More and more owners of 4-stroke mopeds, especially the Delta and Alpha, wanting to stand out or simply improve their moped, type "moped tuning" or "Alpha moped tuning" into internet search engines. And indeed, improving or upgrading one part or another never hurts. Plenty of articles and forum threads have been written on the subject.
So in this article we won't touch on deep tuning (a big-bore piston kit, reworking the intake and exhaust, electronics). You can read about electronics, or more precisely about the tuning CDI unit, in the previous article. The tips in this article can be seen as an addition to what has been said in other articles and on forums — and, of course, they're up to the reader's own judgment. So let's talk about looks and about parts that don't affect how the moped rides, or barely do. Looks are what interest the owner of a motorcycle, scooter or moped when the engine and chassis give no trouble and everything is fine. You don't want to stand still, and besides, it's nice to see some achievements of your own.
It's worth pointing out right away that for cosmetic tuning, the moped shouldn't have defects such as rust in visible places, dents, cracked plastic or lights. They strongly affect the look, and obviously not for the better. In Soviet times, on Soviet bikes, it was fashionable to hang long mudflaps on both the front and the rear wheel. They were most often cut from tractor inner tubes, with a round red or orange reflector screwed on at the bottom. Today an "innovation" like that would look funny and tacky.
To make your moped look good, you can fit a zero-resistance air filter. Let's say right away that this is a debatable point, and whether to fit such a filter or not is everyone's own decision. But modern filters of this type are made pretty well. They just need to be replaced or re-oiled more often. Now, about the filter. On mopeds like the Alpha and Delta, the carburetor sits in a very visible spot, and a good filter will look great, especially one shaped like an aircraft turbine. Another plus of this filter is its secure mounting. The rubber intake hose, especially on the Alpha, very often tears and cracks, particularly in cold weather. Moving on. Mirrors. Here, as they say, it's a matter of taste.
But it's nice if they match the color of the filter you've installed. You can fit mirrors with built-in turn signals, which also come in handy in the city. We won't talk about the various muffler tips; it's better to make a whole muffler yourself, although the stock one sounds pretty good, especially on 72cc engines, where the outlet is bigger. A lot depends on the style you want to give your bike. If you don't have a clear style in mind, be careful not to overdo it when combining different options. For example, in some cases fringe hanging from the grips can look great. You can make it yourself from a suitable piece of black leather. You'll need two pieces, each twice the length of the grip.
The width is determined by the diameter of the grip. Turn the piece inside out and sew it tightly around the grip. Take it off and turn it right side out. You now have a sort of tube with the seam on the inside. Slip it onto the grip (it should fit tightly so it doesn't rotate), and simply cut the hanging part into 5 mm wide strips with scissors. You can do the same with the seat. In the parking lights, replace the bulbs with LEDs of the right color. Red at the back. White at the front, but under no circumstances blue, green or red. That's prohibited by the traffic rules and, frankly, it doesn't look good.
You can stick LED strips in hidden places so that they shine downward, not up or to the side, otherwise they'll dazzle other road users. The color is up to you. And one more tip: avoid so-called "dumb" tuning — don't put any whistles in the muffler, don't hang reflectors on the spokes (at least plastic or metal ones), as that will throw the wheels off balance, don't put car hubcaps on the wheels, and so on. We wish you every creative success.