In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Ireland began to find its freedom on two wheels as mopeds transformed everyday life and travel. The term moped came from the Swedish words: “mo” for motor and “ped” for pedal. Leading the charge was the famous Honda 50, often called the ‘Nifty Fifty’, along with lesser-known but much-loved brands on the Irish market such as Puch and Garelli. These small machines brought about a quiet social revolution. Where once work and social life were confined to a radius of about 15 km, journeys of up to 60 km now became possible, transforming everyday mobility and independence — Ireland was on the move!
A GENERATION ON THE MOVE
The 1950s in Ireland are often remembered as the “wasted decade,” marked by economic hardship, unemployment and widespread emigration. By contrast, the 1960s ushered in a new era of growth and emerging prosperity, often described as a “golden age,” as television entered Irish homes, a baby boom followed and consumer culture began to flourish.
These new consumers were young, had disposable income and a growing desire to travel. From the early 1960s, low-cost mopeds flooded the Irish market and opened new horizons. In 1967, a Honda 50 cost £80 (€95), typically bought with a dealer deposit and weekly payments over two years. At that price, mopeds proved popular in both urban and rural Ireland and helped speed the move away from the pushbike.
PUCH AND THE IRISH MARKET
Numerous companies were assembling or importing mopeds and scooters into Ireland. Among them, Huet Motors of Lower Mount Street, Dublin offered a wide range of Austrian-built Puch mopeds, scooterettes and scooters. Prices started at £75 for the Model MS 50L, a deluxe moped fitted with a speedometer, electric horn, whitewall tyres and a chromium carrier. Next was the Scooterette at £87 10s., promoted as a “moped de luxe” with leg shields, kick starter and foot brake. At the top of the range was the RLA 125 scooter with a “self starter,” priced at £146 10s. While no fuel figures were quoted, the company claimed “sensationally lower fuel consumption.”
VICKY III
The German company Victoria offered its 48cc Vicky III to the Irish market through its importers, Stacy & Harding Limited of Torch House, Capel Street, Dublin. Advanced in design, the Vicky III featured braced swinging-link front forks, 23-inch wheels and a two-speed gearbox, with a speedometer built into the headlamp, a thief-proof steering lock, 6-volt lighting, electric horn and full mud-guarding. Power came from a smooth 48cc two-stroke engine with unit-mounted gearbox, hand-started from the saddle and paired with swinging-arm rear suspension. Standard equipment included a clock, fuel warning light, tool kit, luggage grid and parcel hook, while the low riding position allowed even smaller riders to plant both feet on the ground. Fuel efficiency was claimed at 190 miles per gallon, with annual road tax of £1 and insurance at 16 shillings per year. Deferred payment terms were available.
FANCY A GARELLI
Advertisements for Italian makers such as Garelli appeared in newspapers across Ireland. The advertising would today be seen as openly sexist. One Garelli advertisement boldly asked, “Which takes her fancy – him or his Garelli?”
In 1966, a Garelli moped cost just £73, with fuel consumption claimed at six miles per penny, while the Garelli scooter was priced from £145 and promised weatherproof motoring with its full bodywork, ownership was within reach of a new generation. Buyers simply filled in a paper coupon and posted it to Agrati Sales (I) Ltd, Donnybrook, Dublin 4.
REG ARMSTRONG
The king of Ireland’s two-wheeled boom was Reg Armstrong (1928–1979), a motorcycle champion and businessman born in Liverpool to Irish parents and raised in Rathfarnham, Dublin. His father worked in motor accessory distribution, where Reg first developed his fascination with machines. From 1947 he raced in Ireland and on the Isle of Man, going on to achieve seven World Championship Grand Prix victories. He rode for AJS and Velocette before later competing with Norton and Gilera.
NSU PRIMA & QUICKLY L
Using contacts built during his racing career, Reg Armstrong founded Reg Armstrong Motors in 1953 at Liberty Lane off Kevin Street, Dublin, to assemble NSU mopeds and scooters imported from Germany in kit form.
There was a broad NSU range on offer, including the 150cc Prima scooter with electric start at £156 10s. Armstrong also assembled the NSU Quickly L, memorably promoted as “the moped in a dinner jacket.” It featured rear suspension for added comfort, deep mudguards for protection, and pressed-steel handlebars housing the controls, headlamp and horn, with a speedometer available as an optional extra for £2 10s. Powered by the proven NSU Quickly two-stroke engine with two-speed gearbox, it also had a large fuel tank of over one gallon, chrome rims, full-width hubs and improved exhaust silencing. Optional leg shields gave scooter-style splash protection, making it a strong all-round commuter.
Reg Armstrong retired from racing in 1956 to focus on business and in 1958 opened an assembly plant at Ringsend, initially assembling the NSU Prinz car. From 1962 the factory expanded to include Honda mopeds and later Opel cars. Also from 1962 to 1963 he served as Honda’s Grand Prix team manager, when the team secured five world championships. By the 1970s up to 200 people were employed at the Ringsend factory.
NIFTY FIFTY
In 1958, after just ten years in business Honda introduced its 50cc Super Cub, later known as the Honda 50 and they moved the world!. Cheap, reliable and economical, it gave millions of workers in post-war Japan an affordable new way to commute and shop.
In 1962, Reg Armstrong secured the Irish agency for importing and assembling the model. Early assembly took place at his Halston Street works, before production moved to Long Lane and later to Ringsend. Known across Ireland as the “Nifty Fifty,” the Honda 50 became an iconic machine of its time, due in no small part to Armstrong’s vision and backing.
FASHIONABLE & FRUGAL
Everyone wanted a Honda 50, and to be seen on one. It was the height of fashion. Endorsements for the moped lifestyle came from celebrities, and in 1968 the hugely popular Cork showband The Dixies were photographed astride a super-trendy Honda 50 for Cork Fashion Week, sealing the machine’s status as a cultural icon of the decade.
One Honda 50 advertisement made the audacious claim, probably true, that the frugal Honda 50 would travel “4 miles on a penny of petrol”. The secret of the Honda 50’s success lay in its revolutionary 49cc four-stroke engine. It sold in its thousands thanks to its modest purchase price and astonishing fuel economy of up to 360 kilometres (225 miles) per gallon.
SOCIAL CHANGE
The mopeds and scooters of 1960s Ireland sparked a far-reaching social change. They put wheels under a generation, broadened horizons, created new freedoms and quietly changed how people lived, worked and met across the island.
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Check out our previous scooter and Honda 50 video-stories:
Sources of Information, Photo and Video Credits:
Brand Retro website
CAMmag website – Victoriana – Mark Daniels
CR’s Video Vaults
Irish Independent
National Library of Ireland on the Commons
The Dictionary of Irish Biography
