Free shipping

Finally a heavy duty kit to replace the Doppler clutch pulley weak stock 6mm shoe posts that bend or break under big power. Soon available at Treats www.treatland.tv

Here’s the final version with water jet cut steel triangle brace (installed on the pulley) + machined steel 8mm posts heat treated + 8mm castle nuts + cotter pins.

The thicker base of each post allows the shoes to fit deeper inside the clutch bell for more grabbing surfaces but with enough clearance so the posts don’t rub against the bell. There’s also a special flat section to hold the post with a wrench when tightening the castle nut.

To upgrade your Doppler clutch pulley remove the stock 6mm pins, drill 5/16 holes, tighten the heavy duty 8mm shoe posts with the castle nuts and cotter pins needed for safety.  Install the clutch shoes and the triangle brace plate with the stock Doppler circlips.

Et voila, you’re ready to rip!

To order email Christophe at tomahawkmopeds@ymail.com

Peugeot and Motobecane Doppler clutch pulley available at TREATS www.treatland.tv

I’ve got 2 months to cut, grind, weld, order all the missing parts to finish the project and register the bike as a moped by the end of March for the “Super Sunday” big Ruckus ride in Los Angeles.

I’m super excited about that project but no more talk, it’s time to build.

Engine:

Two stroke minarelli horizontal scooter engine 23hp imported from France (Mbk nitro/Yamaha Zuma) with Malossi MHR 77cc h20 kit, Malossi crank 85mm, Stage 6 digital cdi, Dell’orto 28mm carb flat slide, Stage 6 R1400 exhaust, Malossi over range transmission kit, Stage 6 clutch pulley, Stage 6 gears.

In 2007 moped racing made a slow come back with old school tuners/racers and few young racers. Since then, the sport has grown every year but still needs new blood to survive.

For the first time this year, companies like Bidalot (pioneer of moped racing and #1 brand for performance parts in the 80′sand 90′s) are stepping in wanting to help the sport grow, by submitting their ideas like introducing an open class up to 80cc the most popular displacement among young racers today (scooters/6 speed in drag racing and speed track racing). The idea is not really welcomed by the hard core an long time 50cc moped racers but could attract new racers to secure the future of the sport. Some argue that Bidalot has always been only about business and fear that they want to jump in just to tap into a new market to sell their modern racing parts, with a risk that they could start controlling the rules like they did back in the days.

The 2012 season is going to be the busiest since 2007 with about 30 bikes in the 50cc open class (no cases and carb size limit, open chassis) in the northern championship with top moped racers traveling for Belgium to challenge the french racers.

The southern championship is packed as well with new crazy bikes this year in each class, 50cc open, 50cc gr1, and the most popular 50cc stock-ish.

Reading all the french blog we can feel that everybody is excited and starting to feel the pressure, working hard to finish their bikes on time for the 1st race starting late march. Some of the teams are even getting a sponsorship this year, that’s a good sign.

Some random pics of  current race bikes and new projects under progress, mainly from Northern France. Some of those guys are getting serious for the 2012 season, bringing out the big guns! I’ll try to plan another trip this year and go to one of their races, last year I went to one of the Southern France championship event, gained tons of experience and brought some cool moped parts.

Bonus Video: A look inside Polini Motori.

Some people still ask me if we build moped engines for others, I hope this post answers the question.

I’m specialized in Peugeot and Motobecane variated engines my first choice of mopeds but can also work on Puch and Tomos engines stock or kitted.

Just email us at tomahawkmopeds@ymail.com for quotes since every engine project is different and send us your parts or ask us some advice on what parts to buy.

And YES…. we can build your custom moped too!

Keep in mind that a vintage custom moped built from scratch with brand new parts is not cheap and to build it right with quality like all the Tomahawk bikes it takes an average of 50+ hrs of labor, that’s if there’s no special custom frame modifications request.

For example:

Just a vintage moped frame can cost up to $200, good mag wheels $200, Ebr fork $200, disc break assembly $200, standard rear shocks $60, handle bars – controls – head light – cables – pedals – chains, seat, etc… another $200.

So a $1000 just for the rolling chassis + paint job.

Plus close to  $1000 in parts for a fast brand new race engine built from scratch. A brand new stock engine is a little cheaper but still around $600 in parts.

Here’s my personal experience:

The fun thing about mopeds is that it’s supposed to be cheap and do it yourself. Fast vintage custom mopeds are a whole different world. People buy a cheap vintage moped and try to learn to fix it themselves. It’s fine as long as they keep the engine stock but once they decide the bump the power with performance parts, it’s just the beginning of a long, painful and expensive road.

Over and over I see people wanting to build their own kitted engine to learn and save money. But most of the time they end up spending more in the long run after seizing multiple kits or breaking their engine parts. After few months of frustration, they finally bring the bike to an expert which they should have hired in the first place to really save money. It takes even more labor for a mechanic to repair a damaged engine than building one with new parts.

In conclusion, their is no cheap vintage custom moped and fast. The only cheap moped is a stock vintage one which you got a good deal for and that only needs little maintenance once in a while. Or, a brand new Tomos stock-ish engine reliable with a pipe and up jet for daily commuting at 45 mph max,  and maybe little extra money spent on chassis parts to make it look less boring and more custom.

That’s just my opinion but I hope that it helps those who are new to the moped world or want to build a custom bike.

Dual variated transmission:

6 speed transmission:

BONUS PICS:

Among many brands, a Bidalot 50cc and 70cc kits for 6 speed minarelli AM6 engines.

Plus, French-German company Maxiscoot/MXS racing latest prototype with their new 90cc kit (2 years development) available on the market by 2012 for minarelli horizontal scooter engines and 6 speed engines like minarelli AM6, Derbi euro 2 and Derbi euro 3.

