“Born to be not so wild”
(first posted 6/30/2016) (Welcome our newest COAL series, by Wolfgang, our first to start in Europe. Links to his whole series are here)
My dad was scared. It was 1971 and the last time he drove a car was when he made his driver’s license (DL) back in the 1940’s. Rumor has it it took more liquor than gasoline to pass the test.
His employer moved from Achern to Gamshurst, and now he saw himself forced to buy a car to commute. The new plant was too far away for the moped. Not incurring the cost of a car was a big part of what enabled him to build a house for the family. Dad moved from a bicycle to a late ’50’s NSU Quickley to ’68 Hercules MK IV. They called it a “mokick” not a moped. That means it had a kick starter and foot rests instead of a crank and pedals but it was limited to 40km/h like a moped.
Now, at the age of 51, my dad had to learn for real how to drive a car because he only knew traffic from the perspective of his mopeds. I recently worked on my DL Class IV, the highest class available at 16. It was for KKR (Kleinkraftrad = small motor bike) up to 50 cc displacement, not speed limited. After he purchased his Renault 4 TL he would practice driving with me as instructor at his side since I just learned all the traffic rules and signs. As a benefit I would inherit the mokick. What a deal, I was thrilled! This will be my ride for the next two years until I can get the DL for cars and motorcycles.
I was riding that thing everywhere: school, discos, summer jobs, visiting friends, swimming pools or just hanging around with the coolest guy in town. His nickname was Goofy and he had a BMW 750/7 motorcycle and a shop with wood stove and tools, a BMW 67/1 on a stand, mechanical skills to restore it and everybody knew him. I was happy to have my mokick but I already looked forward to “something real” like Goofy’s BMW.
The neighbors talked to my mom about my sporty riding style. It was true: I practiced on an impromptu race track. Actually, I practiced everywhere I was riding. I usually took that 80 degree left corner near our house so tight that I almost clipped the inside curb with the footrest. Once I took that corner and there was a taxi. He stopped, I hit the rear brake blocking the wheel, swerved to the right while sliding the rear. I missed the taxi by 5 cm, my left side parallel to the front bumper. I got off the brake, the rear wheel caught grip again and the bike righted itself. I rode around the corner of the taxi without ever taking a foot off the footrests. All of that happened within 2 seconds.The taxi driver and I looked at each other both of us wide eyed with surprise. Thank you, guardian angel!
My friend Werner and I had a week of vacation in a cabin owned by the company Werner’s dad worked for. There were also people form the other plant in Duisburg. That included a group of girls of our age. Of course we flirted. I kind of liked Marika. We exchanged mailing addresses. A few weeks later Werner and I authored a love letter to her. It was in jest of course. It started with a few compliments and how I missed her, and all of it worded just a tad too much. We still needed to put in a can’t miss clue that this letter was a joke. That’s were the Hercules came in. “……..I miss you so much and I would really like to visit with you, but Duisburg is 400 km away and with my moped it is going to take 8 liters of 1:25 mixture and 10 hours of riding…..”. Two weeks later I received Marika’s reply: “Your letter was a real surprise….My friend Ulla and I were discussing for days if it was a joke or serious. We came to the conclusion it is an earnest letter……sorry we can’t meet, kisses….”
Once I took Gudrun, a class mate to her home. We and a few others were going to study math and science together. She was not used to riding socius on mopeds. My dad instructed me to wrap my arms around his belly and lean on his back. She put her hands on my shoulders. When we took corners her hands moved from the shoulders to the neck. Then I experienced a linear function between the lean angles and the tightness of her grip: the deeper I leaned in the harder she choked me.
There were only two times I was glad not to have a KKR that would have gone twice as fast. This ride was one and the other time was when paying insurance. KKR’s were only used by boys from their 16th birthday to the day before the 18th. No-one else was willing to pay those premiums. The moped was about DM 50.00 per year. The KKR’s were like DM 500.00.
