Cheap bike (you know where this is going)

So, I picked up a moped for $75, plus another $20 for getting a replacement title. Real deal moped, pedals and all. Gave it to my older son, since he just turned 15, and enrolled him in a moped driver class.

The beast in question is a 1996 Kinetic TFR. It's an Indian copy of a Vespa moped. Two stroke, runs on pre-mix.

So far we washed it and pulled off the seat to re-cover it, the cover has just disintegrated. I de-rusted the seat pan in a bucket with washing soda and my big battery charger. Got it to fire up for a minute, but it won't stay running. Probably needs a carb cleaning.

I can find all the engine/drivetrain parts for this thing no problem. Even found a replacement LED taillight. However, it needs a brake lever and headlight and those things are like hen's teeth. Probably will wind up replacing the controls with some other ones because of that. Headlight is going to be real fun - it's got a speedometer and an ignition lock built into the housing.

Pictures will be forthcoming.

 

Someone on Moped Army should be able to get you what you need.

 

Cat didn't come with it.

 

My cat wants to know if your cat has a driver's license.
He also said "Sweet deal!"

 

No license needed for a moped.

 

We do in Ontario! Whole other class of motorbike license called LSM (limited speed motorcycle). Includes mopeds and scooters that can't reach highway speeds.

 

Matti what's the deal on electric scooters, in Vancouver there like flies on shit with no rules it nuts. Every little squid thinks there a cool kid with wheels &;:&$:&;@/.&$/$:

 

Over here we don't need a license, but need a "moped permit".

 

I think the electric ones are a free for all... Have seen one with a bicycle trailer on the back, and dude pulling his wife through the drive through at the coffee shop. That can't be regulated!

 

And wearing hockey and skateboard helmets .will get a pic of a weird one that goes past a house we are working on right now

 

I pulled off the rear wheel to get at the broken spokes and the flat tire and tore into the carburetor. It's amazingly filthy. Not sure if it's clay or cow dung. Bowl full of what looked like spoiled milk. Nothing broken or disintegrated that I can see, though.

 

Mud daubers have been there.

 

"There's this strange buzzing sound from my carbs..." lol

 

If it's just the bulb in the housing, you can cut around the old bulb (if it's the sealed-beam style) and epoxy-in a holder for a replaceable bulb. Or build/procure a LED array and mount it to a plastic panel that fits the inside of the housing. This is 6VDC, right?

 

6 volt on my ct70. What bike we talking
Most of us have bikes with elec start 6 caps on battery is 12 volt 3caps is 6 volt

 

1996, Indian made....12 volt. Even Indian manufacturers dropped 6v as a standard decades ago.
One thing to consider: That was not a very well made machine to begin with. How much are you willing to spend to get it looking good? It may be better to slap on parts from something else and ride it rahter than dump cash into something that may end up being a money pit.

 

Looking good isn't a huge priority. I'm going for "safe and street-legal".

Found brake levers - apparently they are the same as some of the older Royal Enfields.

As to not being well-made - aside from the seat cover being glued on rather than attached in a more sensible way, there isn't a lot I would complain about.

 

As in "Indian Motorcycles" or "made in India"? Either has got to be better than made in China, right?

 

As in made in India. The parts quality from Kenitic was generally suspect, but then so was the parts quality on my old Chevette, and it ran for 200,000 miles.

 

Have you checked-out the headlight issue to better determine what is wrong (e.g., 1/both filaments out, filaments good but no power, broken lens, etc.)? Could be the bulb is OK but the switch/wiring needs work. I see all sorts of 25w/25w and 35w/35w bulb sales in ebay: motorcycle parts - search "moped 12v headlight bulb". If you have a replaceable bulb that is the easiest route.

 

haha, nice! custom plans or leaving it be?

 

Oh, what's wrong is that the lens is broken out. I am thinking of maybe modding a LED light into it's place.

For now, I want it to go, stop, and be street legal. Everything else remains to be seen.

 

You could do that, but if it is only the lens (and the bulb still works fine) you could also just replace the lens. I got a piece of Lexan from the home center and cut it down to fit my wife's Honda fog light and used clear silicone to glue it into place (instead of buying a new housing for $200 - stupid Honda for using a glass lens that close to the ground). See if you can take the housing apart and create a cardboard template that fits in place of the OEM lens. Then use the template to cut out the Lexan.

Or you could adapt something like this to the inside of the headlight shell: http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-LED-Highl...ght-/191602573471?hash=item2c9c67409f&vxp=mtr