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Mr72's first motorbike

Started by mr72, January 29, 2020, 01:54:47 PM

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mr72

Well, this is not the exact one, but it's identical to it.

https://austin.craigslist.org/mpo/7063187859.html



In Arkansas where I lived my first 11.5 years, in the 70s and early 80s (and maybe to this day), no license of any kind was required to operate a 2-wheel vehicle on the street as long as it was under 50cc. Scores of kids rode around everywhere on sub-50cc motos of all kinds.

Turns out this was also the beginning of the moped era, and for those old enough to know, a "MoPed" was a "Mo"torized vehicle with "Ped"als. They were typically more than just a motorized bicycle. This is distinctly NOT a "scooter", which often times these days people call a "moped" if it is small displacement. But anyway, point is, this bike that's on Craigslist above is in fact a real old-school moped, and happens to be identical to the one we had.

I have no idea how or why my parents got this thing, but I was very quick to ride a bicycle as a child, when I was about 3 I was riding without training wheels, and in the 70s growing up in small-town Arkansas we were the epitome of free-range kids, and I rode my bicycle all over the town of 30K people growing up. Once I figured out my parents would let me ride this moped, I was even more mobile. When I was 8, I started riding this thing everywhere.

The way this thing works, the motor has a flywheel that rubs against the top of the tire to drive the bike. It has a centrifugal clutch so it can idle while stopped. You use a lever to lift the motor or lower it against the tire. To start it, you are supposed to lift the motor assembly and then pedal the bike up to speed, like 10 mph or so, then while coasting you reach back and lower the motor onto the tire and it sort of bump starts. Then you ride off coasting on the pedals.

Problem was that at the age of 8 I was not big enough to reach the pedals except when they were at 9 and 3 o'clock. I couldn't pedal the bike. So I would run alongside it pushing it, then jump on, drop the motor, and be off.

It was about one summer when I rode this thing all over creation. Other friends had Honda Spree scooters and others like them, also good old Briggs & Stratton powered minibikes that were definitely way over 50cc but nobody cared. Also Puch mopeds from the time, Honda MB5s popped up from time to time, and even one neighborhood kid had a cruiser that Yamaha called a "50 Special". I had my cheap Roadmaster moped. But hey, it was motorized and technically my first motorbike.

The moped quit working after a year or so of me using it, my dad suggested someone put sugar in the gas tank. Probably one of the numerous punk kids. Anyway, we gave it away because it wouldn't work.

I'm sorely tempted to buy this one that's available locally. I think it qualifies in TX as a motorized bicycle and I can probably ride it with no title or plates. But $400 is way, way too much. If it was $200 I might be interested. In reality it's probably not worth more than $100. But if it was $100 then I'd be moving things around in the garage right now. Not that I'd ever ride it, but it might be a trip to throw on a bike rack on the back of the Jeep when we go to the beach, just to zip over to wherever we need to go for a minute or a cup of coffee.

yamahonkawazuki

Had this argument often with police when I rode mine lol.
Aaron
Jan 14 2010 0310 I miss you mom
Vielen dank Patrick. Vielen dank
".
A proud Mormon
"if you come in with the bottom of your cast black,
neither one of us will be happy"- Alan Silverman MD

pliskin

#2
Cool, I had a little 1984 2 smoke 50cc Suzuki like this when I was a kid. Sold it to by a car at 16. Really missed it and 35years later one came up on craigslist for free and I grabbed it. Ahhh, good times. More like a scooter I guess....no pedals. I got it running but needs a new carb.
Why are you looking here?

cbrfxr67

#3
Good read mr72!  That dude deleted the listing already so i guess somebody scooped it up!

Pliskin that's a sweet one! ! !

Mine was a honda passport 70cc.  My mom and dad bought matching bikes back when, and of course never used them.  One wouldnt start but one still ran and it was my beginning intro to bikes.  Loved that thing and I'd buy one today if I could find cheap enough. 

Topped out at 55mph but for a 13 year old it was amazing.  I even ran from the police on that thing :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: (got away! haha)
Now I'm going to go look for one,..thanks mr72 :hithead:
"Its something you take apart in 2-3 days and takes 10 years to go back together."
-buddha

mr72

Quote from: cbrfxr67 on February 13, 2020, 09:33:51 AM
Good read mr72!  That dude deleted the listing already so i guess somebody scooped it up!

Well, maybe. He finally knocked it down to $250 but I still wasn't into it. I mean, as a usable motorbike, that think sucked mightily. At the same time for the same $400 there was a Yamaha 49cc with foot pegs very much like the Suzuki Pliskin posted about which would be a way better bike but I still wasn't interested. There's a not-currently-running 2003 Aprilia 150cc scooter asking $600 that I could probably bring home for $350 if I really wanted to and it would be infinitely better than any of these old nostalgia-bikes.

Anyway it was fun to see it and be reminded of it, but when I got serious about whether I wanted to actually have it in my garage, the answer was clearly "no". I'm >5'11" and 195lb, my wife is 6' tall. My (adult) daughters are 5'9" and 5'10" tall. Who in my world is going to ride one of these 70s toys? We're just too big for that nonsense.

Quote
Mine was a honda passport 70cc.  ... Loved that thing and I'd buy one today if I could find cheap enough. 
...
Now I'm going to go look for one,..thanks mr72 :hithead:

You mean like this one?

https://austin.craigslist.org/mcy/d/wimberley-vintage-1981-honda-c70/7068503965.html

Or this one?

https://austin.craigslist.org/mcy/d/austin-1982-honda-c70-passport-classic/7066904931.html

Those are proper motorbikes. I wouldn't mind having one of them around. But then again, if I am spending that kind of money on an extra toy, I'm buying a 150cc Vespa.

cbrfxr67

True!  THat $350 aprilia sounds like a good one!  I've been wanting a turd scooter to ride around and try to get my wife on. 8)

That one in Wimberley looks allright but still too much for my tiny budget.  I looked around here on cl, letgo, offerup and marketplace but didn't see anything,....  i'd ride the wee out of one.  Well after I fixed it anyways,... :icon_mrgreen:
"Its something you take apart in 2-3 days and takes 10 years to go back together."
-buddha

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