Of course it was “verboten” to make the moped faster. In defiance of the law I cut the header pipe shorter so the harmonics were helping with power. That’s why my mokick was capable of 50 km/h. The pipe originally extended deep into the muffler creating harmonics that acted as rev limiter.
My older brother and I needed our eyes checked. So we rode to the ophthalmologist in Oberkirch. The route took us over a small mountain pass with switchbacks on either side. No problem going up, most of the time in second gear. Going down the other side was different. I went into 3rd (top) and held at WOT. I must have hit 55 km/h at times. That first left handed hair pin was always fun. The road leads out of a dense forest and going into the hairpin there was the mountain side to the right. Going out there was a drop-off. I slowed down and put it into 2nd gear. I rode close to the shoulder, near maximum lean angle. We were just about through when my brother decided to yank his body upright! Instantly, I dipped it even lower. The tires must have been on their sidewalls. Without my corrective action we would have gone over the edge and down some 30 m. Let’s just say that neither one of us was amused and the verbal fighting about the episode continued for several months. The facts did not matter at all but our lifelong sibling rivalry had found a new focal point.
At some time I told myself: “Wolfgang, you have to slow down! This it way to dangerous, you will get into an accident.” I followed my own advise and slowed down. Pretty soon I paid attention to nothing at all and started day dreaming while riding. As a result I got into many more close calls than ever before and I reverted to riding like a banshee for safety’s sake. That’s called self awareness – or trusting the Guardian Angel.
Stubby handlebars for that sporty look.
Also, my cousin will tell you that riding 2 up and taking a slight curbing at an acute angle is not recommended. It will wipe out the front wheel. No bones were broken. The footrest was bent.
I rode this thing in any weather. I put on several layers of clothes and used lobster claw gloves. One longer ride I got so stiff from the wet cold weather that it took me seconds to turn back the throttle and to reach the levers for the brake and clutch. Traffic had backed up and I passed several cars on their right until I had it under control again.
It was an extremely reliable machine and fuel efficient as well. The engine was fan cooled which prevented overheating going uphill and the intake channel was fitted with a reed valve that blocked back flow. I achieved about 2 L per 100 km whereas my friend’s Kreidler Florett ran through 3.8L in the same distance. To boot, the Hercules had a much larger tank. The drive chain was enclosed which protected it from road dust and made it last longer.
Of course I had to mod the mokick. First, the leg shield had to go. It was rattling so bad. My dad watched with disapproving eyes as I yanked it off and destroyed it in the process. The Hercules looked way more sporty this way and was so much quieter to my ears. The shield used to reflect the engine noise towards the head and amplified it in the process.
I mentioned the cut-off exhaust header. Another repair added to top speed. When the chain and cogs were worn out I had trouble finding the right cog for the rear. I found a slightly smaller one which of course made for a longer final drive.
Then I decided to change the handlebar. Easy Rider was the theme. I used a handlebar for bicycles. It did not help with the handling at all. The original springs and dampers were very soft. I had a pal who owned a Hercules KRR and I let him ride, with me on the back. He went into a tight 90 degree turn at full throttle. I warned him to slow down but he kept at the speed he was used to with his own machine. My moped began to bobble and wobble and I still don’t know how we got through without crashing.
Eventually, I found a frame of the faster, non speed limited version of this mokick (Kleinkraftrad) and talked the owner into selling me the shock absorbers with springs, the stubby handlebars and Magura solid aluminum brake/clutch levers for a few Deutsche Mark. Not only looked these parts sportier, they also improved handling and feed back with the controls. Until I mounted these pieces I did not even realize that the original pressed steel levers flexed under my hand pressure. So did the bicycle ape hanger.
I learned changing tires, replacing light bulbs, replacing brake pads and worn wheel bearings, oiling and tensioning the chain, replacing chain and cogs, cleaning the air filter, lubing and adjusting the cables. The bike’s weakest spot was certainly the ignition. It was a magneto with points and condenser that I did not know how to do. I took it to the mechanic for that.
