Bermuda Moped History

Bermuda mopeds were the concept of an idea that Robert Starke had envisioned after taken a trip to Bermuda. In 1972 Robert and his family  were vacationing in the Somers Isles and took a sight-seeing trip on some rented motorized bikes and were fascinated by the efficiency, ease and quietness of bikes they were riding. They thought how wonderful it would be to be able to buy and use such bikes at home back in the states where mopeds were very rare and almost unheard of.

Mr Starke knew if he were to ever get his idea in motion, he would first have to find a way to meet the stringent requirements of the NHSA (National Highway Safety Administration) and contend with other complex government agencies that oversaw vehicle and transportation regulations. It didn’t take long though before Bermuda Bikes, Inc. was officially created but Robert knew he would still need a manufacture to build his new mopeds. He met with the Belgium company A. Claeys Flandria who had been building mopeds since 1950 and a deal was worked out to help produce the Bermuda mopeds using the reputable Flandria engine. Flandria knew how to manufacture the mopeds to meet US requirements and had the connections to other parts suppliers like the Robert Bosch Co. who would supply the ignition components.

The first Bermuda mopeds were imported in the late 70’s just as all mopeds were beginning to become popular in the US. Most Bermuda mopeds produced were a single variated type that helped keep the power and speed balance constant. Some later (and much rarer) models utilized a dual-variated design to increase performance. The rear variator unit was either copied or supplied by Peugeot mopeds. The same variator can be found on Peugeot BB104MV models. All Bermuda models used a 2 stroke/single cylinder Flandria engine with a cast iron cylinder and a balanced roller bearing style crankshaft.