Makita Moped

- Becoming a mechanic -

Origin

This moped is a 1987 Hercules Prima 5S. I bought it in complete disarray and generally in a very modified state. Apparently it was used for moped dirt racing. I had no idea about restoration or 2-stroke engines, so this was another major project for me.

Initial State

I bought the moped working and it was driving - however it was fast. It was really fast. Instead of the manufacturers 25km/h limit, it kept accelerating until 80km/h. This was scary but also incredibly fun. Sadly it was running quite unstable, loud and it was also quite hard to get going. Additionally the tyres were completely worn off.

After some research I found out what parts were modified - basically all of them including the piston. The engine block was upgraded from 49ccm to 79ccm.

Let the mess begin.

I felt smart and thought: Let’s start the restoration - what could possibly go wrong?

My plan was simple: Fix the technical problems and then restore it. This idea was flawed because a lot of the technical features were also relevant to the restoration. For example I couldn’t fix the wheel gear without fixing the tyre width.

Engine Overhaul

WIP

Back to Originals

WIP

Bodywork

WIP

Paint

WIP

Stickers

My wonderful wife cut out stickers to add to my freshly painted moped to really drive the Makita theme home.