Martins Pikss Tula Collection
I met my first scooter when I was a teenager. My brother got it from our neighbor who had bought it in the beginning of sixties. He told that it was difficult to buy a car in those times therefore a scooter was often a solution for young soviet people. The model was called "TULA" (a city in Russia)- a motorbike with a very strange construction.
| Owner: Martins Pikss, Latvia, Riga Technical information: Model TULA 200, Engine 199 cm3, Max speed 80 km/h, Engine T200, 4 gears |
It was very progressive to have an electrical starter in scooters. "TULA" had both electrical and kick- starter. He bought one with only electrical starter because it was "cooler".
He and his wife had driven around the Soviet Union by this scooter. The furthest (as he told) was to the Crimea (the Ukraine).
TULA has very simple key mechanism to start the engine. You can do that even with a nail! Unfortunately the scooter was stolen but we got it back after some days (in not so good condition).
One was a special TULA model- a tricycle with two driving wheels in backside.
I also have found out that every scooter has a possibility to add a sidecar but I have never seen any information about it for TULA scooters. One of my scooters had self-made sidecar.
Nowadays it is very seldom you can see these scooters driving on the roads in Latvia. Because of its construction and the view of "TULA" people still call it as a PIG :).
Today I have gotten several "TULAs" in my collection.