The exhaust system required maintenance too. Over time 2 cycle engines coke up the exhaust channel and the muffler to the point where the engine does not run. To fix it you had to take off the muffler and header and clean the parts. I put the piston into bottom dead center and scraped the orifice of the channel clean. The gunk in the pipe and muffler had to be burned off with a torch or gasoline.
I did not have a torch. I soaked soaked the muffler in gasoline. Then I lit it it with a match. Meanwhile the fuel vapors had mixed with the air at knee height and “Whoop!” for a few seconds I was standing in the center of a flash flame covering the 3 car driveway. After my pulse returned to normal I continued to pollute the air by burning out the muffler. After this and a fresh spark plug the mokick ran at its best.
Hercules MK 50 (same as MK IV) This one is all original including the rubber strap on the luggage rack.
Almost every time I hung out at Goofy’s place I learned something new. How to loosen up a frozen bolt with a hammer, how to put pistons in a cylinder of a BMW motorcycle engine, how to heat a bearing so it will slip over the crankshaft, how to adjust points. You can tell I was there frequently. One time, toward the end of my ownership he looked at my Hercules MK IV and remarked: “This has been a “thankful” (thanks-worthy) ride for you.” I must agree.
After making the Class I and III driver’s license (motorcycles, cars and trucks up to 2.8 tons) I purchased a motorcycle but kept the mokick around. Good too, because I struggled with the motor bike for a while and the Hercules MK IV was always there and ready.
I was in “Oberprima” (senior year of high school) and the Abitur (final exam) was coming up early May. About 6 weeks before the big date I got into an accident. At noon I left school to go home for lunch and had to be back by 2 pm. I never arrived for lunch. I was going south on Illenauer Strasse and just got a glimpse of the VW Beetle pulling in front of me. She came north and pulled left into Martinstrasse. I tried to brake but my hand didn’t even make it over the lever. I hit the right front wheel and fender at 40km/h. My former driving school teacher was a witness and told that I made a “salto mortale” and landed on my back on the roof of the beetle. Someone pulled me down and sat me on the curb tending to a bleeding wound on my neck. The ambulance came and took me to the hospital. I was there for about 5 days even though no bone was broken.
The cut on the neck was a mystery until I looked at a VW more closely. It must have been from the rain gutter. I was told that the roof had a dent above the passenger door. Now it made sense: I hit that spot with the helmet and flipped over. The neck got pushed against the rain gutter causing a superficial cut. The major concerns were a concussion and a painful bruise to the groin. That bruise came from the particular shape of the tank. The fingers of my right hand hurt too because it slipped off the grip and hit the back side of the brake handle. I healed up alright but I took another week off school to re-convalesce and built up strength again. My first major academic effort was the German essay in the all important Abitur.
Nicely restored even though black was not a factory color. The leg shield was an option.
The mokick had a bent fork and wheel and that was about it. New forks were not available and after some searching a used one was found. It too was bent but only slightly. After the repair, paid for by the car’s insurance, it never rode all straight again. I sold it about two years later.
Apparently Marika was still a bit in love with me because years after selling the Hercules I received a post card by her. She found Mister Right and was planning her wedding.
Wolfgang, Your story is fascinating in many ways. One rarely sees any motorcycle riders in my part of the USA in very cold weather, and while I understand how stiff cold hands can be slow to move, taking seconds to turn back the throttle and reach for the brake and clutch levers gave me the chills just to read about it.
The fact you survived all those incidents, near misses, and the non-miss with the VW must mean you have a guardian angel, or are very lucky. Most likely both.
Great story; looking forward to the next one.
Wow something Ive never heard of that doesnt happen often we have small engined scooters that require no license but not that brand, Mopeds were about years ago but only in small numbers and due to the hilly nature of where I grew up not very popular, 90cc seemed the minimum needed for actual road use and those required a proper license same as a car.
