Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Moped Nebraska


Thanksgiving ended up with BFW and myself in Nebraska visiting my parents. I was able to take some time and fire up my Derbi score from last year and the 50v. I had run both of them with the petcock closed to use all the fuel in the carb, and with a bit of fresh gas, both fired to life effortlessly. I replaced the fuel line on the Derbi and removed the intake restriction, and we took the bikes to Lincoln to go for a ride with some riders from there. It was a pretty nice day for the end of November, and we had a nice ride. Linda the Wiki goddess came up from Kansas even. We rode around, and I decided Lincoln would be a pretty good moped city. Free use in the state of Nebraska as long as you have pedals, and plenty of side streets and places to go via moped. You can even ride year round if you have a Carhartt tuxedo.
I popped the variator off the Derbi and brought it back to Seattle with me to optimize travel. You can see the washer on the right and the nub on the cheek to the left. The washer comes off and then the cheek nub filed down, means more travel. The Wizard is going to turn me some Delrin weights, and then I'll tap them to take set screws which allow you to adjust the weight for your setup. I've got a Ninja G3 pipe that I think I'll try to fit up onto the stock PP derbi cylinder.

There is also whispers of moped racing in Grand Rapids this year, which I would be very excited about, since I don't have too many other places to wear my leather suit.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Thursday, November 11, 2010

MopedHQ is moving!

I offer no apologies for the lack of updates recently! How's that for a change? Want some more change? Myself and my BFW are moving to Indiana. What? When? Where? That's right, you couldn't expect me to live the rest of my life in one place! We will be moving in the month of December, to somewhere in the Lafayette area. It's centrally located to all the action in the midwest, with most rallies 3 hours away. It's an ambivalent move for me. I'm excited to see all my Midwestern friends more frequently, but that means leaving behind my Mosquito Fleet family. :(
The most exciting part is perhaps that I'll once again begin my own moped club. I'm going to start recruiting from the Moped Owners directory, where at least 1/3 of the profiles haven't been logged on since 2006, and most of them have pictures of these "mopeds"
Seriously, check it out, these look like they might be some interesting people. Talking about grand kids and DUI and fun things. With that in mind, I'll being posting more as my moped shenanigans begin to happen once more in Indiana, that great free moped state, home of the Ricker's pop and corn syrup.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Milwaukee: YES


Makers of fine Tools, a city of Industry and Suds, home of the perpetually wonderful Cream City Cranks, perhaps the best use of alliteration of any prospective Moped Army branch, how could anyone say no to Milwaukee? Located just two hours north of Chicago, Milwaukee makes for an excellent city for Midwest rallies. Availible via ferry from Michigan, it makes for some awesome ride opportunities.

Yes, their rally shirts suck, but don't hold it against them.

These are solid guys. 11 members, the perfect number. Not a giant sprawl of anyone with a moped to make their gang look bigger than it is. 11 solid dudes. Vote Yes for the Cranks if you have the ability, you won't regret it. See you at your rally this year, in or not, Cranks!