what to buy?

[nbsdave]

Currently have (will have a long time) a DL650.
Am looking for a moped to fiddle with.
There is a 77 Vespa Bravo Deluxe, low miles $875
and a 79 Jawa Babetta, $375
and a 09 Tomos, don't know model, $995

what should I think about, not a daily rider, just one to play with.
Will any of these give me a 30 mile out and 30 mile back capability, not city, country roads?
Should I look bigger, I'm 205 lbs., not wanting to set speed records but want to stay out of the way?
what about Aprila or a Ruckus?
Every time I see someone on a moped I think I should have that much fun too.

Welcome all thoughts, ideas, and advice.

Oh, should I be embarrassed to ride it ATTGATT?

[larrylarry75]

Originally Posted by nbsdave

Currently have (will have a long time) a DL650.
Am looking for a moped to fiddle with.
There is a 77 Vespa Bravo Deluxe, low miles $875
and a 79 Jawa Babetta, $375
and a 09 Tomos, don't know model, $995

what should I think about, not a daily rider, just one to play with.
Will any of these give me a 30 mile out and 30 mile back capability, not city, country roads?
Should I look bigger, I'm 205 lbs., not wanting to set speed records but want to stay out of the way?
what about Aprila or a Ruckus?
Every time I see someone on a moped I think I should have that much fun too.

Welcome all thoughts, ideas, and advice.

Oh, should I be embarrassed to ride it ATTGATT?

Yes to everything. Buy 'em all. Not much $$ and lots of fun. Wear what you're comfortable in...goes without saying.

[nbsdave]

Originally Posted by larrylarry75

Yes to everything. Buy 'em all, work on them all the time, never ride any of them and wear ATTGATT around your house. See how your neighbors react to that.

no room for all at once, not riding them is not an option
I do have a problem with the neighbors when I'm on the rdiing mower wearing ATTGATT. I would prefer to be in my speedo, but that has gotten complaints too-seems ya can't please anybody sometimes

[MotoRandy123]

The problem with the mopeds is parts. I'd look at a Super Cub or CT90. These use the horizontal
Honda motors and are the size and weight of a moped but more versatile. If it's not enough power
you can drop in a Lifan 140 to wake it up!

[MOPED MEDIC]

You will probably be able to get parts for the Vespa or Tomos easier than for the Jawa.

[tortoise2]

Originally Posted by nbsdave

should I be embarrassed to ride it ATTGATT?

This will be just your toy, right, so the laws of physics should not apply the same as a real motorcycle. Let the natural selection process prevail.

[hugemoth]

The Vespa Bravo will be very slow but it's a rugged little moped. Don't know about the others.

[JerryH]

I put over 20,000 miles on a 1980 Puch moped. I have ridden it close to 3000 miles from home. They have a top speed of 30 mph, so it is kind of like riding a bicycle. That was a long time ago, but I still have the moped, and it still runs. You can still get parts for almost any Puch or Tomos moped. I'm bigger than you, and never had any problems with that. My moped is a 2 speed, and it will easily climb everything I have ever tried to climb with it, including one section of road nearby where the elevation goes up 3500 feet in 5 miles. My 125cc scooters won't even come close to handling that, mostly because of the narrow range CVT transmissions.

I have also owned a couple of newer Tomos mopeds. They are also 2 speed, and climb well. If you get one with oil injection, remove it and run premix. It will fail and destroy the engine. Tomos makes great mopeds, but a first grader could design a better oil injection system.

If your plan is to make it faster, I hope you have a lot of money. Been there and done that. Spent thousands over the course of a decade or so, achieved some incredible speeds, followed by a loud noise, and parts of the engine flying in all directions. Ride them stock, and they will last forever.

As for the ATGATT thing, I have to admit I'm not one of those. I wear a full face helmet, and when it is cold I wear whatever it takes to stay warm, but I have rarely ever worn armor. I like to be able to move around on the bike. Even heavy gloves interfere with my ability to operate the hand controls, especially on a manual shift motorcycle. I am not recommending that to you. It's your choice. KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THE CONSEQUENCES before making it.

I can't believe the rider survived that crash, IF they did. Apparently they did not see the car. Even if you have the right of way, don't expect any one to yield. Everyone out there in a car is your enemy. They will not see you, you have to see them.