I believe that the 50cc class came about because the Allied initially wanted to limit the Germans to small engines after WWII. Then came the Marshall Plan that changed all that.
Wolfgang, this was great, I remember Mokicks running around when I was a kid over there! It really takes me back, thanks, I’m looking forward to more.
There will be more of that neck of the woods, promised.
I hope all readers enjoy the story as much as the early commenters. I won’t be able to respond until later today.
I’m with Plaut on the guardian angel. A great read but just reminds me why I never took to motorcycles.
Oh come on – *Mr Plaut*. 😉
Terrific story, thank you. A very interesting insight into a world that’s a little different for most readers. I’m sure all readers expressed sympathy for your “painful bruise to the groin”.
Let me tell you, it’s a great feeling when that pain goes away!
Wiolfgang…great story. I can’t wait to hear about your further adventures!
They are coming…
A neighbor of mine owns 2 Roadmasters. Everytime I see them I think of yours and the Caprice. To boot, he mostly rides his Kawasaki 2cycle scrambler.
In the US, before the late ‘1970s, anything with two wheels and an engine had to have turn signals and be registered and insured as a motorcycle, so mopeds could not even be sold here. After the ’70s oil shortage, laws were changed and in 1980 I bought my first moped – a Montgomery-Wards Commuter powered by a Sachs engine. I rode it for fun and to work for many years when weather allowed, and I still have it, though the paint and chrome suffered some from being kept in a leaky shed for awhile. When gas prices got very high a few tears ago, I revived it and began riding it again. It still runs very well.
Two years ago, I acquired a 1978 Sachs Hercules ‘fixer’ Moped, with almost the same Sachs engine as on my Commuter. It’s a European model, with the speedometer in Km, and a weird German headlight that is half headlight on top and horn on the bottom. It took many days work to get it running and it will need tires soon.
It doesn’t have much power either, so I probably need to clean out the exhaust too!
But your KKR certainly looked more sporty and cool than my mopeds.
Happy Motoring, Mark
Interesting historic background on moped in the US.
You made me curious about the Montgomery Ward and your Hercules.Could you post pictures of them?
Not so. Sears and others sold lots of European mopeds in the US through their stores and catalogs in the 50s and 60s. This Puch is from 1961 or so. There were quite a few of the around Iowa City’s UofI campus back then. I recognized them as Puchs from Austria.
Licensing requirements varied by state, as so many things are in the US. In Iowa in 1972, all that was required was a brake light, tail light and headlight. I know this in detail, because a friend brought back a Peugeot moped from France that year, and it lacked a brake light so he couldn’t license it. I installed one for him, using a 6v dry-cell battery in the saddle bag, a switch from a Honda adapted to its brake lever, and a universal tail light. It was duly licensed.
I don’t know exactly when and where turn signals were required, but older motorcycles back then (and the mopeds) cetainly didn’t have them.
Interesting video of the Büren (Switzerland?) ride. There’s hardly any traffic in town at all! Was it a holiday or something?
It’s in Westphalia, near Paderborn: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%BCren,_Westphalia
I bet this was filmed on a regular Sunday morning. In Germany the stores close Saturday afternoon, maybe 3:00pm. They open again Monday morning 7:00am. The only people you see on a Sunday morning are churchgoers and maybe a few joggers. That is one of the cultural shocks foreigners experience in Germany. I sometimes miss these hours of nothingness.
An ex-colleague lived in Germany for a short period, just across the Dutch-German border. Once he was mowing his lawn on a sunny sunday afternoon, the locals were not amused to say the least, judging by the way they looked…
Only (very) strict Protestants still have very quiet and peaceful sundays here. Logical, since they’re in church the whole day.
