yamaha FS1-E 50cc

The Yamaha FS1-E, or more commonly known as a "fizzy" was the must have moped for 16 year olds from it's UK introduction in 1972 to the late 70's, when in 1978 the government introduced new legislation to restrict the maximum speed of moped to 30mph. I include myself in that category and was the proud owner of 2 fizzy's at the time. It had the best styling compared to Honda, Suzuki, Gileras etc and was by far the most reliable. The Yamaha FS1-E has a 49cc single cylinder 2-stroke air cooled rotary valved engine with a four-speed gearbox. It originally was only available in on colour, Candy Gold, and this was know as the SS model. The SS stood for "Sixteener Special". In 1974 a second colour was introduced, Popsicle Purple and the model name on the side panel was changed to the now infamous "FS1-E". The model was FS1 and the suffix "E" stood for England. Yamaha changed the colours over the years (Baja Brown, Competition Yellow etc) and introduced various improvements such as a front disc brake (FS1-E DX.) and a autolube model with a 2-stroke oil tank and oil injection (so you wouldn't have to manually mix fule and 2-stroke oil any more.)
The FS1-E has enjoyed a renaissance for the past few years as the original 16 year old owners have now become 40+-year olds with some spare cash are looking to relive their youth by buying and restoring these wonderful classics. Such is now the demand for fizzys, the prices for both the mopeds themselves and the spare parts have risen sharply with some rare early concourse restored models fetching up to £3,000. They therefore now also make a very good investment for the future. eBay is the main place to buy and sell your fizzy and to source those all imprtant spare parts.
I am also pleased to say that the FS1-E also has a new generation of owners with many 16-year olds opting to own an old classic fizzy rather than opting to buy a modern scooter, and thus keeping the fizzy spirit alive going forwards.

There have been various enthusiasts clubs and websites set uo to cater for this renewed interest and a Google web search for "Yamaha FS1-E", will find the main ones and you'll get the links to the rest from there. Try also fs1e.co.uk, where there is lots of info, photos and an excellent forum with great banter amongst 1,600 fizzy owners and enthusiasts.

In total there were about 200,000 produced for the UK market and it is estimated that only 2,000-3,000 still exist so finding one in a barn or old lockup is becoming increasingly rare. I hope this review has given you a taster of what the FS1-E is and you now go off and find out the rest and maybe I have tempted you into trying to find one for yourself.