Can you imagine that sweet 6 speed 2T euro technology available and easily adaptable for our french variated mopeds? Hmmm… let me see if I can work on that this year.

Look inside Maxiscoot/MXS custom shop, working on their 1st air cooled 70cc kit 18.5 hp one of the most powerful for vertical minarelli Zuma 50cc scooter engine.

Free shipping

CNC machined aluminum clip-ons made in USA for 28mm EBR hydraulic forks and most stock moped forks.

Fix 8 degrees race angle.

Standard size 7/8 aluminum tubes 12 inches long. They can be easily cut or replaced by any chrome or black steel tubes from cut off  moped handle bars.

Perfect for your street custom project or race moped.

We’re raffling off a clip-ons set:

To enter the raffle email Christophe at tomahawkmopeds@ymail.com subject “clipons raffle” and give your feedback based on the picture (design, price, etc…)

The raffle will end February 1st 2012 and the winner will be picked randomly by number generator.

To order email Christophe at tomahawkmopeds@ymail.com

Motobecane rubber bushing mounts on Peugeot frame phase 2:

Special brass guides and bushing housing by Tomahawk, aluminum spacer by Overkill, welds by master welder and manufacturer of Apache helicopter parts.

Plus, motobecane old 19mm intake conversion to stock square shape for better gas flow with welded aluminum (no cheap JB weld for “Mr. High-Tech”).

Hi Christophe,

This is what I made with a friend and my son of a 2005 Ramzey Comfort (which is a Turkish Peugeot 103 clone with kick start as you might know).
We’ve built the moped for my girlfriends son’s birthday next week. Today was the first time on the streets of Amsterdam and it attracted a lot of attention from passers by.

We bought the original bike for €50 and managed to keep the total cost at about €250, by using a lot of second hand stuff from adds on the internet.

We visited the tomahawk website often after my son discovered it last year when he got an old Peugeot 103 for his eleventh birthday from my father as a learning project.

Through this email I’d like to thank you for the inspiration.
Keep up the good work!

Best regards,

Wim Gietermans
Amsterdam
Holland

Made in USA.

The 1st batch is here! The clip-ons will be FOR SALE very soon here on the Tomahawk blog and at Treats www.treatland.tv

Working late nights getting the clip-ons ready, compressed air cleaning, thread and quality control, aluminum 7/8 tube cutting, Allen screw assembly.

Perfect racing position with a fix 8 degrees angle just like on my Peugeot 50cc race moped.

- BONUS PICS:

Sneak peek at the “Transformer moby” project by Overkill (chassis) and Tomahawk (race engine).

Engine set-up:

Stock av10 cases ported, Doppler kit 50cc air ported, Malossi crank, Doppler stock reeds, Dell’orto 19 carb, Doppler pipe, Mvt cdi, Bidalot Junior variator, Doppler clutch pulley, stock engine spring, launch lever. Probably an h20 50cc set-up in the future.

Check out the size of that fat rear tire (3 inch tubeless) with the wide stock mbk av10 magnum square swing arm! I can’t wait to see the future gas tank side covers with aluminum CNC machined motobecane raised 3D logo.

Engine cases disassembly:

Case matching + billet LED tail lights:

Cylinder porting:

Setting the transfers and exhaust port duration at Gr1 moped racing specs + Bidalot variator.

VIDEO:

The engine is built so tight with precision.

All surfaces were carefully checked. The crank perfectly centered. The cases are assembled with special crank seals not available at any moped part store, new grade 8 7mm bolts + stainless steel spacers. The head is mounted with malossi long nuts M7 and stainless steel thick spacers + O ring and professional super resistant sealant. The squish is safely set for 91 octane fuel. Blue Loctice applied where needed.

Next is the ignition with timing set for high rpms + aluminum welding inside the intake manifold to match the stock reed block for a perfect gas flow.

Even though the cylinder is not lubricated yet on that video, the compression is already very strong! Just what we need for crazy 50cc power.

PS:

I’m getting ready to build my cafe scoot /drag ped project powered  by a minarelli 77cc 23hp dual variated scooter engine. I’m still undecided and looking for advice. Please check out my last post on mopedarmy to help me take a decision, thanks.

read.php?1,2911228

My motorcycle frame is a Hodoka Ace 100:

Some random videos to celebrate the new year.

Peugeot 103 vogue made in France, actually made in China since 2006:

Tomos club in Japan:

Peugeot 103 recent build by Gregoire Blachon, Nashville Tennessee:

Motobecane av10 chopper home made kick start:

Puch maxi 80cc eurokit drag racer:

1976 OW! strian Puch maxi 2hp back to life:

Rebuilt engine after full checkup:

Engine rubber mounting conversion Phase 1 + a peek at the Mykitech cases/minarelli scooter 86cc on the peugeot 103 frame for the big bore fans. Why not? My race bike with a modified chassis would be a good candidate to test that kind of power + launch lever. But with 25hp I would probably install my better Paioli 30mm adjustable hydraulic fork + steering damper.

ENGINE CHECKUP:

Here’s an exclusive look inside the engine of my Peugeot 103 RCX 50cc race moped 14hp converted back to a street moped without the race fairings. Before riding the bike on the streets I need to do a complete engine checkup after 5 races on the track.

The engine is a 49.9cc Bidalot h20 kit replica (with transfer ports smaller than a real vintage Bidalot racing kit) + graphite AGP piston + Malossi cases + Bidalot crank 16mm, Pvl analog cdi, Dell’orto 21 carb, Giannelli pipe, steel Bidalot variator and Giraudo clutch pulley. The engine was built by Remi Cusso french master tuner with 20+ years experience in moped racing. As you can see nothing crazy there just a very nice job on the exhaust porting and the malossi cases barely ported with minimal aluminum removed to match the Bidalot cylinder ports. Special crank lubricating holes added to the cases and guides inside each half for a perfect alignment. Guide also added to the h20 head for perfect alignment with the cylinder. Some good “race shit”… you do it right or you don’t do it.

