DYLAN!!! (September 14, 2009)

Keeping in the tradition of posting my branch members' narratives, this one comes from Dylan Chubb who, incidentally, is becoming one of my best friends and whom I love with all my heart.  He's the youngest member of Motion Left and possibly one of the nicest, most sincere people I have ever met.

I'm not editing this at all as I really like picking on his grammar and spelling.

Enjoy!

Well, ever since i was 10 all i ever wanted was an old vespa scooter. On 2/17/07 at the age of 15 i finally got my hands on my first ever scooter, a red beat to hell piece of crap Yamaha Jog for the awesome price of $25. Within a month i was making my own high flow filters and drilling the baffles out of the exhaust trying to get every last MPH i could. A few months passed and i bought a 92 Honda Elite and learned about Big Bore kit, performance exhaust and general 2 stroke tuning.
A year later i was living in scooter tuning heaven, i had honda elites, chines scooters, and i was buying/selling 24/7. Around the middle of 2008 a friend emailed me some info on this 'Kalamazoo Moped Rally'. So me and a few friends loaded up our scooters and went to check out this crazy event. We got there and realized quickly that our scooter are hated by the moped army. Looking around all i saw was a bunch of snobs and hipsters, and all they saw in me was some kid on a scooter trying to fit in. Lucky for me, Matt Schmitz jumped in and helped me understand the moped army. He explained to me for hours all about mopeds, moped culture and answered every question i could throw at him.
I headed home after the rally and found myself a moped right away. First bike was an 84 Trac Image, Shortly followed by the 91 Tomos Targa that everybody has seen me ride. I have been buying, selling and trading mopeds and scooter for about a year now. I have traded off all but one of my scooters, moving to mostly mopeds.
After the first rally, i wasn't to happy with the moped community. Seemed like everybody hated me just because i rode 10in wheels instead of 14-17in's. However, as time went on i realized that they didn't hate me because the scooter, they just general dislike 'scooter people'. People who buy a brand new bike, and take it in to be repaired for small problems instead of fixing the bikes themselves. Plus, even being a total outsider at the next few rallies, i had a blast. For the most part everybody is very welcoming and nice. I know i dont really fit the moped community, but its still an awesome place to be.

So here i am now, a few bikes later, and with a few Rallies under my belt. Finally starting to make a few moped friends while hanging out awkwardly at Motion Left Mopeds.

My New Tomos!

Last Friday Dylan alerted me to a Craigslist post about a '94 Tomos Sprint that was for sale for $250.  I couldn't really afford it but decided to go check it out anyway.  We ended up driving to some tiny town called Kimmel and met Ryan, owner of said Tomos.  The bike was totally adorable and now I will be eating nothing but sushi rice and bananas for the next month.  I love this moped SO MUCH!

 

It needs a new back tube and a little work, but it started right up at Ryan's place and is pretty much the cheesiest, cutest moped on the planet.  I'm thinking about powdercoating the rims red and getting some red pedals for it but, other than that, I think I will leave it as it is for a while.  

Devin said he can totally see Marky Mark riding something like this.  :)

New Motion Left Shop!

The new Motion Left shop is delightful and full of potential, regardless of the fact that it is in Goshen and almost an hour away from my job.  Here are some pics that I took before all the stuff that was already there got moved out and all our moped stuff got moved in.  Enjoy!

OH BOY!

Rally dates are posted!!!

Motion Left will be holding our fantastic rally on May 14th, 15th, and 16th.  You have no idea how excited I am.  SO EXCITED!!!

Aaron Summers Effler

Here is another brilliant narrative from one of my fellow Motion Lefties.  Aaron is probably one of my favorite people in the universe and his narritive captures the spirit of what it is like to begin the wondrous hobby of Moped collecting...enjoy!

I had been interested in alternative transportation for some time, and was looking for something low-speed and energy efficient for my 1.5 mile commute to work. I considered electric bicycles, scooters, electric cars, and small motorcycles. During my research I spent a lot of time thinking about maintenance, knowing that whichever way I go I'd end up with something that most mechanics don't know what to do with. Something I could maintain myself became a criteria, and considering the kind of mechanical moron I am, I went for the simplest motor I could find (and afford). This landed me squarely at the "vintage moped" doorstep...and the rest is history.

I followed ebay and craigslist for about a month before I found the Motobecane Model 7 (which was my first bike). I didn't know anyone who had a moped at the time, so I found Motion Left Mopeds on moped army's web site, and (figuring this would be my emergency mechanic) called the number to ask whether the bike I found was worth buying and whether the price was right. Devin, who I didn't know yet, said that the price sounded right and if it was already running it wouldn't be too difficult to keep it that way. I loved the bike, and rode it all over the place. Within five months I had started spending some time out at the shop, and had bought another four mopeds with Kolin (who at the time was riding his Vespa P200 on a regular basis). Our original idea was to flip them or part them out, and use the profits to maintain and increase our own moped collections. Instead we've just kept them all...and I turned one of them into my second bike: the Motobecane Model 50V (made from parts and a non-running Model 50L). The Puch Maxi was a bike I found on ebay right after I got my tax return, and just couldn't pass up at that price...

The rest, you know.

It's Official...

I am now a proud member of Elkhart, Indiana's Motion Left branch of the Moped Army.  SQUEEEE!!!

My First "Official" Mopednesday?

Tonight I find out if I have been voted in as an official member of the MA branch Motion Left.  When I first started getting into mopeds I told myself, as well as a few others, that it did not really matter whether or not I was ever an official branch member as long as I was able to 1. hang out with these kids, B. get help fixing my Gaddy, and 3. could store my 'ped at the shop during the shitastic Elkhart winter season.  Devin Biek, captian and owner of Motion Left Mopeds, said that was fine.

Last week, Joey Smith informed me that I had been nominated, by Kelly Crowder, and asked if I wanted to be a part of their group.  It was at that moment that I knew I was totally lying to myself (and a few others) and that I did, indeed, want to be a branch member after all.  Now I'm totally excited to find out the verdict tonight and also a little nervous and, honestly, I really really do not want to be at work today.  Hurry up, 6:00!