It's a hoot to ride, but it's SOOOO SLLLOOOWWW!!! So I built threw a bigger carb on it, I hand built my own expansion chamber, I tweaked the clutch, I ported, I milled the head. And after all that work, it's a lot faster in top speed, but it's still a dog off the line. Like a dog you have to pedal up to 10mph just to get it to chase a rabbit.
So I got frustrated with it and gave up on it. "You look so fast, why are you so slow? Go sit in the corner!"
A few weeks later, I was at work and looking at this poor unloved little Honda Urban Express that my boss picked up. I was thinking how cool it was - 50cc, 5 port, variated, HONDA. How it was all the things I wish my Batavus was, but in the strangest looking wannabe chopper body.
European wannabe cafe racer > Japanese wannabe chopper any day... if only they ran like a Honda...
Then it occurred to me, I have a welder, I know how to wire a moped, why don't I just take all the cool things off of the Honda, and stick them on the Batavus. I wonder how that would look?
BING BANG BOOM! BATAVONDA!
I need to build an intake to reroute the carb up to the front (air filter sticking out the front of that engine cover). Don't want to cut the bodywork. I need to swap the Honda controls on and finish the wiring. And I'm waiting on brackets to bolt handlebars on to the Honda triple tree (yeah - even the fork was a perfect fit) and a few other odds and ends.
Oh yeah, and now that the pedals have been scrapped, I need to mount some foot pegs. Center stand bolts look like a good place.
Future plans include larger carb, larger reeds, 70cc Polini, another homemade chamber, 16" rear wheel conversion. But those things will come later... once I'm confident my motor mount is safe and strong.
I love it! It's even cooler than I could have imagined. It's all the things I love about mopeds (really just the size and the 500cc two stroke) and all the things I love about Honda scooters (aftermarket galore, easy to tune, durable) and there's even a little vintage European motorcycle throw in for good measure. What more could a person ask for? Enclosed storage space? Bah!
Oh yeah, and my total money spent on this project so far - $250. Including the $25 of odds and ends I just ordered AND both bikes.
Anybody need some Urban Express parts? Maybe I can recoop some of that huge cash outlay. lol.
You bastardized that nice moped....