QUICK TIP: The real power of 2 stroke small moped engines doesn’t come from porting the shit out of the cylinder and cases or using gigantic bore, carb or intake, but from properly assembling the engine very slowly, using metrology (the science of measurement) and paying attention to every single detail like a surgeon. Also knowing for each cylinder kit what swept volume and transfers + exhaust port duration works best with what cases volume, intake size, carb size, pipe size, rpms, ignition timing, spark plug, combustion chamber volume, squish with fuel octane rating, final transmission. Some extra horsepower on mopeds can be gained or at least not lost with a light chassis, zero resistance for spinning parts or brakes, good lubrication and alignment, tire pressure, engine proper cooling system, aerodynamic fairings, vegetarian diet plan… lol, etc…

Once I got the motor back in the US, I built a custom rubber mounted engine spring, laser cut some guides for the vintage Bidalot variator 100mm, completed the engine with all the h20 system and spent a lot of time in 2011 tuning it with the right timing + carb settings + pipe length + launch lever + variator weights + transmission for the race track in Southern California but no moped racer 50cc or even 75cc showed up to challenge me. I’ll wait next April 2012 to race against 200cc motorized bicycles. I wonder what’s next, Harley 1200cc engines? I’m really curious to see where it’s gonna stop with bigger bore engines in the quest for power? Isn’t 49.9cc the real limit to call it moped racing, and tuning skills to make the engine faster the real fun challenge? Or functioning pedals makes anything a legit moped no matter what the engine size?

5am in the morning, let’s do this:

Engine dismount, taking note of all the settings before taking it apart, timing, squish, checking the compression, piston ring gap, nikasil at top deck, crank bearings + seals, rod, needle cage bearing,  piston pin, viton O-ring, variator full checkup with new guide allen screws for every race, weights arms pins, carbon petals reeds, engine spring, water hoses, etc, etc…

If I’m not too lazy and have enough time I should weld and install some motobecane rubber bushings. The engine is half way rubber mounted with the custom engine spring but I need to finish the job to get rid of all the vibrations causing the exhaust springs to break at high rpms. It’s a little complicated because I need to make sure that the variator stays perfectly aligned with the pulley to avoid any problem with the belt, there’s no room for error when you’re dealing with a race engine.

Quick note:

The piston’s head shows a perfect gas flow and no overheating as a  result of a good exhaust porting job. The Bidalot high quality needle cage bearing is recognizable by its blueish color. The multiple new base gaskets worked fine instead of an aluminum raiser not available at the time. The crank shifted a little off center inside the cases probably due to the heat at high rpms on the track but no worries there everything feels tight. To protect the engine I kept the carburetion rich and like all the moped racers in France I’ve been using some (hard to buy) airplane leaded Avgas 100LL  fuel rich compared to the dry unleaded 91 or even 93 octane fuel that we normally get at a gas station. Next year I’ll try to get some leaded VP C12 racing fuel octane 108 with appropriate cylinder head squish.

Disassembling an engine after few races is important to prevent any mechanic failure or horsepower loss, and gives a good reference point on the parts wear after a certain amount of miles or time spent on the track, it helps with scheduling the next checkup.

Time to change the piston ring to regain between 1 to 2 hp.  After measuring the ring gap I can now evaluate how fast a new ring wears and know that it won’t last more than 2 or 3 races with full power before replacing it.  I measured the transfers and exhaust port duration in degrees set with pretty high numbers based on Gr2 specs but close to Gr3.

That engine looks really clean after 5 races and stayed reliable because of a conservative porting and restricted rpms taking no chance to break the 16mm peugeot crankshaft also very thin on the variator side. A 2 stroke race engine performs at its BEST when pushed to the very limits (high rpms, small squish, compression ratio, leanest fuel mixture, etc…) but then can fail at anytime and make you lose the race,  it’s like a “catch 22″. To win races, you have to compromise but also adjust after each race and make changes according to your competition on the track. Sometimes it takes an entire season and if your fellow racers are not 100% dedicated or don’t show up the following season then you’ve almost tuned your bike and pushed the engine limits for nothing.

So… you still want to be a moped racer?

Peugeot Malossi cases and Bidalot 50cc h20 kit available at www.treatland.tv

Hmmm… Check out that vintage full Bidalot kit party 50cc air cooled 15 carb 11hp bolt on, for 80′s 90′s Peugeot Gr1 class entry level moped racing. I wish they’d still make those racing parts instead of  those street replica parts we’re only getting now.

BONUS PICS:

Moped racing in Oregon. I got the photos from facebook Lara Burke’s album thanks to Jeffrey Jay Herzog moped racer with the polini 70cc black motobecane av10 #22. Why doesn’t this happen in California anymore? I’m sooooo jealous. It seems like they get 6 to 7 consistent riders and 10+ on a good weekend. I may have to save money and drive all the way up north once or twice a year to have fun with those fellow racers. Jeffrey is building a new engine for his black moby next year based on my Gr1 50cc setup and also building 2 or 3 extra loaner bikes for anybody who would want to try moped racing in 2012.

BONUS VIDEO:

France, Team Remi Cusso vintage Bidalot RS 50cc race moped in action beating the modern Japanese, Italian, Spanish 50cc 6 speeds race bikes during an open practice round in the south of France Championship 1st race of the 2011 season last April. I was actually at the race and witnessed the power of those 50cc 18hp mopeds, it was so impressive. The “old pops” technology stunned the new kids and proved that 50cc variated race mopeds are not dead and still kicking ass.

