MOPED MAYHEM!
In the early 1960s, when I was sixteen, I had a Mercury moped to learn to ride on and to get me to and from my apprenticeship job. It was, unusually at the time, a four-stroke and was fitted with a Burgess silencer. It sounded like a real motorbike. The moped must have been made in the mid/late 1950s as it wasn’t new when I had it.
However, it had a bit of trouble keeping up with the NSU Quicklys of that era which my mates rode. Consequently it dropped valve seats, probably from over-revving. I was quite adept at removing the head so my dad could take it to the local engineering works to have new valve seats sweated in. Looking online, these bikes and the Dunkley Whippet (70ccc Sports version) suffered a lot from broken crankshafts – not a problem my bike suffered from – and the limited information doesn’t rate them very highly at all. Someone suggested that these reliability issues were the reason the firm went out of business. With hindsight, if I had not ridden my Mercury with a sixteen year-old’s abandon, it would have lasted longer between breakdowns.
I don’t remember seeing them about when I owned mine, and certainly haven’t seen any since I passed my test and graduated to a bigger bike. I would be interested to know if anyone else has owned one of these Mercurys and how they fared with it. Despite its problems, it was my first road bike, my passage to a wider world of independence and fun with my mates, and it’s remembered with nostalgic affection.
Richard Arscott, member 11,141
Great stuff! I suspect you’re referring to the Mercette. It was made in 1956 and 1957 during Mercury’s brief period of motorcycle manufacture, alongside a 50cc scooter and a couple of Villiers-engined lightweights. This pedal-start two-speed, dry clutch machine also incorporated Wipac electrics, 6V Miller lights, and an Amal 12mm carb. It was powered by an all-alloy, unit construction, 46cc Dunkley engine which output an entire 2bhp at 5200rpm. This had no oil pump but relied on a splash and mist system for lubrication… which might explain some of its mechanical issues. The Mercette was a physically big rigid frame with undamped tele forks; apparently capable of 37mph when ridden solo. But braking could be a challenge. The pedals worked like a bicycle and both brakes were operated by handlebar levers – and that’s also where you find the clutch and gearchange. So slowing down must have required careful hand coordination! Around 665 were believed to have been built during its brief lifespan, but less than half a dozen are known to exist today. Anyone got one in their shed? Rowena