Classic Motorcycle # 3: Mobylette Moped

This rather odd-looking contraption, photographed in the UNESCO-listed Vietnamese city of Hoi An, is a classic French-built Mobylette moped (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobylette). It is a moped in the true sense of the term, being, as it is, powered by a combination of a motor and pedals (mo - ped).

No matter what you're told, the word moped is not a synonym for motor scooter (unless the scooter also has pedals, that is!). And, while we're at it, there's no such thing as a quad-bike, either, unless said conveyance has eight wheels. (Think about it: Bike = bicycle, meaning two wheeled; quad = four of. Therefore, a quad-bike = 4 x 2 = 8!)*. But we digress ...

The sad absence of classic cars in Vietnam was mitigated to a degree by the presence of quite a few classic motorcycles and scooters, the main marque represented being the Italian Vespa. This predominance of two-wheeled conveyances shouldn't really be a surprise, though; in a country where the scooter rules (by which UMPH means there are, quite literally, 100s of the farty little things to every four-wheeled vehicle), it stands to reason that's going to be what nostalgia freaks and retro-maniacs collect.

And there definitely is a classic bike scene, as evidenced by companies such as Vespa Adventures (www.vespaadventures.com) who run hugely popular, and very enjoyable, tours through Vietnam and neighbouring Cambodia. More on that later ... .

U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

All iPhone images.

* You think this is pedantic? Don't get UMPH started on Mother's, and Father's, Days (or, as correct use of the apostrophe would dictate, Mothers', and Fathers', Days!).

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