This is a full blown racing engine with a 26mm carb, so not much poke lower down but it really starts to fly once in the powerband, 10-13000!. A 'standard' engine will rev into the high 9000s. As you have probably noticed going up through the gears, the power drops off noticeably just past peak revs....so there is no point trying to scream it past the peak power/rpm. You can alter the timing to give more 'over-rev' but you are better off keeping to the 'safe' option with reasonable power through the range, much nicer to ride on the road and will last much longer.

@@fanticman agree Mark, I’m more than happy with the performance for the limited miles I do. Not like the old days when I was commuting to work and tech college 😁 Might get a Rev counter though to keep an eye on them.

4 speed TX200 Alex, hence its a bit (!) under geared with the current sprockets.

@@fanticman what do you think my sprockets are Mark. Would they be the same as my UK bike back in the day 🤔

@@alexrankin2235 I'll have a look and email you later.

Yes, some of the roads by the farms are a bit sketchy with potholes and lots of loose 'stuff' but yes, it was great to just have a slow bimble.....

Thanks for your message. I don't really know much about the Minarelli V1 motor in the Issimo to be able to help. I seem to remember though that the rear brake light is on the same circuit as the magneto, the blue wire I think? So, if your brake light bulb has blown you won't get a spark.......I think!

@@fanticman Hiya, I don't seem to have a brake light lol. My horn was on the same circuit and before I disconnected everything that had nothing to do with ignition I used the light switch as a kill switch as the kill switch did nothing but if the lights were switched on the engine wouldn't spark. The horn did the same job. I think someone had had a go at fitting indicators as she did have indicators which were not wired up. I took the indicators off to make wiring up the lights more straight forward as I don't know what I'm doing haha. My big problem was the woodruff key that makes ignition timing easy, the one in Fanny was level with the shaft it is on so it didn't do anything. After a couple of miles at high speed the flywheel slipped very slightly but far enough to stop the engine which wouldn't start when hot but did start after cooling down for 15 minutes. I thought it was the coil at first but she was just hard to start when hot and when she did start it the power was down and she only ran until getting hot. I think she is running ok now that I have made a woodruff key but a new problem is I fitted a new HT lead and plug but it was a bit too big so I sort off shaved some of the insulation off to make it fit into the coil but it has come loose a couple of times due to the angle the wire has to bend through as soon as it leaves the coil, about 90 degrees and I damaged the rubber seal that holds the few wires in place where they come out of the magneto. I got a new HT lead so fitting that and doing some praying to the moped God is today's job. xx

Of course the GPS doesn't lie but it actually felt way faster than that!

Oui, j'ai dit dans la description qu'il bénéficierait d'un pignon avant plus grand. Mais pour un premier essai, le pignon avant de 13 dents était un bon point de départ. J'ai déjà fait tourner ce moteur dans une Testi Champion Special avec des pignons de 14/35, à 110 km/h de vitesse de pointe... en 5e vitesse ! Il n'y a pas beaucoup de couple dans les bas régimes, donc ce n'est pas trop facile de rouler avec un rapport long... mais lorsque cette bande de puissance atteint... Yes, I said in the description that it would benefit from a larger front sprocket. But for a first test ride the 13t front sprocket was a good starting point. I have run this engine before in a Testi Champion Special with 14/35 sprockets, 68mph/110 km/h top speed...in 5th gear! There is not much torque low down so it is not too easy to ride with long gearing........but when that power band hits......

I've been lucky so far with all the Nicasil lined cylinders......

@@fanticmanwhat have I got?

@@alexrankin8263 You have the Aluminium cylinder with the iron barrel sleeved into it. Much better for long term use than the earlier cast iron cylinder with improved heat dissipation. The later aluminium cylinders with the Nicasil plated bores are a further improvement and can be run flat out for long periods as long as the carb/ignition/exhaust setup is correct.

Yes, I loved seeing (and hearing) them! Having watched that video from yesterday of the 50s storming up the Lickey Incline, I just had to experience them for real. First 50s I've seen since 2017!

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/226304928737 £4250 Cheers Mark

In the UK we used to call them 'crash bars'. From the side, yes they look good, but from the front they look very wide.

Top speed about 90 km/h with 5 speed RS engine. Yes, in the UK.

@@fanticman oh is greet! Thank you.

Yes, maybe a bit of a deeper sound from the twin exhausts.

Cheers John.

I've contemplated buying a trailer and taking the bikes off to even more remote areas for some great rides.

@@fanticman lots around to but I’m sure. It would introduce even more stunning areas to enjoy 😊

Thanks very much for your message. I'll be starting it soon but a couple of other bikes to complete first.

For sure Alex it needs some thought. I left the Gitane I had before in its original condition, so I'm thinking it might be time to go all out on this one!

