I've been behind quite a few scooters that look and sound like mopeds well over 30.

It was the done thing to attempt to tune them back in the 80's. My Ts50ER Trail Bike/Moped would hit 45 on the flat, although I once hit 65 mph in the lake district.

[aw51 121565]

It's like a blast from the past , this thread!

The Simson S51s had a good reputation in the later '80s as well... Premix though!

Garlick mentioned the Honda Melody - I had a Melody II Deluxe in Red (with the 'full' plastic panels at the back) when still 16, with which I managed to average 200 miles per week somehow for about 18 months, although it rarely cracked 100mpg.

It was replaced with an MZ50 (the Simson S51's predecessor, from memory) which never ran particularly well - I don't think it managed to burn a full tank and so I never got an economy figure .

I then went to Uni, and was soon frustrated at the trains' inability to run on time and meet connections so I got a Suzuki CS50 Roadie (advertised in the local paper). This one did 110mpg come rain or shine, and 120mpg on a 2 day run from Brighton to Bury . It had a hiccup with a loose circlip in the gearbox that had been recalled in earlier days (and apparently missed ) but Suzuki sent me a cheque that covered about 60% of the cost of the parts even though I got them from an indie and did the work myself (and the moped was 7 years old by this time)... 35mph on the A5 and A6 wasn't the experience of a lifetime; even though it was a cheap and picturesque trip home!

Happy days ...