Mopeds making a comeback

MOPEDS are making a comeback, thanks as much to high fuel prices and traffic congestion as a need among the selfie generation to stand out in the faceless mass that is Facebook.

Judging by the motorised bicycles on offer, these modern young buyers seem to want full-out retro.

For while less than R3 000 will enable a technically-adept person to assemble his or her own moped, using an imported Chinese kit and a light mountain bike, most modern mopeds use heavy, old frames, such as the motorised bicycles being sold by Mantis Mopeds in Johannesburg.

Like the thick-wheeled, full-electric Pedegos imported from the U.S. to Durban by Matt Fisher, the Mantis Mopeds aim to enable commuters to breeze through traffic and not worry about fuel prices. Unlike the Pedego, which retails from R24 750, the retro-looking Mantis bicycles sell from R3 800 for a 49 cc engine to R4 200 for a 66 cc engine.

Retro it may look, but there are 12 gears to enable the pedaller to go faster downhill, while the tiny petrol engine will make even KZN’s Valley of a Thousand Hills feel level.

Luke Pieterse of Mantis Mopeds said the bylaws could differ in each province, but even with a 49 cc engine linked to the frame, a bicycle that can be pedalled needs no licence or registration in SA, although cycling helmets must be used.

He said the 49 cc uses two litres of fuel per 100 km and the overall weight is 11,5 kg, with a top speed of 50 km/h. The 66 cc engine uses 2,5 litres per 100 km and has a top speed of 65 km/h.

At Extreme Bikes, the importers took a different approach by added pedals to a scooter with an electric motor. These mopeds sell for just under R13 000. The Extreme Bike website also assures that SA’s Road Safety Act requires no licence for bicycles with pedals, stating: “Whether you need a cost-effective way to commute or simply want to cut your travel costs, you won’t need a licence, vehicle registration or expensive fuel to go where you want, when you want!”

At the other end of the Earth, DIY motorised-bicycle enthusiasts spare no effort to create a moped that looks like it benefited from all the buttons on the
Instagram app.

In Australia, custom-bike enthusiast Steve Jacobson has built a 1900s-style boardtrack racer using photos of original bikes and a 3D CAD to scale the original photo so the wheels in the photo match a 26” MTB wheel.

“It sounds precise, but in the mad creative rush, the translation from screen to reality was a little loose, but that also allowed for visual adjustment to what looked right — rather than strictly adhering to the measurements.” The final result looks the goods.

Jacobson modified a Victa from a sixties “Corvette” lawn mower that has had the casing plus crank cut down and a faux crankcase added, and the original magneto ignition has been removed and a simple electronic ignition fitted.

“Just about every part has been custom fabricated or modified to suit —with hand-made drop outs with custom chain tensioners and a hand-beaten seat pan with a hand-stitched leather cover, just to name a few.

“There were only a few items that weren’t made from recycled materials —  new tyres and a few pieces of tube for the frame, as most of the frame is from a rescued MTB,” posted Jacobson on bikerodnkustom4.homestead.com website.