I once had a cultural shock Stateside while on temporary work assignment in Ft. Worth, TX. The town was almost dead on Sundays, an example of “Blue Laws“ probably common in the South.
Some people claim we work too hard nowadays, envying Europe & their August holidays, but would they therefore support retention of these old rules?
The downside of shops closing on Saturday at 12 noon is that everyone is doing the weekend shopping on Saturday morning causing a real rush. So they introduced the “long Saturdays”. The first Saturday of the month the shops are open ’til 3:00pm. As long as the mom and pop shops have some clout it will remain that way. The Unions may have some influence as well.
Wolfgang, great story and looking forward to future editions. In the U.S. it varies by state but in most locations motor scooters with engines smaller than 50cc do not require registration or an operator’s license. Here (in Indiana) you see them ridden mainly by two classes, the very young who can’t afford to buy and insure a car, and people who have had their driver’s license suspended, typically for driving under the influence. Any trip around town will see numerous “adults” riding their mopeds at wide open throttle, serving as mobile chicanes. Indiana does not have a mandatory helmet law so these riders normally make do with a baseball cap turned backwards, if they wear anything at all.
The legality of mopeds can be quite hard to figure out in some states. I am not even clear on what kind of papers you need to be able to produce at a traffic stop. Proof of insurance? Some kind of registration?
Anyway, in our town there seems to be a 3rd group: a bunch of young people who ride in a group and enjoy the social aspect of it. Enthusiasts, really.
I agree, Joe. It seems to me that the prototypical moped driver in Indiana is a guy from his 20s-40s who has lost his driver’s license for one reason or another but still needs to get around.
Very nice, Wolfgang. I can’t remember ever seeing a Hercules moped / mokick in my childhood and high school years – the seventies and early eighties. But the 50 cc Zündapps and Kreidlers were everywhere back then. Way into the seventies it was still very common to use a moped / mokick as your commuter.
Of course young guys (once 16 you could ride them legally) would never ever have one with a leg shield – that was an old geezers’ option…
Thank you, Johannes. It surprises me that you have not seen any Hercules. The picture with the stubby handlebar is actually by a Dutchman.
Kreidler had a stronghold on the “Schnappsglasklasse” (Shot Glass Class) in the motorcycle world championships for most of the 60’s and 70’s I think. That is certainly one reason of their popularity. I can imagine that Motobecane, Peugeot and VeloSolex were common in the Netherlands as well.
I am not aware of any Dutch manufacturers. Do you know of any?
Regarding Dutch manufacturers, I know that Batavus, Sparta and Gazelle also built mopeds in the past. Best known for their bicycles these days. Engines from German origin, ILO and Sachs.
Below a Sparta Sport 2V with a Sachs engine. A typical “Herenbromfiets”, a moped for males.
And here’s a Sparta Sport 3V. V = Versnellingen, 2V = 2 speed, 3V = 3 speed.
47 cc Sachs engine with a Bing carb and Bosch ignition.
Here’s a nice website about the Sparta mopeds:
http://www.spartabromfietsclub.nl/
These are really the same mopeds. They use the same pressed steel frame and all the same parts except for the color scheme and the slightly higher rising handlebar. The tail light appear exactly the same that were on the Hercules and so many other mopeds.
I thought it made sense that NL would have its own production given the popularity of the fiets.
Loved this when I first read it a couple of months ago. It reminds me a bit of my first bike, a 1967 Bridgestone 90, which looks to be similar sized overall except for the larger engine. But I didn’t have nearly as many adventures as Wolfgang, probably because I didn’t have it very long. It’s a good thing I didn’t have any “incidents”, since I never had a helmet at all.
With your tall frame that must have looked funny!
Nice story. Never had a moped but used to ride my 10 speed down our long steep hills as fast has I could pedal, I’m sure sometimes around 35 MPH or more. I delivered newspapers and carried the cloth double pouch bag on the front handlebars. Was doing one of my top speed downhill runs when the bag got pulled into the front wheel and jammed the wheel. I did two end over end flips before I let go of the handlebars. It was a cold day and had on a thick jacket, but got road rash on my palms. Other then that, was OK.