@@fanticman if honest, I think it would be the right choice Mark. A sports moped is such a lovely thing to own. Simple (ish) safe due to low speeds (again ish) and such fun to ride. The bonus for owners like me is being able to experience once again that first bit of independence a moped brought, and memories of days long gone by. I do love watching your videos and work, and can’t thank you enough for the deal we put together on my bike 👍

@@alexrankin8263 A perfect description Alex, such great fun to be had going not so fast and reliving those wonderful memories!

Merci beaucoup!

Yes, just over 5 minutes!!

@@fanticman 😉

Cheers Alex, hope all is good with you and the GT?

@@fanticman yes, spot on Mark. Love it 😍

@@alexrankin8263 Glad to hear it.

The sound is great for sure, with modern synthetic oils there is hardly any smell and also next to no smoke either now....but in many ways that is good?

I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

This one was originally a German market bike. There were only a handful of UK spec bikes with pedals sold in 1976/77. As far as I'm concerned the TX220 Super Six is easily the best 50cc bike to ride, big enough for an adult to ride, its docile around town but packs a real punch at the top end and will sit at 60mph all day. Front disc brake, indicators and a rear brake light make it safe (ish!) to ride as well.

Absolutely love it

Me too!

Many thanks!

A great result yes, been told I should have looked a bit happier though when I was 'well pleased' that it did start!

For a few months most likely!

Passing an MOT right now is maybe stretching it a bit but not far off! Of course it's MOT/Tax exempt as an historic vehicle in the UK. Front brake master cylinder is seized (they nearly always are), currently having a new swinging arm spindle made (they are often rusted in place and snap when undone), I've already got a 'new old stock' rear light and number plate bracket to fit. The period tyres have loads of tread and hold air. Speedo and rev counter both function correctly (often the speedo drive is seized). So, yes......looks like a good 'un. Just need to find a seat now.

Merci!

Ciao e grazie per il tuo messaggio. Ho usato una corona anteriore da 14 denti e una posteriore da 48 denti. Il cilindro TX160 Mik 26 (160.13.6102) e il tubo di scarico TX160 fanno una grande differenza rispetto al motore TX190 standard.

Thanks very much. I'd never even seen a Fantic until I bought this TI in 2019. Where I grew up it was all FS1-Es and AP50s, plus the Gitane Champion Super Veloce you might have seen in my other videos and a Malaguti Monte.

@@fanticman Malaguti Monte? Yum yum! 😋

Sì, davvero una bella moto, ancora meglio senza carenatura.

Thanks very much!

Yes, both of my Gitane mopeds are from the Bernard Hinault era, my other one from 1980 when Renault had taken total control of Micmo.

@@fanticman i remember seeing them at Green Lake Cycle in Seattle around 75 , they were more expensive than a Peugeot or Shwinn

Thanks John. Although I had a Yamaha FS1-E in 1978, and I can understand those that want the same bike they had back then, I much prefer the more exotic mopeds now. The challenge of actually finding the bikes in the first place and then the process of tracking down parts etc. is great fun.

I'll try my best! Going to take a fair time, but will be worth it in the end.

Thanks very much. A lot to do for sure, it's just deciding how far to go. The paintwork is pretty good and all original.

@@fanticman My father bought a Testi Championveloce (not Gitane Testi but Italian made) for me in 1977. It is still in my garage - in nearly original conditions - see kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5zdY2iCfKeMo9k. Keep it as original as possible and have fun. Best regards, Heinz (Graz, Austria)

@@pucherner4643 Wow, amazing! I remember seeing photos of your bike now.

This is the second one I've been lucky enough to own. They were sold in very small numbers, I know of 12 that still exist. I think the Fantic Mik26 160.13.6102 and the GT Super Six 220.13.6100 were the ultimate 'production' versions of the Minarelli P6 but the Gitane is a super-lightweight and runs a tiny 34 tooth rear sprocket to maximise the top speed. The petrol tank as part of the frame, the mono shock rear suspension, fibreglass monocoque body and fairing certainly made this the ultimate moped in 1976 and 77 in my opinion. Here is my previous Gitane - kzbin.info/www/bejne/havEg2CGe9GLf9ksi=1e_7GsJkUKG7_DCI&t=17

@@fanticman I still lust after a Fantic Caballero! Well that or a green Garelli Tiger Cross. Ever restored one of those?

@@mrsilbo6499 Done a few Caballeros; a 1972 Super Special, a couple of TX190s and the ultimate TX160 Mic 26. Never been near a Garelli...yet!

split single👍😆

@@robertguest5309 Yes, but not the original exhaust. Its from a Malaguti Olympique.

What a great story! Its good that your bike is still alive and well, 'taxed' until 1st March 2025. You are spot on about the size etc. of the TI, but I loved every minute of riding that bike. I did once have 65mph (GPS verified) downhill which was frankly terrifying! Mark Daniels sums it up very well here - www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pattle/nacc/arc0318.htm. "the sound of a TI on throttle was characterised by a haunting Banshee howl as the revs soared to the motor's astronomical capability.........."

