This barn find bike looks like it’s missing half of its innards, but that’s actually where your feet go on this ride. This 1980 Pacer Super Sport moped can be found here on eBay and is located in Mount Airy, MD. I thought that the only Mount Airy was in North Carolina, home of Andy Griffith, but I learn something new everyday.
These little bikes were made in Italy by Italtelai S.A.S. Or, the chassis were made by them, the engines were Morini Fanco Motori 50cc units from one of the most famous makers of moped engines. The moped seen here would have looked like this at one time, and it will again after you (or, I) restore it back to its former, beautiful Italian-American glory. The Pacer brand and logo was created by Portofino International, Inc. in West Babylon, NY in 1976 and by the time this 1980 P-80 Super Sport was made, the company was owned by Aeon International Corp in Ronkonkoma, NY. The Pacer brand sort of fizzled out around 1990.
Mopeds typically have a 50cc or smaller engine and have a top speed limit of 30 mph or less, even if they can go faster than that. It’s going to take a couple of solid days at 30 mph to make it to Sturgis. Licensing requirements are usually less stringent for mopeds than they are for motorcycles and cars. Mopeds came into popularity in the early-70s in the US when gas shortages were rampant and people were looking for a cheaper way to get around town.
This one will need a full restoration, but the seller says that it ran well in November of 2015 when they last had it going. They got it from the original owner’s grandson in the fall of 2015. This is the M1 Morini 50cc engine and the service manual is online for when you start to tinker around with it. The seller talks about some sort of rust-remover that you apply with a foam brush that he’s used on some other rusty bikes and he thinks that it’ll work well here. Or, just do it the old-fashioned way. I’m not sure if I would mess with the looks of this thing or not, I’d probably just make sure that the mechanicals worked like new and maybe redo the seat and ride it as it looks here. Is this pedal-pusher something that you would ever consider or are you a full-sized motorcycle rider only?
Mt. Airy MD. is home to Mt. Airy Bicycles. bike123.com. is the website. a great shop to stop at if your into bikes new and old. if you do not see it on the floor look up as they have more bike hanging from the rafters. they sell bamboo framed bikes. also they are a checkpoint on the race across america that happens in june. the shop is close enough to Carlisle Pa to combine with a trip to spring carlisle that happens in april.
HA! I knew an AG reference was going to be thrown in there somewhere. ( Scotty and I are huge AG fans) There’s 2 things you never want to be seen with. A hooker and a moped. ( both better at night) For a while, mopeds were huge. I remember “piles” of them at repair places. The fad faded, but many got their 1st taste of biking with these. A neighbor had an “Allstate” moped, his 1st bike. We got busted on it as kids in the middle of the night by the cops. ( boy, was the old man pissed) If I remember, the pedals were useless as far as actually propelling the bike. Pedaling it to Surgis would take even longer. Sorry, there’s better bikes to ride, and people found that out.
yes one think you never want to do on a motorcycle/moped is be slower then the people around you who are driving cages. being slower is a good way to get run off the road or run over!
This is late to the game but I love my Pacer Super Sport and ride it all over. In fact I have two and I am always having people come up and ask me about them. Mopeds are an awesome mod of transportation. In a world where everything is flying by at super speeds whats wrong with taking some time to slow down and enjoy life.
How much is one of these mopeds worth.