Big In Japan

Zen and the art of Moped maintenance

Recently I made the purchase of a used moped. I’ve sort of wanted one since I moved to Kalamazoo a few years ago. Kalamazoo is a sort of hub for moped enthusiasts and their enthusiasm easily rubs off. Now that I own one I realize that it’s not so much a mode of transportation as it is a hobby, and it’s not so much a hobby as a way of life.

The benefits of a moped versus say a car in my situation are many. First, and perhaps biggest is cost, both base and upkeep. The base cost of my ride was 1/100 that of a nice starter car. Here in Michigan mopeds don’t need insurance of special licensing, all you need is to pay a registration fee once every three years and have at least a regular driver’s license. Second, also relating to cost, is gas. At peak, mopeds tend to get around 100 miles to the gallon. With gas prices what they are, this is a HUGE benefit. Thirdly, maintenance is easy. I used to put window wiper fluid in my car and that was about it, anything more and it would go un-tended to or get sent to the mechanic. With the moped I’ve been able to fix a few major problems on my own (with a little help from friends and Mr. Internet). For the amount of travel I do (a mile to/from work) a moped is fairly ideal. Not to say it doesn’t have any downsides (i.e. riding in the rain.)

The short time I’ve owned this moped I’ve learned some important lessons, all of which I learned the hard way:

Lesson 1: Check your gas tank BEFORE you leave the house. In my first week of owning the bike, I rode out to the store and just as I pulled into the parking lot my engine sputtered and died. I couldn’t get it to start for anything. Upon inspection the problem was and empty fuel tank. The two mile walk back hauling 100lbs of dead (though thankfully wheeled) weight nailed that lesson home.

Lesson 2: Take your (multi-) tools with you when you go riding. Otherwise you’ll no doubt encounter a problem that you could have fixed if you had them with you. Two weeks ago I cleaned the carburetor out before going to work. On the way the engine cut out and I had to walk the bike the rest of the way there. At work I realized that I left my multi-tool at home and couldn’t affect repairs until I got home, meaning another long walk. (Thankfully my mother saved my by bringing by my tool box in the car, more on this story next lesson.)

Lesson 3: Old mopeds are like old houses. If you start to work on one project, two more that need done will make them selves evident. Continuing from above I had cleaned the carburetor earlier in the day and now my bike had stopped running. At work (luckily I have a job where I can sit and work on my moped if need be) I took the carburetor apart again to see what was wrong. I noticed that a gasket was sitting funny. When I went to re-align the gasket it shredded in my hand. I put everything back together and it still wouldn’t start. In the end I did have to walk the bike home. Flash forward a week when I get the replacement gasket in the mail. I get everything back together and running when I notice a slight gas leak. When I go to tighten the loose bolt causing it I sheer the bolt in half, putting the whole thing right back out of order.

Lesson 3a: Ordering parts can be a bit bothersome. There aren’t any stores in the area that stock vintage parts (or new parts to vintage bikes). The closest store I know of is in Kalamazoo, it’s that or some internet site (thought the Kalamazoo store also has a fine website).

Lesson 4: A moped is more MO(tor) than PED(dle). A funny thing about the above lessons, you notice I do a lot of walking around with something that I also refer to as a bike. Let me clear that up by pointing out that it is a 100lb 1 speed bike. Not a lot of fun to peddle, even down a hill.

For a vehicle that is older than me (it was made in 1980) I’m happily surprised at how well my moped still runs. I’ve had to do a few minor things to it like replace the brake and accelerator cables, the aforementioned carburetor fixing (which was my fault for messing with it), and an as yet incomplete investigation into why my tail light doesn’t work (my brake light works fine though…).

All in all I would recommend a moped for anyone looking for affordable, easy to maintain, transportation over short distances (without a lot of traffic and not too hilly). I guess the last thing to mention is that it’s strictly a summer ride, at least here in Michigan. That’s all for now I guess.

Jaa Mata Ne!

posted by Dockett @ 4:19 PM