Born to be failed
Doing a motorcycle driving test, the first part is in a car-park, driving around cones to prove you are in basic control of your throbbing 50-cc monster. I had finished mine, and was idly watching a girl on a step-thru moped setting off around the rectangular course.

Reaching the first corner, she must have got her gearchange/throttle coordination wrong, as the machine suddenly shot forward, engine screaming. It even managed to wheelie, which was lucky as there was a wall in front of her. The bike actually shot vertically up the wall, dumping her off, then came to rest hanging about two metres up the wall, tangled in some ivy. The stunned silence was only broken by the sound of petrol pouring out of the tank and splashing onto the face of the unfortunate rider lying on the ground below.

I don't know what happened next as I lost it at that point...
(moon monkey is busy making memories worth repressing, Fri 23 Jul 2010, 11:32, 13 replies)

Manual gears on a step-through moped?
I thought those things were twist-and-go.
( flake has nothing against your right leg, Fri 23 Jul 2010, 11:43, closed)

gears
Some have handlebar twist gears. But I'm only guessing, anyway.
(moon monkey is busy making memories worth repressing, Fri 23 Jul 2010, 11:56, closed)

Nope, that's mountain bikes.
The only thing you might be thinking of is a C 90 Cub-type moped. They have three gears - but they still have an automatic clutch, so that wouldn't fit.

She probalby just gave it a handfull of throttle.
(Miraclefish How appropriate, you fight like a cow, Fri 23 Jul 2010, 12:55, closed)

Vespas have gears on the left handlebar grip
and the clutch is the left lever.

Is this a pedantry masterclass in how to suck all the fun out of someone's first post or something?
(Sloppy Giuseppe, Fri 23 Jul 2010, 15:36, closed)

Yes, people seem to be distracted by irrelevance here
Like I say, it was just guess at what happened, and hardly the key issue. For all I know she was wearing a butterfly, and suddenly came at that moment, causing an involuntary spasm in her throttle hand.

It's the effect that's relevant, not the cause!
(moon monkey is busy making memories worth repressing, Fri 23 Jul 2010, 16:55, closed)

Now THAT'S a story!
*click*
(Sloppy Giuseppe, Fri 23 Jul 2010, 17:28, closed)

*click*
because this makes the story :)
(xanthine, Sat 24 Jul 2010, 9:47, closed)

Pedantry you say?
You ride a bike not drive it and a CBT isn't actually a test, it's a training course.

I thank you.
( Dervel OTBC, Tue 27 Jul 2010, 16:47, closed)

No, there are plenty of 50cc mopeds with gears.
The Yamaha FS1E is probably the most famous one.

Most people nowdays do tend to just jump on a scooter, granted.
(Flap Burger hasn't really got a burger made of flaps, Sat 24 Jul 2010, 18:14, closed)

I stand corrected.
I jumped straight on a 600cc bike, courtesy of Direct Access (okay, I spent one day on a 125 for the CBT). I never learned anything about mopeds. Ta for the information.
( flake has nothing against your right leg, Sun 25 Jul 2010, 18:14, closed)

Please tell me
that was a "FAIL", wasn't it?
(M61A1 CUPID- STUNTS, Fri 23 Jul 2010, 12:39, closed)

Epic Fail
I guess it depends on whether she indicated correctly, looked in her mirrors etc etc. Not sure what the highway code says about riding up vertical walls, though.
(moon monkey is busy making memories worth repressing, Fri 23 Jul 2010, 16:56, closed)

I had a Kawa AE50 and also an AR50 back in the day, both of those had 5 gears.
(H K Phooey, Sat 24 Jul 2010, 19:27, closed)