Puch Maxi - It's the bike of the week
Mopeds! What's wrong with them? - Absolutely nothing
Jerry Rulf
Mopeds! What's wrong with them? Nothing! Because everything is mendable,
fixable, changeable and soup-up-able and you won't break the bank.
They can do that on their own, as they have proved.
What a noble beast
.
Who needs disc brakes? Not me Hydraulics? Needless
complication I say. .....And let's keep the electrics to say, oh, maybe three or four
wires - less to go wrong and all that.
Here's what happend to a Puch we once knew
My friends, we have just designed the Puch Maxi, 1969-87, sold like a billion
units or something, and everyone knows how slow and reliable they are.
Puch-ing the envelope
Well, I won't bore you with minor model changes and differences over the
years, ( I could - as you have probably surmised I do know a little bit about this subject - but I'm resisting the urge) they stayed basically the same throughout - which shows a decent design in the first place!
Puch engine reincarnated...
We in the UK had the most powerful version, a two hp straightforward air cooled two stroke single with two (small) transfer ports, tiny little Bing carb with old stylee tickler for choke, and the smallest size motorbike drive chain, a 415.
It came in two basic flavours- rigid rear
end, or the super posh and exotic "S" model with rear suspension..but here
is the kicker-
today (and this didn't used to be the case) you can buy a huge variety of
tuning bits for the maxi and related bikes.. they are generally sold by
crankcase type (E50 in this instance), and there is a growing movement of
young American hipsters ragging their old Puch Magnums and Newports (a USA
Maxi) round college towns having a proper laugh.
Websites such as the excellent Moped Army share info on tuning and meets, and
they are served by two great webstores in particular, 1977mopeds and
Treatland, both in the USA, and both hilarious and surprising in their own
right.
...diet coke can air filter, you name it somebody has done it...
It's amazing what people all over the world are doing to these unpromising
bikes- Superchargers, 80cc reed valve kits, water cooling, six port cylinders,
you name it, somebody has done it.
Speeds over 50mph are entirely possible, even routine, with a decent kit and
pipe.
Puch Off
You may remember discussing (exaggerating) your moped's top speed when you
were 16- always followed by "on the flat".. Something R1 owners do not need
to clarify, more's the pity. They really are missing out - surely the whole
point isn't speed, it's the sensation of speed. Mopeds win.
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'On the flat'
And how many times have we heard of racers honing their accurate riding and
precision skills on tiny bikes, where it really matters?
Ergo - mopeds improve your riding!
Hair raising escapades are possible with a Puch Maxi at very little cost - this
applies to all older mopeds, but the Puch is particularly well served with
aftermarket parts, and the quality of the basic engine parts is very good -
with a clutch and flywheel puller, you can rebuild the inspiringly simple
engine unit in an evening, no problem.
I get knocked down, but I get up again...
Have a look on youtube to see some incredible creations, and join the growing
numbers who realise that smaller and cheaper equals more fun, and in the
winter you can stick it indoors next to the washing machine out of the way -
try that with your common boring ubiquitous adventure bike!
Oh, and the Puch Maxi is fairly easy to pick up if it falls over.
So, in summary, The Puch Maxi is a proper man's bike. If you think they are
lacking anything, you have totally missed the point of motorcycles and
motorcycling, and you secretly aspire to standing in the middle of a crowd
tearing up £20 notes.
Revolution! Hooray for the new order!
Wemoto
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