> From: Barman3565@aol.com ()
> Date: 8/12/97, 12:19:27 AM
> Subject: Re: Is riding a moped wimpy?
> > Hi moped Maniacs!!!! My name is Tom and I got to ask this question. Back in
> 1978 I was 15 years old and my Lazer Moped was the best thing in my life. It
> was freedom, fun, and everyone loved riding it. Why is it today that when I
> talk about buying a moped people laugh at me. They make jokes like (a harley
> dude will see me on it and kick me and my moped onto the ground)! What is
> wrong with these people?
> > I am 33 years old and I will never give into peer pressure but why do people
> view riding a moped as something WIMPY ? They are fun to ride and not
> dangerous like riding a motorcycle. You know people would want to ride it if
> they saw it, but yet they make fun of it.
> > Any comments out there?
> > Tom.
Prior to my moped, my last bike was a Norton Commando;prior to that it
was a Kaw triple. I rode with a guy who was a die hard Harley biker
type, but he had enough comfort with himself to be seen with a Kaw. I
don't think it's an image thing. It's a question of being comfortable
with yourself and not worrying about what others think. Some bikers
pass me and give me a wave, like I used to get on my bike. Others
don't. It's not unlike the 60's when people who bought economy cars
weren't "cool"; you had to have a muscle car to be "in." Now the muscle
cars are gone, and the smaller cars are the norm. When gas prices rise
to $2/gal., cars and insurance continue to rocket in price, and parking
in cities triples in price, you'll see the rebirth of mopeds, scooters
and small displacement bikes. Until then, be the cutting edge.
From: Philip.Kuhl@ping.be
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 1997 23:55:25 +0100 (GMT+0100)
To: daugava@nothnbut.net
Subject: re: Is Riding a Moped Wimpy?
No, of course not. I ride a 1996 Peugeot 103. Several of my USMC (= United
States Marine Corps) buddies have Harleys, and were, indeed, aghast at the
idea that I would buy a moped. I fought back by naming my green Peugeot
"Piglet" from the Winnie-the-Pooh stories; I figured that if Harleys were
called "hogs," then "Piglet" was appropriate for my Peugeot! My buddies roared!
I ride my moped for me, not for anyone else -- including my buddies. I love
the sensation, as I sputter along the backroads here in Belgium, of hearing
and feeling every part of my moped functioning as it brings me to my
destination. I get a true appreciation of what an internal combustion
engine is all about, and there's an odd sensation of pleasure in the magneto
generating enough current for my head- and tail-lights. Of course all this
exists in my truck, but there I am insulated from the process of propulsion
and generation (I just stomp on the gas pedal and the truck moves.); with
the moped I'm a part of it.
Everyone who rides a moped chooses to do so for a different reason: For the
youngest among us, it may be the only motor vehicle to which they have
access; for others it is a matter of cost and fuel economy and lack of
licensing and insurance requirements, for others still it's the pleasure of
the "minimalist" sputtering through the countryside. The attraction for me
is a combination of the minimalist and the economist, but that's really
irrelevant: What's important is that I ride a moped because I like to.
Now, are there those who will sneer? Of course! It's the same kind of
person who, on his Cannondale bicyle, sneers at the fellow riding a Huffy.
By the way: That Cannondale rider is being sneered at by the rider of the
supercharged Tomos, who is being sneered at by the rider of the big
Kawasaki, who is beeing sneered at by the driver of the Hyundai, who is
being sneered at by the Cadillac driver, who....well, you get the idea!
Ride what you want because you want to. Let others do the same. If you
want to think that, somehow, you are superior to me because you drive
something that is more expensive -- well, I hope that gives you some
pleasure! I get my pleasure from enjoying what I chose to have, not by
trying to make myself seem superior to others by virtue of my posessions!
Phil
Philip.Kuhl@ping.be