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Aug 13, 2016 18:13:31 GMT
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This may or may not fit here on Retro-Rides but bear with me. This Monday I am leaving with 7 of my friends on a roadtrip to the UK/London/Wales. We are however not going by car, we are going by moped. Yes moped, 50cc (most of them anyway) and top speed of about 50km/h. We all ride motorbikes and I actually have cars (yes plural) but we thought it'd be a good idea to go on mopeds. So we'll be travelling at a low rate of speed, enjoying the local scenery and culture with (probably lots) unscheduled stops tending to our aging mopeds and probably our numb bums. Since this trip will be more about the journey and less about the destination this is were you come in. What places should we definitely go to/avoid on our trip? Are there any good bootfairs, local parties, gatherings or otherwise social events we could roll up on? Do you know of any cheap/outdoors campground that are "biker" friendly? Would you like to meet us/can we come over for a cup of tea or maybe even save our trip by helping us if we can't fix it ourselves? (We are very technically minded and have lots of tools with us, but bringing a welder for instance isn't practical)
As for the mopeds themselves, I'll be riding an orange classic Vespa, there'll be a super clean Honda cub, Yamaha dt50mx dirtbike, a custom Honda 4 stroke and then some, so if you us puttering along, give us a wave! Title reference
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Aug 13, 2016 18:51:42 GMT
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How long are you going to be in the UK for?
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Aug 13, 2016 18:57:40 GMT
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Oxfordshire is lovely if your passing through . Blenheim palace in Woodstock is great and Winston Churchills grave is near by . There is also a good campsite there and good pubs etc.
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Aug 13, 2016 19:13:13 GMT
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We're planning on 2-3weeks and we've set our sights on wales to set a goal, but we might not make it;)
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Aug 13, 2016 19:28:04 GMT
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We're planning on 2-3weeks and we've set our sights on wales to set a goal, but we might not make it;) retroridesgathering.com/ ... just saying ... on the way to Wales as well
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logicaluk
Posted a lot
Every days a school day round here
Posts: 1,373
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Aug 13, 2016 20:00:59 GMT
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If your coming in via hull theres the bubble car museum in boston they have a camping ground. www.bubblecarmuseum.co.uk/What dates have you booked the ferry for? And for that matter which ferry. Dan
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Last Edit: Aug 13, 2016 20:03:02 GMT by logicaluk
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Aug 13, 2016 22:05:11 GMT
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Joining the gathering would be all kinds of awesome but I fear I must be back by then.
Ferry hasn't been booked yet, but we'll be leaving from calais to dover, probably on the 17th or thereabouts. On the 15th we need to cross the Netherlands (from Enschede to Rotterdam) and the next day we'll head into Belgium, if everything goes according to plan..
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Aug 14, 2016 15:02:40 GMT
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Seth
South East
MorrisOxford TriumphMirald HillmanMinx BorgwardIsabellaCombi
Posts: 15,538
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Aug 14, 2016 21:07:28 GMT
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Brooklands is surely a place worth heading to if you're near London. link
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Last Edit: Aug 14, 2016 21:10:00 GMT by Seth
Follow your dreams or you might as well be a vegetable.
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Aug 14, 2016 21:47:55 GMT
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If you do make it as far as Wales, I'd definitely try to call into the Museum of Speed at Pendine Sands, (also a particularly nice part of the coastline); Museum of SpeedIt's only a small place but worth calling in. In England I'd highly recommend that you call in at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu; National Motor MuseumThe collection is enormous and has some extremely important cars so this will certainly fill an entire day. To add to the kudos of a 50cc bike trip you might consider visiting Brighton, (Quadrophenia); This Summer they've been filming a sequel to Quadrophenia in Brighton, (if they're still filming, perhaps you'll get roped in as extras!) If you keep progress updates on this site, (current whereabouts with intended destinations), people will be able to make recommendations on camp sites / places to stay as you head for areas they know or live in, (I'm assuming you'd prefer budget stays given the length of the holiday?) If you make it to Wales I'll be happy to come up with a few pointers. Sounds as though it'll be an interesting & worthwhile break, let's hope you see a bit of dry weather!
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Last Edit: Aug 14, 2016 21:49:39 GMT by MkX
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Not to be negative but bring a decent chain and padlock with you and never leave the mopeds anywhere unsecured, the DT especially is a theft magnet.
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I owned a Honda 50cc 4-stroke for a few years when I was in my teens, (I think it was a late 1960's model). It had a habit of dropping one of the valves every few thousand miles, I hope the model you're bringing isn't similarly inclined or you'll be wasting a lot of time at the roadside.
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Aug 23, 2016 14:09:58 GMT
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We've actually made it! We're currently in Monmouth, on de edge of the Brecon Beacons.
We had to replace a crank seal on the tomos, resurface the warped head of my vespa on a mirror in a biker bar, putter along at 30mph on a dual carriageway, streaming rain in Brighton, camping in the backyard of the most British family we've ever seen, ales and rum in the countryside and having to walk up the steep hills. All in all, quite an adventure, but we're still going!
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Seth
South East
MorrisOxford TriumphMirald HillmanMinx BorgwardIsabellaCombi
Posts: 15,538
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Aug 31, 2016 18:32:30 GMT
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Were you still in mid-Wales last Friday (26th)?? Spotted a small group of machines puttering the opposite way from us near Machynlleth and wondered if it was you guys.
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Follow your dreams or you might as well be a vegetable.
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Aug 31, 2016 20:49:38 GMT
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We've actually made it! We're currently in Monmouth, on de edge of the Brecon Beacons. We had to replace a crank seal on the tomos, resurface the warped head of my vespa on a mirror in a biker bar, putter along at 30mph on a dual carriageway, streaming rain in Brighton, camping in the backyard of the most British family we've ever seen, ales and rum in the countryside and having to walk up the steep hills. All in all, quite an adventure, but we're still going! I missed this update. Croeso & fair play to you for getting here! I hope you're having fun, plenty of good pubs with good food & ale and no shortage of hills to explore.
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Aug 31, 2016 21:58:21 GMT
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I hope to see many photo's uploaded here, sounds like something I'd love to do though don't know anyone who'd do it with me.
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mouse
Part of things
Posts: 71
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Sept 18, 2016 20:07:36 GMT
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Any update? How did the trip go?
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Sept 21, 2016 8:19:55 GMT
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Were you still in mid-Wales last Friday (26th)?? Spotted a small group of machines puttering the opposite way from us near Machynlleth and wondered if it was you guys. I had to leave the guys early so I was already halfway home by then, but the rest of the guys carried on north so it's very likely you spotted them! The Puch didn't quite make it in the end, it's rear rim failed (split in half) in the mountains in Wales and he had to be left behind (after making sure he had transport home!). One of the guys did make a lot of videos and pictures and hes making an aftermovie of sorts, currently there's only a trailer, but it's better than nothing. Sadly normal life has resumed, so I'm back in
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