Before you got a car, did you have a moped?

[skeeterm5]

I had a Kawasaki AE50 when I was 16. My dad and I changed the rear sprocket so that it would do almost 50 mph, at least indicated.

[Pit Pony]

eliot said:

Bought a TS50 that was a wrecked field bike for £75 in 1985 when I was 15 - spent a year repairing it.
When I turned 17 I shoe horned a TS100 engine into it!

The TS100 crank is the same as the 125. And a 125 barrel and piston will fit on the crank case.

[Writhing]

Fantic Cabellero 50. TRT 79R. I think I paid £175 for it. It taught me a lot about 2 stroke engines and how to rebuild them.

[gnc]

1968, it was a honda s90 for six months then a honda cb160, at 17 an anglia estate., could just ride / drive for fun then.

[CLX]

FS1E for me. Then RD200.

[unpc]

Great thread idea. I was a serial moped buyer in my youth. First was Malaguti Cavalcone, followed by 4 FS1Es, a Honda PC50 and a Fantic Caballero.

I only ever had 1 bike at a time. I got busted for being underage by an hour on the Malaguti. Happy days!

[markymarkthree]

NSU Quickly 3 speed twin seat.
I even passed my moped test so i could carry mates, which meant i got hounded by the plod and served many producers, all of which got them nowhere.

[Ussrcossack]

No I had a cycle and for longer journeys a bus pass

[B19TOY]

Had one of these, allegedly a 50mph moped. As a sixteen year old it felt quick when it worked properly.

[andySC]

Yamaha DT50. It would’ve genuinely struggled to pull the skin off a rice pudding. Even as a giddy 16 year old, 35mph (eventually ) felt bloody slow.

[Fatball]

Shnozz said:

Ah you bd! Always wanted a Mito.

100% agree with your mate. Learning roadcraft, clutch control, gear changes, traffic around you and being vulnerable on a bike and checking all blind spots, lifesaver checks etc - all added up to a greater awareness I feel of those around you on the roads, even second guessing what someone else might do.

I have to say, that’s not my mito but it was the same as the pic. It hurt my knees it was so small and if you used the headlight the battery quite often went flat but had a great time on it.

[LuS1fer]

Blue 1974 Honda SS50Z.

Being a 4 stroke, it was hopeless against the two strokes and needed a gradient to hit 45mph but it could do over 200mpg although I generally got more like 165mpg from wringing it's neck.

Edited by LuS1fer on Sunday 25th October 10:36

[SeeFive]

Puch M50 sport. Looked like a proper motorbike of the time rather than the y shaped frame of the fizzys etc. Not quick though (heavy frame designed as a 125) and only got slower as the baffles filled up with coke weekly.

Then off to Suzuki. GT185, GT380 (drum brakes!!) and then decided that I was gonna kill myself through lack of talent and far too much ambition so went back to cars only.

Last bike ride was about 20 years ago when I hired a Virago to go round Majorca in a day. Thought it would be ideal sitting up to see stuff rather than all the other hire bikes that seemed to have clip ons etc, but discovered on the northern mountain hairpins that it handled like a fridge freezer. Ideal for hanging the shopping on the rear seat upright though which obviously didn’t make it handle any better as it swung around over the rear wheel

[Turn7]

Pit Pony said:

The Rotrex Kid said:

I bought a brand new TS50 in 2000, my dad said if I was having a bike it had to have gears!!

I was a bit short for it first of all and fell off a lot. All my mates had scooters and they were all a lot faster too.

Just looked it up and it’s been SORN and run out of MOT this year, racked up 23k til last year which is good going!

Not my exact bike but looked like this..

I had an earlier version of that the TS50ER.
Rode it from Liverpool to the lake district, and over buttermere pass, stayed a youth hostels for a few days. It was so choked up i had to walk it up steep hills, and slip the clutch.

Came home, revoked it, filled the top of the exhaust port, and it would hit 40 mph on the flat, and get up hills.

I passed my moped test on it, and got stopped 3 times by the police for having mates on the back. They seemed shocked that i was all legal.
At 17 I sold it and bought a TS125ER (twin rear shocks)

Went all round the lakes and Dales on that one. I passed my test on it, and took my girlfriend on the M53 to Chester in a head wind and it struggled to do 50 mph. On the way back it was going into the Red line in top.

Bought a Z500, had that a year and then an RD350LC which ended up 375 cc due to a big seizure.

Then moved onto a 1974 mini 1000. Which the same girl learnt to drive in.

Not been on a motorbike since.

Another TS50ER owner here...
65cc kit and SM tailpipe in its later days

[Turkish91]

Had a Malaguti XTM at 16



Then a Husqvarna SM125... Proper yob of a bike this, ridiculous for a 125. Clocked 100mph on it being followed by my friend in his GTI6!



Then had a Peugeot 206 for 9 weeks until I spectacularly rolled it. My old man wouldn’t let me have another car for a while so I bought my friends ex-Superteens Aprilia RS125... then seized it at an indicated 120mph on the M40, 3hrs after buying it. Yes a bit of poo came out.

[markymarkthree]

Did anyone own or ever see a Fantic Chopper on the road ?
If you owned one what was it like ?

[Andy XRV]

LuS1fer said:

Blue 1974 Honda SS50Z.

Being a 4 stroke, it was hopeless against the two strokes and needed a gradient to hit 45mph but it could do over 200mpg although I generally got more like 165mpg from wringing it's neck.

Edited by LuS1fer on Sunday 25th October 10:36

I started on a 1976 Red SS50. Wanted a FS1E but my dad insisted on a four stroke. Wasn't too bad once I'd cut the restricatar section off the throttle slide.

Managed to get on the endorsement ladder quite quickly with 3 points for 43 in a 30 and 3 points for taking my girlfriend on the back with no crash helmet and on L plates. Think I've had at least 3 points on my licence eversince.

Moved into an RD 200 in 78. Great times

[BC007]

Had a new red Suzuki AP50 in 1976. Still remember the excitement as it was delivered by Andy Lee motorcycles in Cambridge. Followed by an RD200, GS550, Z650, Z1R, CB125, CB900.

I now own a 1979 GS1000E which I purchased in Cambridge about two years ago. Interestingly the registration is within a couple of digits of the GS550 I bought new in 1979. Maybe it was supplied by Andy Lee too and what are the chances of both being in the showroom at the same time?

[OldGermanHeaps]

started off on a honda melody 50, did my cbt on my 16th birthday. the melody was a bit of a step down from my ktm 250 motocrosser, but I got it for £20, spent £30 fixing the engine and electrics and gave it a really nice rattlecan respray then sold it for £550 3 weeks later which allowed me to buy a dt50 which had a malpassi big bore kit and a fresco exhaust on it already but it ran like a bag of ste so i put a yz80 carb on it and played with the jetting until it ran crisp. with a smaller rear sprocket it would do 65 which was much safer on my 60 mile a day commute to work.

Edited by OldGermanHeaps on Sunday 25th October 11:28

[bogie]

Nope, never owned a moped although rode a few off road that belonged to mates. I had a couple of field bikes I rode off road, a CD200 Benly and a DT175 then skipped the moped and got an RG125 when I was 17. I remember as a 16 yr old walking past the local Suzuki dealer every day on my way to work dreaming of my 17th birthday. Passed big bike test 2 years after. Never bothered passing my car test until I was 28 and needed one for work.