On board video with a rare camera angle mounted on the swing arm at the bottom of the shock. Old school Moto GP style:

xn1rmv_2eme-seance-d-essai_auto?start=0#from=embed

ALSO… from the early 90′s in the peak of french moped racing era, vintage photos of a variated 50cc race moped prototype chassis GR3 (no carb size limit class) built by an independent french team that later became the official bike of  the Ninja exhaust company team:

PLUS… Peugeot 103 race moped winner of the 2011 South of France championship season in the entry level “stockish factory” class, stock 50cc air cooled (ported), stock cases, 15 carb max, performance exhaust, stock variator.

AND… treasures of G3 Raptor’s cave (french builder and racer) hidden somewhere outside Paris. Bidalot Gr3 clutch pulleys, engine springs, intake manifolds, cdis.

So it looks like in January 2012 Tomahawk is finally leaving the underground “James Bond room” for a bigger shop at Overkill high end baja buggy parts in Anaheim, Orange County. Perfect location in an industrial zone to build and test screaming mopeds all day long.

I’ll keep an antenna in Hollywood for small projects and moped repairs but I’ll use the new shop to build all the future custom bikes. With our new fast mopeds we’re gonna show the Ruckus scooter people of OC what’s up. I’m also working on fabricating future Tomahawk moped parts:

Some aluminum clipons with steel chromed tubes for 28mm moped fork like the EBR and maybe later 30mm for Tomos fork, with future options like anodizing, powder coating, tubes stainless steel, titanium, etc… Also an aluminum launch lever with bearing that mount on the pedal shaft for pegs or pedals use + a bracket ready to bolt on motobecane or peugeot engine cases. The launch lever is a must-have part on those variated french bikes to get the most out of your engine by pressing down on it with your foot. It’s like downshifting on your variated transmission, it gives you that extra power that no other moped offers (even with a dual variated transmission), launching the engine into high rpms for quicker accelerations to reach top speed or be the fastest climbing hills.

I’m also going to design and test a new engine spring for peugeot and motobecane since none of the polini or doppler works perfectly. I’m trying to work on a new Tomahawk clutch pulley or a heavy duty kit to upgrade your doppler clutch pulley ER2. And a bunch of other parts needed for french bikes and later think about good parts for Puch and Tomos.

We’ve got a couple of projects lined up, another fast 50cc Doppler motobecane av10 project,  the “Motomos” a Tomos A55 with custom extended swing arm top quality welds and streetmate front end disc brake with maybe a motobecane variated engine, my Tomos ST Harley top tank and my Minarelli 77cc h20 drag moped. There’s gonna be some long nights but let’s do this thing!

More frames waiting for a Tomahawk extreme makeover:

Black Peugeot 103 vogue short swing arm 50cc h20/air cooled, Green peugeot 103 RCX short square swing arm 70cc polini h20, White peugeot 103 mvl dual variated swing arm with high rpm vintage Bidalot racing 50cc air cooled and wide 2.5 inch mag wheels with stock threaded holes for disc brake, Yellow old new stock motobecane av10 frame zero miles not even a single drop of gasoline in the tank. How do you like that moby frame drg7? I know know you want it bad.

For a man of means, a future 25hp 86cc h20 monster peugeot or motobecane moped using the CNC machined Mykitech cases from www.treatland.tv to adapt all the powerful high tech minarelli scooter parts imported from Europe + the Mykitech clutch pulley.

France, custom scooter minarelli engine + peugeot 103 monster scooter:

New Vespa Quarantasei Concept and BMW Concept C (with cameras replacing the mirrors) in 2012:

BONUS PICS and VIDEOS:

The US moped scene is just the best and probably the biggest. If you don’t own a moped yet watch that video and go get one!

A 1979 film about moped safety.

Great art work and T-shirts by Tyler Conway “Bright mind designs” in Denver, inspired by the Tomahawk custom mopeds:

phewjoe-103-silk-screened-i-love-mopeds?ref=v1_other_1

I’ve been told that Motobecane is the most popular brand and I think the only one that was imported in Brazil, some models were built with tubular frames like the Mobylette XR. Their bikes are super cool and fast reaching 80mph top speed tricking their stock engines or using whatever is available. Performance parts are rare with no moped store and expensive in Brazil with crazy customs taxes when imported.

They’re just starting to get some good stuff from the US like the Doppler ER3 variators thanks to Treats www.treatland.tv, and trying to learn more about how to tune their variated AV10 engines french racing style reading the Tomahawk blog. I don’t know if they’ve mastered the launch lever with proper variator tuning yet but they’ve discovered the nitrous boost kit and the Redbull baffle… rad!

Thanks Augusto (blue XR) and Vincius (navy blue av10, orange XR) for providing the pics and links. If I made any mistake let me know. PS: I don’t know if you watch UFC mixed martial arts but I’m a big fan of Anderson Silva Brazilian fighter.

Videos of moped meeting, street and freeway races, plus WMX motorized bicycle AV10 engine with an awesome guitar soundtrack:

BONUS VIDEOS:

For those who are new to the Tomahawk blog and motobecane french variated mopeds. Here are some old classic videos I posted 2 years ago of a friend and master tuner in France (Remi),  showing the power of a  motobecane av10 50cc h20 Bidalot engine big intake 30mm Keihin carb with a Bidalot clutch pulley. It’s also a good reference for those who build fast 50cc mobys, it gives a good idea of what a powerful and perfectly tuned 50cc engine should sound like. Use it to tune your bike just like you would tune a musical instrument and compare with the sound of your engine’s videos.

