Funky Mopeds!

Richard Skelton combines working in the television industry as a sound technician with freelancing as a motorcycle journalist. He has been a motorcyclist since first taking to the road on a Yamaha FS1-E on his 16th birthday in 1976 and, although he usually rides bigger bikes these days, he keeps an FS1-E taxed and tested for summer use. His writing experience comprises occasional features for motorcycle magazines in the 1980s, a period working as a newspaper reporter in the mid 1990s and, currently, reporting for the specialist road racing publication, BikeSport News. Richard Skelton is also the author of “A Life Awheel - the auto-biography of W de Forte”. He lives in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire.

Scooter-forums.com, Spring 2007 Benny Hill was at number one with 'Ernie - The Fastest Milkman In The West'. It was 1971 and the UK Government was about to impose new legislation restricting 16 year olds to 50cc mopeds. 'Funky Mopeds' is THE definitive work on the resulting frenzy of innovation from motorcycle manufacturers across the globe. In 'Funky Mopeds' Richard Skelton tells the fascinating story, written by and starring the people who were there, of the wonderful machines that were so dear to the hearts of so many spotty 70's teenagers. A celebration of the sports moped, charting the history of a genre unwittingly created by the powers-that-be and killed off by more legislation just five years later. This book re-captures the spirit of happy and carefree times and looks at the bikes that gave freedom and mobility to a whole generation of teenagers. With over 340 color pictures, the book has descriptions of all the sports mopeds, the stories of the people. Packed full of 340 great pictures and firsthand accounts of those notable years, the author, Richard Skelton, has put together a great read, making it a real addition to your book collection. It's not a complete encyclopedia of 1970s mopeds - but then it never set out to become that anyway ... Easy to read, light-hearted and packed full of pictures. Twist & Go. This homage to the transport needs of spotty 70s teenagers is great fun' written with wit and accompanied by some great images and original advertising. Perfect for the biking 'pre-pensioner' whom, even if they didn't own a funky moped back in the day, would certainly have hankered after one. – Grant Ford.

• Acknowledgements Introduction WHAT THIS BOOK IS ABOUT A short introduction to the subject Chapter One THE BRIEF HISTORY OF SPORTS MOPEDS The story of the sports moped, illustrated with archive advertisements and period sales literature, as well as modern colour photographs of restored and preserved machines. Includes an explanation of the ancestry of the machines with pictures of early sporty fifties. Chapter Two RESTORERS AND COLLECTORS Profiles of a number of restorers and collectors of sports mopeds supported by colour photographs of their bikes including, in some cases, 'before' and 'after' restoration pics. Also pics of our restorers as sixteeners Chapter Three A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO RESTORING A SPORTS MOPED (Step by step moped restoration by Barry Moore) Prolific restorer Barry Moore (profiled in previous chapter) takes us through the complete restoration of a 1975 Gilera Trials moped from barn find to show bike. RESTORATION - TIPS AND ADVICE FROM THE EXPERTS Discussion and advice on restoration methods, techniques, strategies and dilemmas, drawing heavily from interviews with restorers including those profiled in Chapter Two. Chapter Four THAT WAS THEN... MOPED MADNESS THE 1970s SPORTS MOPED SCENE The glorious Sports Moped era. A nostalgic look at what it was like to be a sixteener in the 1970s largely through the eyes of those who were there. Illustrated by personal period photographs (kids on their 'peds) and archive material. A FEW WORDS ABOUT TUNING Tuning for speed was rife. But so was lying and exaggerating about what was achieved. This section should make plain what was and wasn't possible. Also featured: tuning disasters. Chapter Five AND THIS IS NOW... THE CURRENT SCENE THE SPORTS MOPED REVIVAL MOVEMENT A view of the current scene including sections on SMOC The Sports Moped Owners Club, Fizzy Galore The one stop FS1E shop, Russell Sears' FS1E Web Site, and Shows and Autojumbles. Chapter Six A-Z of 1970s SPORTS MOPEDS AJW Batavus Casal Cimatti Derbi Fantic Motor Flandria Garelli Gilera Gitane Honda Kreidler KTM Malaguti Motobecane Negrini NVT Puch Suzuki Testi Yamaha Zundapp A source of reference and fascinating reading backed up by a wealth of illustrations. There will be a brief history and profile of every manufacturer followed by a description of each model in their range. Positive and negative qualities will be discussed together with features, characteristics, peculiarities and traits. There will be comprehensive specification tables and each machine will be illustrated with colour photographs of pristine restored examples. Chapter Seven THE FABULOUS YAMAHA FS1-E Voted the seventh best motorcycle of all time by readers of Bike magazine this year, the FS1-E is the archetypal sports moped . A landmark machine with its own web site, the FS1-E stirs up more memories than any other in its class. All you need to know about the fantastic Fizzy. Chapter Eight WHAT HAPPENED NEXT- SPORTS MOPEDS IN THE 1980S AND BEYOND Post legislation 'slopeds' looked sporty but were painfully slow, as were sales. The sports moped had been emasculated and 1977 heralded the end of an era. A brief look at the 80s, 90s and present day machines that failed to capture the imagination of later generations of sixteeners. Index