Shed built: 'for smiles-per-mile, the tiddlers win hands down'

Shed built 1978 Puch Maxi S

Think of the tiny Puch mopeds and you may find yourself uninspired. Don’t be, they’re an absolute riot to own and ride – you buy them for fun, not performance.

For Malcolm Wright, accepting a Coast to Coast challenge for charity – on mopeds – a few years back showed him just what a laugh these little charmers could be and led to him buying a string of Puch mopeds. 

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“It went down so well, that several of us decided that it was a splendid idea and organised a re-run that September, though in fancy dress” Malcom recalls. “eBay was hammered by us lot trying to buy old mopeds that we could do it on.” 

“As you do, I decided to ‘kit’ it up before the ride. That’s when the ‘Puch’ bug really took hold and I haven’t stopped building them since.” After buying the first for a mere £120, came another, and another and then to this one, a 1978 Puch Maxi S.

The engine on it has been upgraded with a high compression head, 17mm Amal carb, DMP race crank, 70cc Athena reed valve, HPI Kevlar race clutch and a Homoet PSR P6 exhaust. With the 16:42 gearing it’ll reach the dizzy heights of a 50mph max speed – which is more than enough with the brakes, or lack of them anyway.

The suspension has been upgraded too, with the rear getting a pair of stiffer MKX shocks and the forks have been braced with PBR Race.

The frame and wheels have been powder coated and the tanks comes from a Bratavus moped. The seat is a custom number that was made by a friend of Malcom too.

“The bikes name is SPRIV, which stands for Steady’s Pocket Rocket IV,” With Steady being Malcolm’s nickname on a moped forum.

“I own bigger bikes too, but for smiles per mile, the tiddlers win hands down.” With cheap parts, good friends and brilliant reasons to ride, these puny performers deliver fun in spades.

Do you have a shed built bike? We’d love to hear from you – email james.archibald@motorcyclenews.com with some details and images of your creation.

Looking for the perfect two-wheeled companion? Visit MCN Bikes For Sale website or use MCN’s Bikes For Sale App.