One of my motorcycle close calls (1970 Honda CB 450) was the day I was in traffic at about 35 MPH when I saw a car coil spring on the road. The MG I was following ran over it with it’s rear wheel and it shot out into my path. The front tire bounced over once of the coils, popped a wheelie then the back wheel did the same, slamming the front end down while lifting the back wheel into a reverse wheelie. The bike stayed upright as I bounced off the seat and landed on the gas tank and the family jewels smacked the gas cap. A few days earlier I had replaced the cap under a recall, I was glad I had as the old cap was using a rusty nail with the sharp end pointed up as a hinge pin.
My guardian angle worked overtime over my motorcycle riding years, a few close calls and a couple of non injury spills, but never hit a car or required hospitalization.
A coil spring bouncing around. That gets your attention!
I think this was probably the best way to learn about bikes. Don’t know if you really stayed a biker but this was a great start.
Memory fails but think Hercules provided engines for some of the other brands 2 stroke offerings. Montgomery Ward type stuff.
Hercules is part of the Fichtel&Sachs Company. They did a hole lot of badge engineering in the moped and KKR market. Of course they always had a Sachs engine.
Here is a start on the topic:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sachs_Motorcycles
I have no way to post photos right now.
Both my Wards and Hercules have the ‘step-through’ or ‘U-type’ frame, where the gas tank is built into the front arm of the ‘U’ where the steering and front wheel is attached. The Wards is red and the Hercules is blue. At first glance they look the same. But close up you can see they are not. The Wards was made by the American bicycle company Columbia, who also made their own version, and it appears to be a close copy of the German Sachs-Hercules moped, but it’s not identical.
Here in the US, when many states changed their laws to permit mopeds, most had no license, insurance or registration requirement.
But many also limited their speed to no more than 25 mph (about 40 kmh). Eventually, the speed limits were relaxed to about 35 mph and while the engines were still restricted to 50cc, the newer mopeds and scooters were much faster, and accidents became more common and more severe. So now, many states have passed new laws requiring registration and license-plates for mopeds and scooters that can exceed 25 mph. Today, the old-style European mopeds that could still be pedalled, have mostly been replaced by Chinese scooters, with tube-frames & plastic shells that copy some of the Japanese Hondas, Yamahas, and the Italian Vespa.
Also, there are now laws for persons that have had their driving license suspended or revoked, making it illegal to operate mopeds or scooters.
Happy Motoring, Mark
In the late 70s, Wards’ moped was a re-branded German Solo, also sold by Columbia. I can assure you Columbia did not make mopeds in the US. No manufacturer did; they were all European imports rebranded, and then Japanese.
In the 50s, Wards sold some mopeds built by Motobecane. After 1965, all Wards Riverside mopeds, scooters and motorbikes were built by Benelli.
this site claims that the Columbia was made in the US using either Solo or Sachs engines. http://www.myronsmopeds.com/category/parts/colombia-parts/
A friend of mine lived in Germany when his dad was in the USAF. He and his sister brought two of these with them when they moved back to the US in 1970 or so. The one his sister drove was rock solid reliable, but the one he had was a mess, and parts were hard to get, so it was soon gone, replaced by a Honda 125(I think). The sister’s stuck around until the engine died about 1975. At that point, it was in pretty sad shape. She went from the Hercules to a Mustang II, in baby blue, Yuck. She has had about a half dozen cars in some unfortunate blue since then.
Is she colorblind? Just kidding!
Even I had problems finding some correct parts in Germany. F&S constantly made little changes and caused a real mess in the spare part department. I don’t think Kreidler or Zundapp owners had that kind of trouble.
