Last month, the day after I got sidelined by a blown headgasket in the FIAT I was passed by what looked to be a tiny cafe racer. As it blew by me at more than 45mph I realized it was a modified moped. 15 minutes of googling showed me what they are capable of when kitted and tuned and I needed some cheap, fun backup for the 850. I commuted on mopeds in the mid-90's so I was pretty sure of what I was getting into.
I found most of a 78 Vespa Ciao in boxes and snapped it up.
Only what I bought looked like this
With all that was bad there were a few good things going on. The original rigid front fork had been replaced with a yamaha triple tree and there was an old CEV headlight included. The first step was to weld up some aluminum headlight brackets
I then blew apart the Dell'orto 12/10 sha carb and reamed it out to 1/2"
I ordered 17X2.75" tires not knowing they would be way too big. I had to actually flare the rear fender a lot to make them fit.
Next step acid etch the fuel tank to remove the rust, seal with POR-15 tank sealant. Prep and paint the frame and start reassembly. The clubman handlebars came from treatland.tv
The next step is engine rebuild and a massive overbore. My 75cc kit shiped on friday so I hope to get it soon. There is apparently quite a bit of case grinding needed to fit the oversized cylinder. I still need to source a pipe. I would love to build one but the science of expansion chambers is lost on me.
Practical? probably not, Fun? sure but for how long? Cheap? yeah I hope to have less than $400 into the whole thing.
For some reason SWMBO hates the idea of me on a motorcycle but when I told her I was buying another moped she was delighted. Perhaps this will get her used to the idea of me commuting on two wheels so when I say "You know, this really isn't practical enough, I think I need something with gears that can keep up with traffic" she will be OK with me draggin home an old Gilera or Puch motorcycle.
Hope to update soon.
Motor is back together
motor is in. New everything. Bearings, seals, points, condenser and everything else. This is supposed to be a 7+hp motor. For I bike I can curl with my right arm I think that should be a lot of fun.