In the 2nd video test run, the engine spring and variator weights + launch lever are perfectly tuned causing the belt not at ideal temperature yet to grab a little weird making the powerful engine swing back and forth but it usually stops once the belt gets warm and you can counter that effect by pressing with your foot on the launch lever. Cf 90 doesn’t mean it’s a 90cc it’s the motobecane av10 year model 1990, listening to that crazy engine I’ve had people asking me and getting confused, it’s just a 49.9cc only allowed for moped racing in France anything bigger is by law registered as a motorcycle, pedals or no pedals. I’ve actually test rode that bike during my last visit in France and never felt anything like that on a moped before, it sounded and felt like a powerful 80cc kit.

x8crsu_cf-90-de-remi-g3-pour-2009_auto#rel-page-4

x9kowt_mbk-51-cf-90-g3-bidalot_auto#rel-page-3

PLUS, if you don’t mind fairings on mopeds, here are some of the nastiest motobecane av10 h20 and peugeot 103 moped builds in France have seen so far:

Motobecane av10:

Peugeot 103:

ALSO:

Special thoughts for a moped friend Daniel Nguyen from the Woolly Bullies moped gang and his family. Daniel was a super cool guy full of life,  he recently tragically died in LA too young at 28 years old. It’s a very sad time for the moped community. It reminded us how precious life, family and close friends are. Keep riding your mopeds and Carpe Diem!

Tribute video by Honest Mike:

I’m using used stock av10 cases, used crank + new bearings and seals, new 50cc doppler kit, used stock RMZ head with decomp, used stock cdi (also have a back up new mvt cdi), new 19 carb, new doppler exhaust, new doppler er3 variator with bearing clutch function, stock double spring, no launch lever.

I’m using my wonder bread moby frame to test the engine, once perfectly tuned I’ll send it back to Chicago, ready to mount and blast after re-jetting.

If you’re interested in a similar set-up for your moby or build a whole bike just contact Tomahawk.

Short video 1st start a mano:

2h break in session with rich carburetion + heavy variator weights, and old doppler pipe (thx Tracy!)

The engine is ready for final test runs, carb and variator tuning. Then pack it and ship it.

Motobecane stock cases available at www.treatland.tv

AV7                                                                     AV10

Bonus pics:

Back from my meeting with Santa Claus after reinstalling my 50cc Bidalot engine, blasting everybody’s ears and racing some Ford Mustangs on Hollywood Blvd with my screaming 12,000 rpms pressing hard on the launch lever. I never get tired of it!

The perfect plug, the color looks richer in real with a nice light chocolate brown/brick red.

Peugeot 103 RXC 49.9cc moped, 14 hp 14,000 rpm.

I don’t want my 50cc race moped to rust in my shop until the next race April 7th 2012 at Grange’, so I decided to remove the fairings and register the bike to blast it once in a while on moped rides. Before that I’ll do a complete engine checkup and will change the transmission for street riding top speed. The negative side is that the more miles you put on a race engine the less it performs at its full potential on the track for race day.

I installed a long seat and a Tomos square headlight for now to make it look more like a street moped american style. I’ll probably paint the wheels black, re-weld a straight frame brace, get a round headlight and modify the seat cafe’ style later.  The purist french racers and bloggers are going to tease me for removing those awesome vintage Bidalot fairings but we can’t please everybody and since nobody races in California I have to take that bike to the streets. Plus the bike will also blend much better next year on the track racing against other mopeds or 50cc to 200cc and electric motorized bicycles.

The only thing missing is the license plate and the pedals but there were no pedals on the stock peugeot 103 RCX 90′s version with pegs and kick start like many other mopeds, Honda, Vespa, Motobecane, Tomos, etc… It’s almost impossible to install pedals on that bike, there’s no thread for a rear bicycle freewheel, no front sprocket on the shaft or even room to weld one. I’m still keeping the moped spirit by using a 49.9cc limit engine and after market Peugeot moped parts only, except for the auto electric water pump. Even the vintage Fournales ole0-pneumatic shocks were made for the 103 RCX frame.

Bonus video : Another fast Tomahawk 50cc motobecane.

Melvin’s motobecane Av10 polini 50cc kit with stock cases is almost done. He built the bike and I taught him how to properly assemble the engine and slightly port the cylinder W exhaust port. He custom made a swing arm, clip-ons handle bars, dual launch lever, exhaust ball joint springs system, cut and re-welded the frame’s tail to adapt new shocks (gave up the mono shock project), installed a disc brake and custom fork brace, etc… He always find new ideas using cheap parts available at his auto body shop.

I stopped by Friday night for his birthday and first start of his new moby. I reassembled the 19 carb with all the right settings, timed the ignition, tuned the doppler variator + launch lever. I did a full session breaking in the engine on the stand before doing some test runs. WOW… the 50cc polini  kit rips! Good torque and some serious power even with the small 52T rear sprocket. That bike might be faster than any of our other mobys and Melvin is light too. Once completely done the bike will get a new paint.

Somebody’s gonna have a big smile on his face blasting through the streets of  LA at 70 mph.

As you probably already know, you can find all those performance parts at www.treatland.tv the best moped parts store in the universe and build your own fast motobecane engine or have all the parts shipped to Tomahawk for complete assembly, tuning, testing, shipped back to you and experience the real 50cc power.

Who said Motobecane av10 variated mopeds can’t go as fast as one speed puch mopeds and hold top speed for miles?

I think those Turkish Kamikazes use a stock av10 bottom end + 70cc kit + modify stock pipe + small rear sprocket. Ok, they ride downhill on a light frame and small tires with an aerodynamic position but still that’s not bad… I read 80 mph on the speedometer. Those bikes don’t have good acceleration in the city though and are built to break records on the freeway.

Peugeot 103 70cc malossi h20 custom built:

Stock 1978 Peugeot 103 lvs 50cc before the transformation:

Los Angeles River:

I just received a set of 2 way regular bearings to replace the push start one way bearing on the Doppler clutch pulley and use a kick start unit to start the engine.

VIDEO:

Here’s a test run with the HK 3020 bearing.

