Rando pic post! Severed fingers!

New HNRZ patches.

My sacrifice to the moped Gods.

Josh's new garage LEGIT.

Ciao Ciao

How am I so dusty? Oh that's right, I live in a garage.

GP build on its way.

TRIP - Midwest - Portland

So today I'm leaving Chicago to head out to Portland OR. Bummed I'm missing the Lafayetti's rally this weekend but I'll just have to visit them when I get back. First I'm going to Columbia, MO to hang with my good Mid-Moped (MMP) buddies and fellow BLK BLK member Ryan Nash. I'll probably just babble about Derbis and do flat land skate tricks in the shop (IRL trolling). The reason I'm headed to Portland is because my friend Zach is moving there and we are driving out with him. Also I've never been and want to hang with Puddlecutters and Uphill Battle. From Columbia we are headed to Denver for a day and then on to Portland. It's been like 3 weeks since my last rally and I'm glad to be travelling. Should be cool. Here are some moped pictures I took in the last week.

Destroying America with the shop cat.

1980 pepi for life.

 Laguna needed new pipe mount.

 Cracked pipe fixed, i was wondering why my idle was so high.

Benelli General gets a kickstart V1.

Got a "learn to ride" video so I can finally not crash at rallies.

Back in Chicago for a sec.

It's nice to be back at the castle, hopey (castle cat) missed me and I missed him.  Oh and here are some pics from the last few days including: Chicago is funny, Derbi 3 roller custom weights fail, helping Tony HNRZ move from original HNRz shop aka RANDO shop.

 This is where I live.

 No dreaded Derbi crank wobble.

 Better luck next time AKA dont use brass tube and epoxy.

Elisabeth from Metal Ponies sent me a shirt and old cell phone I needed. I love her and I owe her 214124094809148 times. So I'm gonna rock this shirt until it's black.

CARB OF THE YEAR! 12:7 DELLORTO SHA!

And you thought your 12 mm keihin carb sucked? why do you think Vespa tuners are always so pissed?

This carb was only for bikes designed to check the mail and or cut through a backyard to go to a pop machine.

How many people do you think right now who are getting out of mopeds because one of these came on their ciao? It's like people who after 10 years of not riding buy a shitty 30 lb schwinn road bike off CL and totally write off biking because theyre riding a nasty american hunk of steel that is hard to move.

New tattoo idea, maybe I'll get i next to my Gurtner one?

KTM frame, Mobylette, Grande....+ rando pics + winter rant.

Been having fun working at Austin Mopeds. I feel like Jimbo, Lester and I are a good team because we are all real gay nerds. Jimbo talks about selling panties on craigslist from a cloud of smoke, Lester smiles big like a happy Asian while rethreading things, and I just look for the magic pliers and my keys. The shop is really fun to work at because I feel like I actually want to work there and do a good job. While working I try to snap pics of things I think are interesting or look cool. Here are a few pictures I took this week.

Also it's so warm here compared to the midwest. While its fun to wear t-shirts and ride all year round I have to admit that I miss the snow. I miss being snowed in, I miss snowey movies (The Thing, The Shining, Ice Pirates, Storm of The Century, Dreamcatcher...), I miss rebuilding engines next to space heaters, I miss crashing peds on ice and just laying there and laughing with your friend who crashed because they hit you. Don't take winter for granted, its like foreplay for mopedders..

 Confused in the morning carrying around a Coffee baby.

Mobylette : OH YOU FANCY HUH?

 KTM frame, came with 504 that attached to a bracket which attached to the frame. Rumored to fit multiple engines due to more holes in the frame. If you remove the 504 brackets an E50 fits right in, but ZA50 requires minor frame hacking on the clutch side. While I had the E50 dropped I held a V1 up in the slot and I can say that you'll need to do some frame hacking to get it in there.

 

ZAPARTY YALL.

Bubba's Vespa Grande.

Vespa Malossi Cases nom nom nom

 I got a new VCR for watching videos real close while I BLOG DUDE.

 I throw this up when I'm feelin Frisky. TRIFECTA WHAT WHAT!

East Side Hate Boys Noped Club, these dudes are fucking insane.

Removing Motobecane motor mounts and random crap photos.

Today while trying to overcome my Moby demons.... we made a goofy tool for removing the motor mounts.
What you'll need:
4-5 inch long bolt and nut
1 1/4 socket (bigger would probably work too but this one fits just right)
a couple washers, 1 as big or a little bigger than the motor mount's circumference. the other to go between the big washer and the nut.
tools to tighten them down
a hammer
a long bolt or bar to hit things with.

First thing is to put the washers on the inside of the mount and the socket on the outside (seen below). Then tighten up everything tight and make sure it's all lined up.

 Next from the other side, line up a rod on the bolt and smack it with a hammer. This might take a few wacks but it will break the mount free and slide it a few mm's. Then tighten the whole setup again and repeat the hammering. Do this over and over until the mount has finally slid through and into the 1 1/4th socket. Done!

Here are some rando shop photos from this week.

Solo engine photo shoot for reference. Cool little stock water cooled engines, case inducted, strange bing, weird pancake pipe (the insides are like labyrinths, I saw David Bowie contact juggling in there). these have many similarities and swappable parts with Batavus mopeds.

 Double Swaggin photo op. Well atleast I think I'm cute.

 Predetonation? YA THINK?

Stuntin Hero-Majestic Panther styley.