It may actually have been imported. But I’m not convinced my Wards is a re-branded Solo. At that time, Wards and Columbia sold 2 or 3 different models, with different engines. Some had a tube frame with separate gas-tank. Others, like my pair, had a welded hollow frame with the tank built in. The tube-frame model’s engine had the cylinder angled up, with the cooling fins stacked in a circular design, like most air-cooled engines. When I was trying to get parts online for my Hercules, I found the Wards/Columbia tube-frame model & engine listed as a Solo.
My Wards and Sachs have the classic Sachs moped engine, with the cylinder straight forward and the fins in an ‘X’ design.
Yes, Sears and others sold mopeds in the ’60s (I also have an early ’60s Allstate, made by Puch, like the red one someone else posted here) But until 1974, in the US they were legally classified as motorcycles and were supposed to be registered and tagged that way. That’s how it was here in Virginia. I can’t account for how strict or lax local enforcement may have been elsewhere. I’m sure it varied widely.
But by the early ’70s, until they were re-classified as power-assisted bicycles in 1974, typical mopeds couldn’t meet new federal requirements for motorcycles (foot-brakes and turn-signals) so they could no longer be sold here.
Now we’ve come full circle and mopeds (In Virginia, those that can exceed 25 mph) need to be registered and tagged again.
Happy Motoring, Mark
An interesting read about a motoring culture so different from mine. I never tried to run the parental gauntlet that a moped would have required, opting to hold out for a car at the very first opportunity. “It’s a lot safer than a motorcycle” was one of my primary bullet points.
4 whatever reason i became fascinated with mopeds more than cars. didn’t even bother to get my drivers license till 18. i bought a Puch moped in about 1977. i was the 1st person i knew that had one and was sure i was an early adopter of a coming trend. i lived in PA at the time when motorcyclist were required to wear helmets but mopedists were exempt. i was constantly being stopped my johnny law for having no helmet. i finally procured an official letter from the state DMV i’d have on my person that stated these facts. i still got stopped a lot but at least had the pleasure of bringing the officer up to speed on the law.
That reminds me of my next door neighbor’s trouble getting stopped all the time. There is another class of vehicles: MoFa, which means Mo= Motor and Fa comes from Fahrrad or bicycle. These don’t require a license. You have to be 15 years old, the MoFas are limited to 25 km/h and 50cc displacement. They are all solo. My neighbor had a Garelli solo moped and police always thought it was an illegally fast MoFa. He too gave the police a free education each time he was stopped.
Great story Wolfgang .
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I like Tiddlers but MoPeds not so much .
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I occasionally ride with a MoPed group that’s mostly young people many of whom have modified their MoPeds to go 60 MPH easily .
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-Nate
Nate! I had to look that up. Tssk
A bit late, but I enjoyed your COAL/MOAL. A look at a different type of transportation and a different culture…when I was growing up I didn’t know anyone who had a moped. They weren’t really a big thing here, at least not for young folks. The most common use in the 80’s and 90’s seemed to be the proverbial “liquor cycle” for those who had lost their license to a DUI but still needed to get around town.
Even now I’d guess that’s the primary requirement. When fuel prices went through the roof scooters (i.e. Vespas and their imitators) became much more popular, but those are usually larger engined and have a higher limited speed than a true moped. And “mokick” is a term I’d never heard before–I think it’s a more fun name!
For any interested in what my Wards moped looked like, midway down at the MTD section of the Myron’s Mopeds site posted by Wolfgang, is a red ‘Imperial’ moped, identical to my Wards Imperial. Though many of the accessories are European (Magura controls, German gas-cap & switches, VDO speedometer) some of the screws & bolts that threaded into the frame are NOT metric.
Soon after I got my Wards in 1980, I found a sales brochure for the Sachs moped at a local cycle-shop, but they didn’t carry them in stock. At first glance, I thought they looked the same as my Wards, until I studied the pictures and saw they were not. At that time, the similar-looking Puchs were also very popular. But I never saw a Hercules until I found mine 33 years later.