@@fanticman That is very good news. I have calculated that 65mph on the standard gearing would correspond to about 11,000rpm, which is quite perilous for the Dykes type (L section, right at the top of the piston) top piston ring. I did some tuning on mine and got it up to a similar speed, but I changed the gearbox sprocket from 13 teeth to 15 and the rear sprocket from something in the high 30s to something in the low 30s. The internal gearing is 13:60 from the engine to the clutch and 23:20 (a slight step-up} from the clutch to the sprocket in top gear. I joined the 50cc Road Racing Association in the early 1980s and entered some races. (note to current owner: this is why the lights, number plate bracket and part of the rear mudguard were modified to be quickly detachable). I raised the overall gearing so that I would be able to go flat-out on the downhill parts of Brands Hatch without over-revving, and then I found that the engine would pull this gearing on the level if I kept my elbows and knees well tucked in, especially when I was wearing racing leathers. I was officially timed at an average of 54mph round Brands Hatch and Snetterton, which was nowhere near a match for the water-cooled Kreidler proper racing bikes but it was good fun. I rode to race meetings at Cadwell Park and (the late) Long Marston from just north of London. Someone gave me a lift home from the Cadwell Park meeting in his Bedford CF, which I think was noisier than the Fantic TI.

@@cedriclynch Another great insight Cedric. I think, from memory, I ran a 14 tooth front sprocket and something like a 34 on the rear. With a little bit of 'tinkering' it's pretty easy to get these engines to reliably run to about 10500 rpm, modern oils and electronic ignition really help. Super memories of your racing days, the old Snetterton circuit was pretty much flat-out in/on anything most of the way round, so a real test for any 2-stroke motor. The steep hill down from Paddock Hill Bend and then uphill to Druids at Brands Hatch is again a massive test for a tiny 'stroker', I bet your finger was poised ready to pull the clutch in........

@@fanticman I never had an engine seizure except a couple of times after a rebore that I think was done with too little clearance. I think Italian pistons have less silicon in the alloy than Japanese ones do, and so need more clearance which is why Italian engines are more rattly than Japanese ones. I did take care that the mixture at full throttle was a bit on the rich side. There was an excellent firm Contact Developments in Reading that sold Dell'Orto spare parts so no excuse for having the wrong jet size. The then Fantic importers Barron Eurotrade in Hornchurch also had a superb spare parts service. Both of these firms after coming to trust that you were going to send a postal order for the money would put the parts in the post immediately after you phoned to place the order.

@@cedriclynch I've only ever had seizures with the early iron cylinders. I think Contact Developments became Eurocarb who are still the UK importer for Dellorto, in Pangbourne near Reading.

Thanks for your continued interest and support. You are correct on almost all counts! The modern fully-synthetic Castrol oil produces no noticeable odour and next to no smoke when the engine is warm. Premix at 50:1 as opposed to the 20 or 25:1 cocktails we mixed back in the day, so much less oil is being used and burnt. I always fit a custom 12v electronic ignition system to the Minarelli engines, its adapted from the newer AM6. Much easier starting, a bigger spark, no worries about points or condensers, can run with the lights on all the time etc. The switchgear is a modern version of the CEV, can always refit the original parts if necessary when it comes to sale time. Overall, these adaptations make the bikes more reliable and safer to ride.

@@fanticman A brilliant set of mods. You can ride flat out without fear of seizure! Although I used semi-synthetic 2T in my X7 & S2A 350 Kwak as I felt the fully synthetic might be too slippery for old rings & bores designed for mineral oil. Things have definitely improved!

Off bike shots. Very slick!😀

@@1976PEZZA Mini tripod perched on a gate post! 😎

Bonjour, merci pour votre message. Il existe différents types de fourches pour le Fantic GT. Le type 'pogo stick' sans amortissement comme on le trouve sur les modèles TX200 à 4 vitesses. Les derniers TX220 et 240 'Super Six' GT ont une fourche à amortissement hydraulique similaire à celle du Caballero, la plupart des vélos TX270 à 4 vitesses ont également ce type de fourche. Je n'ai pas de pièces de rechange pour la fourche pour le moment, vous pourriez peut-être essayer de chercher sur Leboncoin et aussi Subito.it. Aussi, vous pouvez demander à Xavier chez LeMinarelliste, il a parfois des rôles Fantic, ou connaît quelqu'un d'autre qui en a.

I'm not sure how many/few were sold here but that was a UK bike from new. I've since seen a couple more from the same batch of registrations.

Thank you!

You are too kind!

Hello, thanks for the message. I have two similar bikes on the go at the moment. Try me at fanticman at icloud.com