The Beginning
If only I knew how much was wrong with this little machine...
This 2005 Tomos A35 was trying to become one with nature again, intil I came along. If you know anything about wrenching, you know that sitting stationary, exposed to the elements is about the worst situation a vehicle can be in. This moped spend 5 years doing just that. The engine was seized, brakes froze up, rust everywhere. It needed a lot of love to be able to work again.
First Drive!
After a lot of tinkering with my brother, we got this thing running again. It needed a full rebuild and the wheels needed a crowbar to be even able to roll. A lot of blood sweat and tears went into even getting it moving and stopping by itself, and I learned a lot doing it. Driving it for the first time is something truly magical (as you can tell from my big smile)
Aesthetics
After driving it all the way back to Eindhoven from Nijmegen, barely making it. It was time to customize the moped a bit. I always liked an old cafe racer/scrambler look on motorcycles, so I tried to find some used parts that would fit this project. I always like to scavenge second hand stores and online marketplaces for parts. I like how it creates creative challenges to make all the pieces fit together. I popped on a big old motorcycle headlight, a custom made taillight embedded in the luggage rack, low handlebars and a Kreidler dirt bike saddle.
Fresh paint
There were some unadressed rust spots on the frame that stood out like a sore thumb. The frame was aesthetically becoming the weakest link of the build, so I decided to respray it. If there is anything I have learned from building guitars and refinishing objects, it is that 90% of a good finish is a preparations. So I sanded the whole frame down and sanded the rusty spots to bare metal. I then did several layers of primer, a few coats of light blue 2K laquer, inspired by the Gulf livery of classic racecars like the Ford GT40. I love the contrast between such an awefully slow vehicle and a quick appearance.
More Engine work
By this time I think I already redid the engine 3 times. After trying and failing many times, this time I wanted to properly build it. Renew all the neccessary items, new piston, new cylinder, clutch etc. It turns out that these engines encounter quite a lot of abuse, 2-stroke, and either accellerating or on their maximum revs. After talking to some other Tomos-owners, I found that each Tomos has its own little issues and percussive sounds, "you just have to learn live with it"
Complete?
Every time I fix the next weakest link, I feel like I have finished this bike. By this time that would probably be the 20th time. As it turns out, if you like tinkering more than riding, you will never finish. But I am very proud to drive on this machine, knowing how much effort went into it. When driving it around in the city, I get a lot of positives responses. Mostly from people who use to own a moped like this back in the day, or people wondering what kind of Frankenstein I made and looking at the Tomos logo like: there is no way this is a Tomos.
Complete (For now)
Another big change in the design of the moped. I changed the wheels, tires, front fork, swing arm and upgraded to hydraulic brakes in the front. These upgrades made the ride way more stable and safe, but also I feel like the proportions are better this way. It now is the scaled down low power 'motorcycle' I always wanted to have. For now I consider it finished, but there is more on the agenda of this motorcycle. This project has taught me so much. Things can be so perfect in their imperfections...
