Once the whole round to yourself please!
10/20/2025
Sometimes it's the little things that seem big and important. Like the other day, when I finally managed to take my daughter on a moped ride. The aim was to celebrate my offspring's first driving license in style. Admittedly, a moped license - at least in Switzerland - is not really a huge deal yet, a theory test is enough. But it's a start. And, if you're honest with yourself as a father, it's also a bit of a loss, because it also means that you've become a bit more dispensable. On the one hand, that's nice, but it's also a little bit of a reason to get sentimental.
Dad's Solexen, the yellow postman on the right (ex Telegram Service Geneva 1962) stayed at home because his daughter has her own vehicle
However, we really had no reason to, because our "Möfis" - VeloSolex, we feel obliged to a non-existent family tradition, see this blog or this one - actually started despite almost a year of neglect. Well, we had tested it the evening before, but I firmly expected that our Motocyclettes would have taken revenge for their non-use with stuck fuel pumps. But no, two-stroke oil has obviously also evolved, everything is fine after 12 months of standing. It took a few more turns of the crank before the 49 cubic inch Christian chasers started up (that's what the Solex were called here in central Switzerland, presumably because they were ideal for pre-conciliar priests who still wore flowing robes thanks to their low step-through). But, as is almost always the case, subsequent intensive use helped to "file down" the mechanics a little. According to my own experience, a vigorous push from a distance of two meters should be enough for the engine to start whirring.
The van as a racing transporter - or something like that
We packed our two fire chairs into the van and made our way to the place where Tell shot Gessler, to hohlen Gasse near Küssnacht am Rigi. There is a parking lot here with 24-hour parking. Admittedly, that was a bit of an exaggeration, but the location is strategically ideal if you want to circle the "Queen of the Mountains". The clockwise route from here first takes you to the north side of the mountain. The route descends from Immensee to the shores of Lake Zug. In our case, this was ideal for getting into the rhythm. As expected, my daughter's "Töffli" took off vehemently, or as vehemently as you might expect from a brute 0.8 hp. With her model 3800, she is indeed a little better motorized than I am with my old Suisse-Paris-Suisse bike, a 1964 model 3300 with the old 2200 engine and only 0.6 hp. In addition, something didn't seem quite right, the thing seemed buttoned up. On the ascent in Goldau over the debris cone of the 1806 landslide, up to the Bernerhöhe, the thing actually broke down completely. I dismantled the fuel pump in front of the local bus depot - in my mind I could already see myself asking for the timetable there. I cursed under my breath, gave it a good blow through - no Solex experience, it seemed, without a note of gasoline in my mouth - and reassembled it with the on-board tool. This proved to be ideally suited for this purpose, actually used seriously for the first time in 32 years. I will never again try to fumble the fuel lines off the pump with a normal figure-of-eight wrench.
The power-to-weight ratio was not on my side - still a VeloSolex freshman, but the daughter has already left the old man behind
And yes, miracles do happen, my bike actually managed to climb even slight inclines with my modest 100 kilos of live weight on board. My daughter not only has a performance advantage, but also a (massive) weight advantage. I soon made good progress and was reminded that 12 degrees under an overcast sky can be pretty cold for exposed hands, even at a modest 25 to 30 km/h. The good thing about the Solex engine is that you can simply warm your hand a little on the air filter cover, which is right in front of you. Lake Zug is followed by Lake Lauerz, where the cycle path (cycle route) runs directly along the lakeshore, a perfect speed route for VeloSolex riders like the two of us.
Riding fast means letting go of the right brake lever, the negative throttle. This is because the Solex is only throttled when braking, full throttle is normal
We took a shortcut along the Muota to Brunnen, where the little river flows into Lake Lucerne, the third body of water on our journey. What strikes you on a rattling moped is the fact that you are riding together, but rather in silence, because the rattling prevents a sensible conversation. We could have easily ridden side by side on the gravel road behind us, there was nobody around. The Solex whirred and whirred without a hiccup.
"Ride in peace" was once the slogan of a German Solex importer's advertising campaign - perfect!
We continued via Brunnen towards Gersau, now on the southern flank of the Rigi - and this is immediately apparent. Here the vegetation suddenly becomes Mediterranean, the lake and the sunny location make for an unusually mild climate. But I was still cold - Mediterranean? No way! Instead, there was a wonderful foggy autumn atmosphere along the cliffs all the way to Gersau. Unfortunately, I had to learn there that the course of events cannot be stopped, even in this former free republic. The Seerestaurant Schwert, which used to offer typical local specialties, has now become a Chinese restaurant. Instead of autumnal game, we had fried noodles with beef. Well then, details! After the meal, the planes were even harder to carry, but they managed the rest of the tour without complaint. In Weggis we had enough time to ride through the middle of the village and along the lake instead of taking the bypass. A heroic photo was taken at Mark Twain's corner (cover picture). After all, a father-daughter moment like this should be captured.
Two wild riders with their "fire chairs"
Well, and then back in Küssnacht we saw our VW 567 ivory-colored T1 standing by the roadside again. So the premiere was a success. The mopeds held up, as did the daughter's mood. She was very enthusiastic and the idea of a longer tour with overnight stays in between has matured. It's great when the teenager at home can still imagine such things together with the "old man". But I'm also honest with myself: if someone else wants to join me on a VeloSolex tour one day, I'll happily stand back. Because, this is already certain, the spark of enthusiasm for old bikes with motors has been ignited.
Good mood, child thrilled - dad satisfied, the premiere was a success!
What do you mean, the classic car scene is struggling with a shortage of young talent? It doesn't have to be a carburetor overhaul or driving uphill in a pre-war car that you want the youngsters to learn. Sometimes it's enough to go on a little journey with your own offspring with less than one horsepower under their butts, to find yourself a little and open up new chapters together. And what I have also discovered: On a deeply relaxed vehicle like a VeloSolex, it's wonderful to think! And that feels really good.
