MOPEDS, MO PROBLEMS

Wrap your legs ’round these velvet rims and strap your hands across my engines…Bryan Derballa from Wired put together a striking photo essay capturing some rowdy images of a growing trend in Brooklyn: Moped Gangs.

The Orphans are Greenpoint’s “fearsome” two-stroke contingent (super easy) riders, and they’re obsessed with abandoned retro pedal-start bikes. While this 12 member low speed gang, certainly stir up an outlawish individualism vibe that we think is pretty sweet, at 30 mph from an engine displacement of 49 cc, don’t expect the Stones to hire these guys for crowd control anytime soon. These gangs are more like a social club, where rivalry with other bike gangs, like Bushwick’s Mission 23, is all in good sported fun.

The camaraderie of these gangs is more about bringing old bikes back to life, a task which requires constant tinkering and riding together as a social outlet. And aside from looking pretty sick, these retro bikes are also growing in popularity in part because they don’t require a special motorcycle license or insurance like riding a motorcycle or Vespa. But, just tell that to the cops, who according to riders don’t seem to know what a moped is or what the law is on riding them. Can’t swing a break out there from the Fuzz! Seems the “scene” just can’t seem to get any good press lately either. Wired’s unflattering tongue in cheek article “Rebels Without a Hog” has made the “gangs” an easy target at websites like DieHipster.com….Mo peds, Mo problems.

You can check out the Orphanage Moped Shop, a moped emporium on Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint or peep some more of the photo essay HERE.

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