Ooooooooh yeah!
This little beauty, all the way from Taiwan, is a Beeline Veloce GT
I made a very low offer which was accepted and drove up to collect it in the pouring rain and dark, half hoping I would be able to fit it in the back of the car. I took a bike rack with me in case (I carry my trials bike on it) but I still wasn't certain, but hey-ho nothing ventured...
I thought the seller might be able to help me get it into the boot, but when I turned up he was at least 70, disabled, and spoke almost no English at all.
Nevertheless, the bike was as described with a full MOT so I gave him the cash and set about trying to get it in the back of the car.
Well I'm not sure how they manage to make these things weigh 92kg but they do! That, combined with the sheer bulk of the damn thing (I can fit maybe 2 trials bikes in the bike of my car) meant that it was not going to fit into the boot, so I managed to just about get it on the rack and gingerly took it home.
I took it on a quick test ride to make sure it all worked, and then the true test - I rode it to Birmingham, a distance of about 40 miles.
I've never done a 40 mile ride on a moped. I've never done a 40 mile ride on a 4 stroke 50cc moped
Here are my thoughts:
Power : No. It will just about do 45-50km/h on the clock, downhill, tucked in. Up hill it can drop to 20km/h alarmingly easily. Pulling out of roundabouts and junctions is a whole new thrill.
Handling : Wow. I thought I'd be able to keep my speed up using conservation of momentum, but cornering at anything over walking pace feels plain scary, and I don't scare easily. When you turn, it keeps turning and doesn't naturally return to centre like a bike should, it's like it gets locked on course. It had an advisory for head bearing play, so I reckon a new bearing will help.
Comfort : I've ridden less comfortable things. It's very big so you can shift about a lot. Wrist ache from pinning the throttle at all times.
Reliability : Broke down half way there
After bouncing down a back road in Fillongley, it died - lost all power. I had no tools. Used my hands to pry off what I thought looked like the battery cover. It was. The battery cable has a join in it, literally two loosely fitting connections pushed together. They were a) coming apart and b) shorting against the battery negative terminal. Luckily I had some amalgamating tape in my pocket and effected a Heath Robinson type repair, after which it burst in to life.
Styling : You know what, for a moped it doesn't look too bad.
Journey Time : Including a stop for a drink, to check directions 2 or 3 times, and my breakdown the trip took 2hrs 15 minutes.
I'm not sure what to do with it now, any suggestions? I only really bought it on a whim, not sure I actually need it.
This little beauty, all the way from Taiwan, is a Beeline Veloce GT
I made a very low offer which was accepted and drove up to collect it in the pouring rain and dark, half hoping I would be able to fit it in the back of the car. I took a bike rack with me in case (I carry my trials bike on it) but I still wasn't certain, but hey-ho nothing ventured...
I thought the seller might be able to help me get it into the boot, but when I turned up he was at least 70, disabled, and spoke almost no English at all.
Nevertheless, the bike was as described with a full MOT so I gave him the cash and set about trying to get it in the back of the car.
Well I'm not sure how they manage to make these things weigh 92kg but they do! That, combined with the sheer bulk of the damn thing (I can fit maybe 2 trials bikes in the bike of my car) meant that it was not going to fit into the boot, so I managed to just about get it on the rack and gingerly took it home.
I took it on a quick test ride to make sure it all worked, and then the true test - I rode it to Birmingham, a distance of about 40 miles.
I've never done a 40 mile ride on a moped. I've never done a 40 mile ride on a 4 stroke 50cc moped
Here are my thoughts:
Power : No. It will just about do 45-50km/h on the clock, downhill, tucked in. Up hill it can drop to 20km/h alarmingly easily. Pulling out of roundabouts and junctions is a whole new thrill.
Handling : Wow. I thought I'd be able to keep my speed up using conservation of momentum, but cornering at anything over walking pace feels plain scary, and I don't scare easily. When you turn, it keeps turning and doesn't naturally return to centre like a bike should, it's like it gets locked on course. It had an advisory for head bearing play, so I reckon a new bearing will help.
Comfort : I've ridden less comfortable things. It's very big so you can shift about a lot. Wrist ache from pinning the throttle at all times.
Reliability : Broke down half way there
After bouncing down a back road in Fillongley, it died - lost all power. I had no tools. Used my hands to pry off what I thought looked like the battery cover. It was. The battery cable has a join in it, literally two loosely fitting connections pushed together. They were a) coming apart and b) shorting against the battery negative terminal. Luckily I had some amalgamating tape in my pocket and effected a Heath Robinson type repair, after which it burst in to life.Styling : You know what, for a moped it doesn't look too bad.
Journey Time : Including a stop for a drink, to check directions 2 or 3 times, and my breakdown the trip took 2hrs 15 minutes.
I'm not sure what to do with it now, any suggestions? I only really bought it on a whim, not sure I actually need it.
- Good to see you around buddy 