In canton Solothurn, it’s almost 9am; Claudio Lang and his wife, Claudia, are getting ready to set off.
Thomas Kern / SWI swissinfo.ch
In Switzerland, many people’s first taste of independence and freedom was a moped. Following a period of decline, they have been enjoying a revival for some years, particularly on the roads of German-speaking Switzerland. A report on a gathering of ‘Töfflibuebe’ (moped boys) amid clouds of nostalgia and bluish smoke.
For his ride, Claudio Lang has chosen the Condor-Puch X30 NS. At first glance, there’s nothing special about it: a red frame, a chrome fuel tank and mudguards, spoked wheels and high handlebars. It’s a classic from the 1970s. But if you look a bit more closely, you’ll spot something unusual: it has a four-speed gearbox. “I modified it with a friend. I certainly don’t want to have to pedal uphill,” he says with a smile in front of his garage, a few kilometres from Olten, northern Switzerland.
Claudia and Claudio Lang have registered on the list of participants for the Töffli GP.
Thomas Kern / SWI swissinfo.ch
Lang is a proud Töfflibueb, or moped boy, as people who are passionate about vintage mopeds describe themselves. You sometimes come across them on the country roads of the Swiss Plateau during their group rides.
Lang’s garage is a sort of land of plenty for lovers of Mofa or Töffli, as mopeds are called in German-speaking Switzerland. There are models from various makes, some of which I didn’t even know existed. My knowledge extends no further than the classic Sachs from my teenage years: unreliable, noisy and a real money-pit, guzzling up every last penny I had.
Addiction to two-strokes
“My passion for mopeds was rekindled 12 years ago and, over time, has really taken hold,” says the almost 60-year-old, who works as a lorry driver. “Today, rather than a passion, I’d describe it almost as an illness, an addiction.”
Lang owns 32 mopeds: Ciao Piaggio, Boxer, Sachs, Hercules, DKW, Alpha Chopper, Puch Maxi, Puch Velux, Maxi N, Maxi S. “The best bit is restoring them to their former glory,” he says. “Sometimes the hunt for spare parts can be nerve-wracking. But that’s also what makes this hobby so interesting.”
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The 1980s, when Lang was a teenager, was the golden age of mopeds. He owned one too, which ended up in a corner and was eventually sold because his dream was a Harley-Davidson.
He still has that one, but it almost met the same fate as his first moped. “I don’t enjoy the Harley any more. It’s different with the moped,” he says. “You can’t just buy one ready-made. You have to fix it up yourself. And if you can’t find the parts, you have to ask your mates to give you a hand, milling and adapting parts that are now impossible to find. And that strengthens friendships even more.”
Mopeds are scattered all over the house. Claudio Lang claims to own 32 of them, but he isn’t entirely sure. He’s always working on some project or other, such as this Puch Maxi, which he wants to adapt for off-road riding.
Thomas Kern / SWI swissinfo.ch
The spirit of the ‘Töfflibuebe’
In early June, the Töfflibuebe community gathered in Trimbach, canton Solothurn, for the Isebähnli-Töffli-GP, a rally which, for the past ten years, has brought back to the roads of the Jura and the Swiss Plateau the crackling sound and clouds of bluish smoke from two-stroke engines.
More than 300 enthusiasts tackled a route of around 90 kilometres, many with a jerrycan of petrol-mixture on their luggage rack.
“I haven’t missed a single edition,” Lang says. For the occasion he wore his sleeveless denim jacket covered in patches and badges, a memento of many rallies across Switzerland and abroad. He brought with him throttle and brake cables, chains and tyre sealant spray. “If anyone has a problem,” he explains, “I stop and lend a hand. That’s also the spirit that unites us.”
A taste of the Easy Rider lifestyle on the narrow roads of the Jura hills, between cantons Basel Country and Solothurn.
Thomas Kern / SWI swissinfo.ch
After registering, every GP participant receives a sticker as a souvenir.
Thomas Kern / SWI swissinfo.ch
This picture gives a sense of what the average ‘Töfflibueb’ looks like: men who are no longer young, except in spirit.
Thomas Kern / SWI swissinfo.ch
Claudia and Claudio Lang are a well-established team. She works as a postwoman and gets about on an electric scooter all week. Together with her husband, she regularly takes part in moped events, both in Switzerland and abroad.
Thomas Kern / SWI swissinfo.ch
This Ciao has been on the road since 1976. However, you need to plan ahead a bit before hopping on. It’s best to be prepared, because these days you can no longer find petrol mixed with 2% oil – which is required for two-stroke engines – at modern petrol stations.
Thomas Kern / SWI swissinfo.ch
The mass start is the highlight of the Töffli GP. More than 350 mopeds accelerate at the same time: for a moment, the noise is deafening and the smell of petrol hangs over the Hauenstein.
Thomas Kern / SWI swissinfo.ch
The entire route is signposted and is roughly 90km long. It mainly follows quiet back roads through stunning countryside. Not all participants cover the full distance: some head straight home, while others say they want to take part in a second, similar event on the same day.
