It all started in Pittsburgh, PA while taking my friend Leah to an engineering convention in the city. On the way there 3 people (who I’d later meet) rode by on mopeds while we sat at a stop light. I told Leah I had always wanted a moped (they looked like a lot of fun). She replied “then why don’t you have one?”. Considering my moped obstacles had recently all been removed via divorce/better job/not living with parents I said “I have no idea!”
That night I went home and began the google adventure. A little reading and Craigslist searching and I was off to Columbus, OH to pick up Blue…already NJ fast with an 70cc Alukit and Bi-Turbo…
So I set to work to clean Blue up and make it look as close to stock as possible…with a sweet trunk of course…
WTF was I thinking!…a trunk!…mission old man moped was accomplished. Now I’d caught up with the mysterious mopeders I’d seen go riding by, SwitcHandSignal…quite possibly the nicest, best people I know…I miss you guys, move to Brooklyn already!…anyway I soon learned that I new nothing but how to use tools and cut stuff apart so began Blue 2.0
Straight bars, bobbed fenders, new fairing, homemade bar-end mirrors and finally rid of the stupid trunk!
Now riding regularly with sHs I discover a moped can be fast and go up Pittsburgh hills! Back to reading and time to tweak this thing…after lots of time, reading, and wrench days we end up here
Hi-Comp head, J Cams intake with Mikuni VM20, Estrol pipe, hidden premix bottle, chopped fairing, real bar-end mirrors (the homemade ones sucked) tweaked clutches and 26×22 gearing.
The bike was quick went up any hill an I rode it to work every chance I got!!! That was a great summer wrenching and riding and even sHs brought me into the gang! Blue and I go to a mini rally in memory of Becky and John’s dad (who I’m bummed I never got to meet but hearing the stories he was a great guy!)
Then I moved with Leah to NYC…without a job…for six months…without Blue to work on I’d of gone completely crazy…sHs points me to Mission23 and the Orphans…yay! Moped people (I really am that dorky)! So I start to ride with M23 and Blue gets even faster as I lose weight and the gearing goes up to 28×22. Plus case matching the 70cc Alukit and replacing the rings makes a big difference too!
Blue and I go back to Pittsburgh to the farewell sHs rally and then WB and finally here in Brooklyn…Blue then was usurped by new mopeds as it was time to move on. I thought about selling Blue…and for a while it lived in Second Stroke Mopeds showroom but after deciding a newb would kill themselves, on it I decide Blue would be decommissioned and parts repurposed.
Blue is gone for now but it will be back and better than ever…it’s just a matter of time…
Thanks for the ride my friend…
I know its not funny but I can’t help laugh at the thought of you standing in a train with one arm holding that strap or whatever ,and a peugeot frame and one wheel under the other.
Being a country guy in comparisan to your life style, I can’t Imagine what it would be like to not have a car for an emergency like that.
That pug with the single seat, Doppler and no top covers is the shit. I love the twin stainles fenders front and rear.
I wonder if I could remove my painted rear and find a stainless?
Being from farm country myself I was amazed at what you can carry on public transportation in NYC. Gabe Bandit brought me most of a Tomos Revival through the subway! Mostly just do it at night and no one asks questions. 🙂