Each Wednesday, second hand bike specialist Scott Redmond checks out the web and brings us his pick of the online classifieds. This week he’s been captivated by one of the rarest funky mopeds ever to go on sale in the UK. Say hello to the 1980 Suzuki OR50…

When Jasper Carrott sung about a funky moped in his 1975 top 10 hit, perhaps someone at Suzuki heard it and thought that the Brummy comedian was onto something. The Suzuki OR50 is a rare find within the classic moped world. It’s a model was manufactured between 1979 and 1981 and is often confused with the less radically looking ZR50 that replaced it. The air cooled two stroke powered ‘ped came with plenty of big bike features, such as cast wheels and disc brakes, while life in the slow lane was nice and comfy thanks to that chopper saddle and those high bars. It certainly wasn’t a massive seller and this means used examples are very scarce.

This offering is a 1980 model, what makes it unique is the fact that it’s only covered 75 miles from new.

The chances of finding another OR50 that sports the same provenance is a very slim prospect. The £2,995 asking price might as steep as the headstock angle, but this bike really does fall firmly within the ‘it’s worth whatever someone wants to pay for it’ territory. They’re certainly rarer than a Yamaha FS-1E, which was the moped of the day. Indeed, it’s probably rarer than the exotic Honda RC213V-S MotoGP replica it is currently sharing a Manchester motorcycle showroom with.

Almost four decades later and those custom bike looks are very much on trend (Ed: really?). To some it’s an ugly duckling, while to others it’s a cool bike. Everyone has to agree that the OR50 is a funky moped though!

What to look for when buying a classic moped.

• With so many 70s and 80s mopeds being restored you really need to research your chosen model. A professional respray in the wrong shade of paint will knock value off instead of adding worth.
• Standard bikes are the most desirable, which is ironic when you consider that the first thing we would’ve done in our youth was to fit a race pipe, get a big bore kit and throw away the indicators!
• Always check the frame and engine number against the V5, it’s not uncommon for owners not to update the logbook when restoring a bike and fitting a replacement engine.

See this bike up for sale on eBay at: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F254035131836

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