The stock Doppler clutch pulley is available at Treats moped super store www.treatland.tv

https://www.treatland.tv/motobecane-av7-av10-doppler-clutch-pulley-p/motobecane-doppler-pulley.htm

Back up LED bicycle lights by Knog made in Australia:

Bonus Video:

I don’t know all the details but I’ve learned through Neil the organizer of motorized bicycle racing in Southern California that a group of people drag race old mini bikes in the streets of Long Beach (south Los Angeles). It started just as a ride and BBQ event but now it got really serious with bikes going 90 mph and racers talking trash. Check out the Oldminibikes.com forum for more info.

http://www.oldminibikes.com/forum/general-minibike-talk/7079-drag-racing-mini-bikes.html

I rebuilt my motobecane av10 engine with new crank bearings + seals and mounted the kick start unit to use the modified Doppler Er2 clutch pulley with a solid 2 way bearing to solve the problems I’ve been having with the one way bearing designed to push start the bike.

I can’t wait to try that new transmission set-up. It should be the perfect street/race 50cc motobecane with reliability,  fast take offs, accelerations and top speed. I’ll remove the clutch pulley + kick start on the track to get a more direct and quicker acceleration and to keep the bike lighter.

Bonus pics and videos:

I came back from a Friday night ride with the Wooly Bullies moped gang. Lots of mopeds and lots of fun. I can’t get enough of that 2 stroke smell. I finally met Honest Mike, cool dude. The ride was fast but no bikes could keep up with our mobys. I love the power of 50cc variated motobecane bikes with launch lever. People don’t really realize how fast they are until they get blasted on a ride. I replaced the air box with a TNT scooter filter. The bike is starting to look more like a moped now. I might repaint the frame once I’m done with the clutch pulley/kick start set-up.

The 2 fastest motobecane bikes in LA parked in downtown at Farmer Boys restaurant.

Meeting at Choke moped store. Check out the Tron neon lights, rad!

Cruising through Pasadena. I’m still having problems at low end with slow throttle response, I may have to change my spark plug and check the ignition.

Here’s a video from Honest Mike “the King of Low Def”. He goes to a lot of moped/scooter rides and brings videos edited and uploaded in record time. He shot some videos last night of the Bullies ride, blasting his bike the camera in one hand to the other hand on the handlebars, that guy is a pro.

I just got a cool home made trophy gift from Treats. Gender bender hill race 2008 1st place. Thanks guys! I feel like I was there and won it . I missed all the good races since I only started doing mopeds in the US in 2009. I will proudly expose it in my living room and maybe in my future shop.

Frame + headlight + fender 70′s Ford Mustang grabber blue painted by Melvin’s Mel-Mar auto body shop in Los Angeles Filipino town.

Aluminum mag wheels + seat + steel parts silver reflective clear powder coated (light mirror effect) by Embee Performance (exhaust & piston ceramic coating, aluminum anodizing, nickel plating) in Santa Ana, Orange County.

Small steel parts flat black powder coated by Pyramid Powder Coating in Sun Valley.

I had a lot of fun last Sat Oct 22nd racing against motorized bicycles in Victorville desert outside Los Angeles. I want to thank Neil the organizer who let me race and all the bicycle racers who welcomed my 50cc variated race mopeds. A lot of them came from far like San Diego, San Francisco, Arizona, Oregon, etc… one guy even came from Florida! Now that’s dedication, I wish it could be the same with moped racing. I was the only moped racer there but out of nowhere in mid-afternoon I saw a woman going up and down the pit with a stock Puch Maxi, maybe a local who knows.

I competed in the 11hp class with my peugeot 103 50cc h20 Bidalot against 2 stroke Morini 50cc h20 Italian engines, 2 stroke 50cc-65cc one speed and 4 stroke 200cc dual variated Chinese engines. I didn’t score any points but won the race lapping everybody once (15 to 20 bikes) and some bikes twice. Saving the bike for the unlimited class (which got canceled at the last minute) I unfortunately didn’t get to compete in the ultimate class (with a bicycle part prize) against a fast 200cc 20hp bike and a 67mph 9hp super light electric bike but I think I would have had a good chance to win that race too.

I was impressed by 3 or 4 gas bikes faster than the average 70cc kitted moped but even more by some of the electric bikes super light and really fast. They actually placed 1st and 2nd in the ultimate class after the faster 200cc 20hp 4 stroke bike experienced some technical problems at the end of the race. In conclusion, even though my moped had a smaller engine than most of those bicycles, none of them could match the power and acceleration of my single variated 50cc bidalot engine 14hp 14,000 rpm with a heavier but better chassis with upgraded suspensions for the track.

With no serious competition for the peugeot bike, I tested the motobecane av10 50cc air cooled in morning heat races but ran into some problems with slow acceleration response due to an air leak or carb jetting but even then I was able to keep up with the top 11hp bicycles.

Overall it was fun and good practice on the track which is always a safer place than the streets to test fast moped builds. I want to come back in April next year and maybe build a bicycle with a cheap motobecane av10 50cc air cooled engine to compete in all the classes and against those monster 200cc engines or e-bikes. Since moped racing is dead it could motivate me again with the same feel of riding a variated motobecane bike but even lighter therefore faster.

That might also inspire some of those bicycle racers to use a peugeot or motobecane moped engine instead of the Chinese 50cc, 65cc or 200cc engines. A lot of those guys are already using some moped parts from Treats (www.treatland.tv) like Puch high comp heads, Tomos biturbo exhausts, ebr forks, etc… After seeing the performance of high rpm french 50cc variated engines few racers came to me to learn more about them and where to get parts. There might be a chance to revive 50cc peugeot or motobecane moped racing through motorized bicycle racing if I can prove to be fast within the rules on a bicycle frame with functioning pedals. The only problem is that I saw small crashes in the turns because of the limits of bicycles chassis and tires, they’re just not really designed for such power and speed.

Photos slideshow.

I don’t have the on board footage of my race, the camera didn’t work. The Contour HD camera sucks get a GO PRO.

