I thought it was the holes they poked into the exhaust to try to make it go 1mm/yr faster than their friend's.

My 1050 is not happy with you.

As a kid growing up in Switzerland in the 50s and 60s, they were just brilliant. As soon as we were aged 14, we all had one. We used to tamper with the speed limitation devices and put all sorts of extra stuff in the tank to make them go faster (castor oil, if I remember rightly?) - and of course, no helmets in those days. Must say I have really fond memories of my VeloSolex (and a few scars too).

my 1170 and both 1340's agree

My 1200 sighs with relief that he's admitted to the cool kids club.

Castor oil was for lubrication. The go-fast stuff was the nitromethane used for RC models.

I can still smell it now

All five of mine are in my garages.

Tom

My wife drove over the San Bernadino pass on her tuffli when she was a teen!!

That's commitment!

Out of curiosity I've just checked my garage.
Underneath the general mess down there (mostly caused by my sons using it as their private workshop when 'maintaining/restoring' their Minis) there are three of the wretched things, plus boxes and boxes full of spare bits; and there's other one in the garden shed, eek.
They haven't ridden them for years, so I can only assume that once you've owned one you can't bear to part with it!

they are all getting ready for the elephant rally - going?

That's what I call them as I'm passing and shaking my fist in the air while screaming other obsceninities in the same breath.