Rockets of our ancestors: Peugeot 125 (1952)

The fact that two-wheelers were more than the only option for satisfactory mobility in the days of our fathers and grandfathers does not mean that there was not even a hint of enthusiasm in these people. When my father told me that he also flew to Trieste twice a day with his hairy Lambreta to get his shirts, which he then smuggled across the border and sold to the "Bosnians", I thought at first: "You screwed up."

What this smuggler loves today is when you deliver a disassembled motorcycle in several crates to his workshop, and he can collect it all day. When the business starts to work and gains momentum, this day is marked on the calendar separately. In the eyes of such a master, you see a spark that says that a person really liked to ride on two wheels at one time, and the stories about lambra and shirts make sense.

So I had the honor of seducing an old Peugeot. The 125 cc engine initially did not want to work properly. But what a man collects, a man can take apart and also fix. In 1952, such miracles on two wheels were dedicated to mere mortals. In the end, only a car with conditional suspension is comfortable, the balance position is mostly top-notch, and the brakes are more for fear than for serious use. With a favorable wind, it flies at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour. If he wanted to fly more than 100, he would have to descend with him at least from Triglav. Tire wear is completely unimportant, since this engine bends like a snake in a corner anyway. The job of a headlight is to see you on the road, not to see you on the road. Instead of warm hands, you ordered two child cooks to warm cold fingers in the buffet, but without some mechanical experience, you still couldn't get there. Some technical details point to the originality of the engineers of the time, who at that time could not count on electronic support, impeccable roads and an extensive service network.

Compared to today's beasts, such an oldtimer, at least in terms of performance, is a real sadness, but even the Ducati 1098 R will someday be 50 years old. And then our descendants will say: "They really were the faces of these old people."

Matjaz Tomažić 8.c (second)

P.S.

The next time, more veterans are hiding in the laboratory.