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First "Chopper" ever was a german HERCULES CB1 50cc Mofa. https://prosee.morepush.shop/index.p...ucts_id=628449
The rider was called a "Highriser", I was 14 years young, and the "king of the neighborhood" with this very small moped.
Six weeks of holiday work, and the moped was paid off; it consumed 1 to 2 liters of 1:25 mixture per 100 kilometers, long "journeys" to the North Sea coast were finally possible.
Mike
PS That little moped still runs today, with the first engine in my hometown in the North. These mopeds were indestructible, pure German quality with only 1.5 horsepower. They'll outlive us all as long as there's gasoline, no doubt about it...
The very liitle Two-Stroke engine was a "Fichtel & Sachs" product.
Some of you will remember the heir Gunter Sachs and his lifelong passion for motorcycles...
Last edited by Mike1956G; Feb 17, 2026 at 03:38 PM.
Question for the seasoned guys:
I'm told the 80CI shovels (late 70s) have 9 fins on the jugs.
The number on my case says it is a 1979 74CI motor from a Superglide.
Is it possible to exchange jugs (and pistons) from an 80CI motor to a 74CI lower end?
Or is the 9 fin thing not true?
Question for the seasoned guys:
I'm told the 80CI shovels (late 70s) have 9 fins on the jugs.
The number on my case says it is a 1979 74CI motor from a Superglide.
.
Research indicates it can be done but 80`s have thicker base flanges and require longer studs, also lowers compression.
Not a bad thing for a kick only chopper.
But what is your goal?
Your existing cylinders may be fine.?
Or they could be bored
If they are beyond help, new replacements are cheap
Good stuff -88. Thanks for sharing that research.
My question was poorly worded. I have no intention of doing anything like that. I was just trying to figure out what I'm working with.
The jugs on this motor have 9 fins. The number stamped on the case indicates it is a 74" motor from a 1979 Superglide
Does the 9 fins indicate an 80" motor / barrel? or is that a campfire story? I feel like I should trust the VIN decoder and assume the motor has not been molested....
Once I get it apart I can measure things to verify.
Unfortunately a kitchen project is currently occupying my free time so this will have to wait a bit.
Does the 9 fins indicate an 80" motor / barrel? or is that a campfire story? I feel like I should trust the VIN decoder and assume the motor has not been molested.....
Research "seems" to indicate that 9 vs 10 was true in 78 when the 80" came out
Then by `79 both 74`s & 80`s had 9 fins
I admit IDK
Note that the aftermarket 74" ( post #24) cylinders appear to have 9 fins
I`ll be counting fins on my E78 this pm
Last edited by eighteight; Feb 19, 2026 at 08:56 AM.
Well that clarifys things a bit. Thank you.
I am confident I have an unmolested motor that can be treated like a stock motor for parts, tolerances, adjustments, etc.
I'll be using a S&S Super E carb I had laying around.
The unfulfilled wet dream of many little boys in the early 1970s was a "Fantic Chopper" from Italy.
If I remember correctly, there was a 50cc model and a "large" 125cc model, but I'm not entirely sure...
We probably would have gladly sacrificed our left ******** for such a chopper, but unfortunately, these little things weren't officially offered in Germany...
Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantic_Motor
These little "Choppers" are true rarities today, 50 years later, and prices have exploded; who could have foreseen such a thing...
Mike
PS Which motorcycle does this little mill remind you of, eh..?
I remember German motorcycle dealers who used to put these little Fantic choppers in their shop windows just for fun. You won't find them in original condition anymore, not for a long time now...
You wouldn't believe what serious German motorcycle editors published about choppers back then. These articles have become legendary, a source of joy that should have been carved in stone...
Who among us wouldn't love to have something like this on a pedestal in their living room? Please raise your hand!
Last edited by Mike1956G; Feb 28, 2026 at 03:27 PM.
It's hard to believe, but perfectly preserved "Fantic Choppers" now fetch prices of over 5000,- Euro, if the small mills are truly original, and very few of them have survived.
The "Garelli Bonanza" small mopeds were famous in the years: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garelli_Bonanza
So called "Highriser" handlebars were the kick for all the boys, and their young girlfriends loved to sit behind the boys.
That was a long time ago, the boys felt like Fonda and Hopper on their mopeds, it was a beautiful and very carefree time, long ago...
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