Stock vs. Kitted
I took a chance in San Francisco because my Motron wasn’t ready to ride… I used the 50cc Concord Shadow, with a top speed of around 37mph, stock pipe and everything. I swapped the 14/12 carb for the drilled out 14.27 from my Baretta and crossed my fingers that I wasn’t going to get stranded - California rallies are usually crazy fast, almost everyone has a kitted bike.
After that went reasonably well, I decided to do more to build up my stock bikes. They really aren’t so slow as to be left behind or even be embarrassing. Sometimes I would catch myself passing up a bike I knew to be kitted, and I passed people in corners all over the place, usually only to have them pertly cruise by again as soon as they got their comfortable straight stretch back.
I love going fast, but there’s something about driving a stock slower bike that brings out the crazy competitive road-rage filled cursing-like-a-sailor moped racer in me that is fun as hell. I hardly remembered what it was like to round a corner up a hill as fast as possible, trying to keep up speed.
I think this winter will probably be seeing me in the garage with a dremel and a variety of Minarelli cylinders. So get ready…. Next spring : 50cchallenge! Stock (vintage) bottom end, stock cylinder (no 50cc kits) and you can do what you want with your carb and pipe.