When I bought my Wards in 1980, Virginia restricted the speed to 20 mph. Mine had a hard time reaching 15 mph until I found and removed a restrictor-plate from the carburetor.
After that, I could easily manage 20 – 22 mph, or even 25 mph on a good day!
One thing I like about the Sachs 505 engine on my Wards is the single chain drive. The cycling pedals are connected inside the gearbox. Unlike my Hercules and other mopeds where the pedals have a separate chain-set to drive the wheels, which makes rear wheel servicing much harder.
Now that the new moped law here requires registration & tags for those that exceed 25 mph, I’ll have to carry a copy of the law showing my pair exempt. I think the 20 mph sticker is still visible on the seat-post of my Wards. For the Hercules, I may have to carry a picture of the marking on my Sachs gearbox stating 40 km (24 mph)
Happy Motoring, Mark
Back in the late 70s or early 80s my Cousin bought a new Kreidler Moped imported from Germany. It had a auto 2 speed trans., that moped was really enjoyable to ride, heads above the average one speed mopeds. He also had a Bultovos made in Hungry
I think ?
I’m sure I blew the spelling on each model, maybe someone in the know can correct?
Kreidler is spelled correctly.
I cannot find Bultovos. The one Hungarian motorcycle manufacturer I am aware of is Pannonia. I found a picture of a Berva moped with Google.
There is a Spanish motorcycle brand Bultaco.
Maybe this list jogs your memory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motorcycle_manufacturers
Wolfgang … I found it !
Correct spelling is BATAVUS was made in the Netherlands.
Info found on Wikipedia.
Scroll up to Johannes Dutch’s comments. He refers to Batavus.
This was very fun to read and relatable, I’ve had mopeds since my 13th birthday when me and my mother drove past a late 70’s Puch Maxi. I already knew that she used to own a few (it would have been only one if they didn’t get stolen) and she told me to ask if it was for sale. It was, and that was the start of my interest in mopeds. Thru the years I became more skilled at modifying and driving them. I never ran a red light but I did pass cars from left and right even if there was barely any space, I’ve even been called a kamikaze pilot by a motorcycle police officer once, but I rarely stopped for them if they were on four wheels.
I fondly look back on my moped years, my interest in them isn’t the obsession it used to be but I do occasionally buy / build one. I somehow managed to spend 3k euros on a Gilera Citta last year, none of which went into paint or other cosmetics, it was rather a rocket on a pair of tiny 12 inch wheels. My mother still owns a white 1985 Puch Maxi which I’ll give some love when I have the time for it, same goes for the 1949 Triumph Speed Twin motorcycle my father bought 5 decades ago.
I can’t believe I missed the rerun of my MOAL. Hence the late reply to your comment.
Puch Maxi have been so popular in the US and so durable that they are still around. On our high school parking lot I can often see one occupying the parking space fit for an SUV. It looks as it was bought yesterday.
You could not escape the German Police on a modified moped for long. They pay particular attention to speeding mopeds. Here in the US mopeds don’t have the critical number to be worthwhile ticketing targets anyway.
Not quite Moped Of A Lifetime, but Motorcycle Of A Lifetime: Since 1976 I am the proud owner of a 1967 Hercules K 103 S, a light but nevertheless real motorbike @ 100 cc, 8.5 hp good for street legal 60 mph. It looks much similar to Hercules Mk IV moped, handling is much the same but it needs the same drivers license that you would need for a Honda 750 – over here in Germany.
That Hercules had served its first 9 years as my dad’s professional daily driver. After almost 60k on the clock it was retired of service and so it became my MOAL. Yes I have done some repairs and a paint job in the 80s, but with some basic maintenance these SACHS engines will last as long as gasoline is available!
Joe
What did your dad do to make a living using a small motorcycle?
Congratulations to keeping your MOAL going. A family heirloom non the less!