Six thousand hours in the HONDA saddle – The Fourstrokebarn

 Gerrit the complete story.

Six thousand hours in the saddle.

Gerrit Snowflake (65)
Gerrit (65) has owned a Honda moped for forty years. This is a vehicle he still drives to this day.

“I bought my first Honda after I finished school and went to work. I was able to get a house in Mijdrecht and I worked in Amsterdam. Because of that house, I had no money to take the bus or the car to work. As it happens, I had a buddy who got rid of his Honda C320S. That buddy told me that this Honda was driving very fuel efficiently; one in sixty-five. I thought, “That’s a nice mile-eater for me.” My first trips were 25 kilometres there and back to Amsterdam every day. Which I insisted on five guilders and a few coffee cards. This Honda moped finally lasted seven years and 110,000 kilometers.

Substance catcher
“By the time I had to replace that C320S for a new Honda I was often overtaken by the Honda CD50. There was a nice sound coming out and he was running nice and fast, that was something for me. A village away, a bicycle repairman was catching a blue Honda CD50 of dust. I could buy it, there was only one downside: he didn’t drive. If I wanted it, I had to fix it myself. Luckily I’m handy with my hands and I took that whole engine block apart to see where the problems or wear and tear were. Once I knew that, I took those parts out and replaced them for new ones. Then I rebuilt the entire engine block. Before I went back and forth to Amsterdam, I took some test rides to make sure there were no problems. But I did so well that she walked like a train. Then the next phase began; 50 kilometres back on the CD50. But because the CD50 was driving so well, that C320S ended up in the garage and I didn’t drive a meter anymore. I ended up selling it after a few years to a male who was trading in Honda mopeds. He did fix up those C320S and sell it again. Which I liked, so I got space in my barn for a possible new Honda.”

Old slipper
“Against all odds, the CD50 is still running after about 40 years. To me, it’s like an old slipper. I’m completely ingrained in it. This moped is therefore very special for me. I set up about 6,000 hours there, because of the weather and wind. All year round. That was almost just from Mijdrecht to Amsterdam. This moped never left Utrecht, North Holland or South Holland. The longest ride this moped has made is the ride from Mijdrecht to Rotterdam Centre. That was my best ride. Right through the green heart on a beautiful day with lots of sun. I’d never been in that environment before. It was pure enjoyment. This moped also has heavy rides. The worst of these was a drive to Amsterdam. I had to go to Waterloo Square. I was excited on my way, but at Artis I got a flat tire. A piece of stainless steel lying on the road went right through it. I couldn’t stick it anymore, but I still had to go home. So I drove home with a flat tire, the whole twenty-five kilometers on the rim. That was one of the toughest rides. Another ride that can also enter the books as one of the worst was that of Gouda to Mijdrecht. It was the third week of December, bitter cold and just above freezing. Ice was created in the carburettor. The problem is, your moped just stops, and then you have to walk. After about half an hour that ice had melted again and you could feather again for ten minutes until ice cream was born again. So that was a ten-minute drive and a half-hour walk. But I take all that for granted. Because I know I’ll come home eventually.”

Reliable engine
“The best thing about the Honda four-stroke mopeds is that they keep going despite everything. I’ve been riding it for over 40 years now, the reliability just remains incredibly high. My last goal with the CD50 is to drive 7,000 kilometers. Then he made it to 200,000 kilometres.”

The Viertaktschuur thanks the team of “Bikkel, forever young” for their efforts which also makes a nice contribution to this site.
Editorial:
Dominique Marks
Design:
Nirvana of Lions
Laura Bunt
Digital design:
Aiden Tube
Editor’s text:
Tim van Dam
Manon of the Kraats
Annemiek Haandrikman
Picture editor:
Babette Mouallem
Michel Gerritsen