Build and Research

Restoring a 1970 Puch Maxi.

I bought it in Cambridge knowing nothing about engines. Before it became dependable enough to ride to London, I broke most things on it at least once.

View from the Puch Maxi while riding at 30 miles per hour — Eventually: Cambridge to London, at about thirty miles per hour.

The premise

It had to get worse before it got better.

The Puch arrived with buckets of character and a loose interpretation of reliability: no throttle grips, no tail light and a succession of fuel, brake and engine problems. Working through them taught me the basic systems of a combustion engine—not in a tidy sequence, but by making blunders, finding the consequences and trying again.

The original eBay listing for the Puch Maxi — The listing.

The Puch Maxi shortly after arriving — Newly arrived in Cambridge.

The Puch Maxi handlebars without throttle grips — No grips on the throttle.

The rear of the Puch Maxi without a tail light — No tail light either.

Fuel and fire

Learning by following the fault.

A leaking petcock and fuel line led into carburation and combustion. The first successful starts were not graceful—the engine coughed, smoked and cleared its throat—but they were the first proof that the collection of parts could become a vehicle again.

Fuel leaking from the Puch Maxi petcock — Tracing a fuel leak to the petcock.

The engine clearing its throat on an early start.

Brakes

Taking the wheel off—and putting it back.

The broken back brake required a wheel removal, a new brake and the more consequential challenge of reassembling everything correctly. It was typical of the restoration: a modest fault opening into several unfamiliar jobs.

The broken rear brake on the Puch Maxi — 01 · The broken back brake.

The Puch Maxi with its rear wheel removed — 02 · Wheel off.

Replacing the Puch Maxi rear brake — 03 · Changing the brake.

A smiley face drawn during the brake change — 04 · Morale maintenance.

The expensive lessons

Some mistakes needed more than a new part.

I sheared bolts in the engine block. They had to be drilled out and the holes rethreaded. Later, excess heat bent the frame where the exhaust connects. On the ride south, the chain came off and I spent two hours pushing before pressing the frame back into place.

The bent section of the Puch Maxi frame near the exhaust mounting point — The frame bent where heat from the exhaust met the leg; it was pressed back into place.

The road

Hold on long enough to ride it.

There was rarely a perfect tool, angle or amount of leverage. Often the only way through was to try every sensible method, then every plausible bodge, and accept that effort could not be sidestepped.

It took years and I nearly gave up. The Puch may still decide not to work on a given day. But persistence eventually turned an eBay listing into a machine I could ride from Cambridge to London—and scoot around town looking rather good.

The restored Puch Maxi ready for the journey to London — Ready to leave Cambridge for London.

Explore next.

Journeys

Argentina

Nine months on estancias — cattle ranching, polo, and waitering across the pampa.

Open project →