Here’s a video of the ultimate race which I didn’t participate in by respect and keep it a pure bicycle race since the winner prize was a bicycle part. I’m taking photos on the side of the track next to the VROOM yellow sign. At the 1:12 min mark check out the fastest 20hp 200cc gas bike in the straight away and the second fastest super light e-bike passing the gas bikes at the 1:38 min mark. Unlike the other quiet e-bikes it actually makes a high pitch sound coming from a small belt + machined pulley out of the motor shaft to drive a reduction gear. All those top bikes are faster than they appear on the video.

It’s hard to be a racer, a mechanic and a reporter at the same time but here’s a video I shot of that same race (1st lap). You can clearly see in 1st position the fastest bike 20hp with a Chinese 4 stroke 200cc go kart engine modified with bigger piston, in 2nd and 3rd the 2 fastest electric bikes, in 4th an other 4 stroke 200cc, and in 5th the fastest 2 stroke 50cc h20 morini 11hp engine that I competed against and lapped once.

BONUS ARTICLE:

Updates on the 50cc variated french moped racing championship.

Here’s a video of the last race of the 2011 season in Northern France. My friend and tuner Remi Cusso tested his vintage motobecane 50cc variated Bidalot Replica tubular frame 18hp 15,000 rpm for the 2nd time on the track. Mick the pilot is starting to feel comfortable with his new bike and held back in the 3rd round after the leading the race because of a belt problem. The season is over and it’s time for the racers to rest and the tuners to spend the winter trying to build faster engines for the 2012 season.

Also, Jeff  “oldskool” finally upgraded his motobceane av10 with vintage Bidalot Gr3 cases + 50cc Gr3 kit and 28mm carb rebuilt by Remi. It’s amazing that the 25 years old Bidalot technology stills performs better or as good as some high tech 2012 machined cases with bridge exhaust cylinders from modern scooters or 6 speeds 50cc bikes used by some moped racers.

Early morning in the pit before the race. At the end of the video, Remi the master tuner not happy under pressure having to quickly rebuild the Replica engine to repair a water leak due to a burnt Viton O ring before the second round starts. Not fun…

Today, after running into one of the top Ruckus builders in LA at a racing hardware store, I decided to start my cafe scooter project and get it ready for the next big Ruckus ride March 2012.

I’ve stored the parts for over a year and it’s time to build the bike. I like anything fast on 2 wheels but I prefer to build small bikes. I won’t consider this bike a moped or a scooter but more like a prototype 2 stroke motorcycle 77cc dual variated. I’m gonna try to mix the look of old cafe racers with modern euro 2 str0ke scooter technology. It should be a fun project. My engine setup is actually outdated now compared to what the drag scooter racers are using in Italy, France, Germany, UK, etc…

I’ve seen pics of old cafe racers with Lambretta engines but this bike should be pretty unique in the States, especially with a fast 2 stroke scooter engine. Everything is 4 stroke now in the scooter and motorcycle world in the US since the big Japanese manufacturers like Honda have started pushing and imposing their 4 stroke engines for financial reasons on the streets and race tracks.

ENGINE:

I’m using a 23 hp 2 stroke minarelli horizontal scooter engine imported from France (Mbk nitro/Yamaha Zuma) with malossi 77cc h20 kit, malossi crank 85mm, stage 6 digital cdi, dell’orto 28mm carb flat slide, stage 6 R1400 exhaust, malossi over range transmission kit, stage 6 clutch pulley, stage 6 gears.

CHASSIS:

I’m using a vintage Honda 2 stroke motorcycle frame. I will probably cut the frame to rethink the lines and weld the scooter engine mounts. I was originally going to use a step-through motobecane av10 frame but I changed my mind and got a top tank frame. I hope it’s not a crime to chop that vintage bike. I’m using a scooter aprilia RS 13″ rear wheel with disc brake and a motobecane moped 17″ front grimeca mag wheel with stage 6 rotor and brembo caliper. I haven’t decided about the fork yet.

I might also change my mind and decide to stick with the original plan using a super light motobecane av10 moped frame to get the most out of the 23 hp engine and be able to ride the bike “legally” as a registered 50cc moped, I just wont be able to carry much fuel. The motorcycle Honda frame has no VIN number and feels super heavy, I might still build that cafe bike but strip down my registered TGB scooter and mount the 4 stroke 150cc GY6 engine to use it as a rad and reliable daily commuter.

Some photos of the parts + the 1st motobecane prototype that inspired me 2 years ago and one of my old sketch exploring different frame + seat options.

VIDEO:

Here’s the sound and acceleration of a minarelli engine with the malossi 77cc big bore kit on a 50cc scooter Yamaha Aerox/Mbk Nitro. The 50cc Yamaha Zuma in the US also called Yamaha BWs or Mbk booster in France, uses the same engine type but there are many versions of kits depending on the year model, before 99′, after 99′, after 03′.

Don’t we love the power of 2 stroke engines? It’s only a 95cc. Try to match that with a same size 4 stroke engine.

MAXISCOOT article:

Here’s a drag scooter with a 2Fast cylinder kit + Nitrous fuel built by www.maxiscoot.com a young french company that sells high end performance parts and is actually located outside France since the laws there don’t allow to sell kits above 50cc.  They also own MXS custom that builds some of the sickest and fastest scooters and competes all year long.

Maxiscoot video:

32 hp at the rear wheel by MXS Custom, 2Fast 86cc kit + Cristofolini 80cc exhaust.

Here’s another drag scooter 2 stroke twin cylinder engine (probably 2x 86cc, one of the latest hot engine setup in Europe right now) by ALP design sponsored by www.maxiscoot.com

Today was the last day before the very first start of my Peugeot 103 streetfighter. I finished all the electrical wiring but I’ll make it  look cleaner once I reassemble the bike with a new paint. It’s hard to hide all the wires with so many electrical components. I decided to keep the mini fuses protecting the electric pump and battery circuits exposed though, for a quick and easy access.

To save time I decided not to test ride the bike, I’ll do the final tuning once the bike is painted and reassembled. I will also have some stainless brake lines custom made for the front and rear disc brakes.

Tomorrow is the big day. Hopefully I’ll be able to start the bike and post another video. I took my time and double checked everything but you never know with mopeds, anything can go wrong. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

VIDEO:

The bike is 90% done and ready for a paint job. I can’t wait to blaaaaaaast the streets of downtown LA late at night, sitting far back on the saddle with a tight grip on the handle bars.

First start:

Yeah! T-hawk is finally born and took its very first breath of oxygen in Hollywood Griffith Park. The bike is so sexy that it already got harassed by people jumping out of the bushes.

The engine fired up right away, it’s not tuned yet but has an awesome sound. The bike feels really solid with no resistance in the wheels, chain or rotor discs. It’s a little heavy with all the equipment but that will increase the stability at top speed and keep it safer on the bad roads of LA. It actually feels and looks more like a small variated 70cc motorcycle and not much like a moped anymore, kinda like top tank mopeds.

It’s now time to disassemble and paint all the parts. Once the bike is done I’ll post some photos and videos of the test runs.

Engine setup available at www.treatland.tv

Malossi cases, doppler crank, malossi 70cc h20 kit, mvt millenium cdi, dell’orto 21mm carb, giannelli pipe.

I’m planning on going to the motorized bicycle race in 2 weeks Saturday October 22nd at Grange’ race track.

Saturday Oct 22nd, 2011. Gate open at 6 am
Free camping Friday and Saturday night.
Practice on the track 7am to 9.45am
heats start at 10 am

$10 for spectators pre pay or at the gate.
$35 to ride on the track which includes all the days Pro Photography of the event.
+$5 to pay at the track on Fri 21st or Sat 22nd
+$10 to race in a second class.

Can pre register by emailing Neil at motorbicycleracing@gmail.com
Pay by check or Money Order

or

Neil might even create a last minute moped class if enough moped racers from LA area show up. Motorized bicycle racers are on an even lower budget than moped racers. $35 for all day practice + race is really cheap so money shouldn’t be an excuse for not coming if you like racing and have a bike ready. Any moped is welcome in the open class, stock, kitted, pedals, no pedals, fairings, whatever… just come to support the event and have a good time. Even fancy Derringers bicycles are welcome… lol. I always have fun up there in the desert, the track is awesome and it’s only 1h30 from LA.

That’s their second race this year. The event seems to be getting bigger every time. Neil is also organizing a other race event in April 2012 and talking about a night race in July that would cost a little more for the racers but could be rad!

The match up:

Light bicycle dual variator 212cc 4 stroke 11 hp vs Race moped single variator launch lever 49.9cc 2 stroke 12 hp 13,500 rpm.

That sounds like an old school MMA UFC fight.

I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and should be able to fire up my street bike project very soon. I’ve been waiting 2 years for this moment.

Today was important, I hooked up all the water hoses to the motobecane stock radiator, the temperature sensor and the electric water pump. I just need to wire the pump to a regulator/rectifier or a small separate 12V battery.

Here’s what’s left on the list before finally starting the engine and do a bunch of test runs before painting the bike:

Finish all the electrical wiring (cdi, regulator,battery, fuse, water pump, vapor tachometer + temp gauge, lights, kill switch), lock the pedal shaft so the pegs don’t spin, custom make heavy weights for the malossi variator + the doppler spring way too strong, install the chain, the disc brake lines, the throttle + cables, mount the motobecane engine mount rubber bushings (rare on a kitted peugeot frame but recommend to absorb the vibrations and prevent breaking parts like the exhaust, etc…)  Now I wish I would have bought a 50cc h20 engine for less vibrations and overheating problems but at the time I had the “small piston complex” and wanted the biggest bore available like everybody else. That being said, the bike is so heavy that I might need the torque for a more comfortable ride and forget about a screaming engine or top speed.

Few hours away…

I just have to finish all the electrical wiring, install the throttle + choke cables, the fuel line, brake lines and I’m ready to fire up this bad boy!

We learn everyday. I just found out on Facebook that the peugeot 103 RCX/SPX engine is actually rubber mounted and the mount comes in 2 brackets connected together with a thick square piece of rubber between them. It seems like you take the engine down by just removing the bolt on the lower bushing and leave the black bracket on the frame. The more popular 103 SP version in the US doesn’t come with rubber bushings, the bike vibrates a lot with a powerful kitted engine often braking the exhaust. The answer might be to modify that engine mount by welding a rubber bushing just like on the 103 spx (left photo). The big polini cases with aluminum arms vibrate and sometime a powerful engine set up brakes the arms. The best cases are the malossi ones with 70cc kits and 21 mm carb minimum or the smaller polini cases (but expansive) using the stock peugeot mount steel bracket (maybe reinforced or rubber mounted would be the best) with a 50cc kits 19 mm carb max.

Bonus pics from french blogs:

A peugeot 103 spx prototype project with malossi cases, peugeot malossi crank 42,1 mm stroke (instead of 39,1 mm stock stroke) + new 85 mm rod (instead of 75 mm) adapted from an AM6 Minarelli scooter crank, Piaggio/minarelli scooter malossi MHR 70cc h20 kit (try to find the studs…), PVL digital ignition, Stage 6 exhaust modified, Conti power jet 28 mm carb, Conti CRX 4 petal reed block, RGD peugeot 103 variator, Giraudo clutch pulley, Giraudo engine spring. Rad…!

Video:

A new electric drag scooter prototype by MXS Custom. Check out that cool white Teflon 3D mold of the Zuma scooter cylinder ports.