Thomas Kern / SWI swissinfo.ch
Claudio Lang encountered a technical problem within the first few kilometres. His moped couldn’t manage the gentle climb up to Hauenstein. Fortunately, he was prepared and had brought a spare carburettor jet with him. He replaced it quickly and the journey was able to continue as planned.
Thomas Kern / SWI swissinfo.ch
At the gathering, you could see lots of fox tails fluttering in the wind; this decoration has now become almost a cliché. More unusual, however, is the bouquet of flowers attached to the handlebars of a Ciao.
Thomas Kern / SWI swissinfo.ch
Here, the climb is simply too steep and the power of the small motors is no longer enough. Riders either pedal or get off and push.
Thomas Kern / SWI swissinfo.ch
On the steep climb between Läufelfingen and Eptingen, the engines overheat; the plastic casings on many Ciao mopeds end up like this.
Thomas Kern / SWI swissinfo.ch
A quick stop at the top of one of the Jura’s many hills. This rider loves the gentle purr of the engine as it carries through the landscape.
Thomas Kern / SWI swissinfo.ch
A brief stop to get our bearings before reaching the ridge of the Jura Mountains near Balsthal and looking down on the warehouses and factories of the Plateau.
Thomas Kern / SWI swissinfo.ch
Claudio Lang is chatting with Martin Sulzer, the main organiser of the Grand Prix. The two have known each other for many years thanks to their shared passion.
Thomas Kern / SWI swissinfo.ch
The colourful rubber figurines with which the owner has decorated his moped probably weigh more than 10 kilos.
Thomas Kern / SWI swissinfo.ch
Even while stopping at the car park of the Berghaus Oberbölchen restaurant to enjoy an aperitif, we discuss technique, make improvements and, if necessary, carry out repairs.
Thomas Kern / SWI swissinfo.ch
Some of the participants in the Töffli GP have known each other for many years. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly.
Thomas Kern / SWI swissinfo.ch
One last stop at the red traffic lights. We’re back in Olten and the walk is now almost over.
Thomas Kern / SWI swissinfo.ch
For Martin Sulzer, chairman of the organising committee, the success of the event lies precisely in this spirit. Launched in 2017 with around 140 participants, the GP has grown to attract people from all over the country: from Central Switzerland, Graubünden in the east, Ticino in the south and the French-speaking region in the west.
“The moped is a sort of social leveller, making us all equal: the bank manager and the domestic worker, the pensioner and the teenager,” Sulzer says. “Today, for me, the moped is above all a sort of time machine that takes me back to when I was 14.”
The revival of the ‘tin horse’
Particularly between the 1960s and the 1980s, the roar of the two-stroke engine was the soundtrack of youth culture. In some parts of Switzerland, the Töffli craze continued even beyond that. The moped meant wind in your hair, espadrilles on your feet, an unbuttoned denim jacket and music blaring in your ears from a Walkman. The moped was the key to an unexplored, fascinating and surprising world.
At 14, young people could finally leave behind the monotony of village life and head for the nearest big city, the nightclub, the world of grown-ups.
“With the Mofa, we could finally go to Lucerne, where there was a McDonald’s,” Sulzer recalls. “We then started ‘tuning’ it so we wouldn’t starve on the road. From then on, another thrilling element was added: the fear of getting caught by the police.”
In fact, moped owners often made unauthorised modifications to the engine to exceed the permitted speed limit of 30km/h.
Those days are now long gone. The catalytic converter, which made the moped much slower, the compulsory wearing of helmets – which killed the Easy Rider feeling – and growing environmental awareness sealed its slow and inexorable decline.
But not its end! According to data from the Federal Statistical Office, the moped is enjoying a revival, at least in some German-speaking cantons. In Zurich, there were around 12,100 mopeds registered in 2015; by 2025, this figure had risen to 17,350 – an increase of over 43% in just ten years. In Graubünden, Lucerne and Solothurn, the increase stands at around 30%.
The route of the 10th Töffli GP winds through the rural areas of cantons Solothurn and Basel Country. Mopeds parked in front of freshly baled hay at the Erzberg restaurant in Ramiswil, canton Solothurn.
Thomas Kern / SWI swissinfo.ch
At the Isebähnli-Töffli-GP gathering, you can’t help but notice, at a glance, plenty of Töfflibuebe in their sixties. Riding their mopeds, they may well be hoping to turn back the clock, to return to their teenage years and relive that sense of freedom and the wind in their hair – back when they had some. However, those carrying a few extra kilos are forced to dismount on the steeper stretches of road to reach the top of the climb.
During the breaks, over a coffee and a bratwurst, memories of a past both distant and recent intertwine: the first kiss on their two-wheeled steed, the engine secretly souped up, the successful hunt for a spare part that’s now impossible to find.
Lang listens, laughs and tells stories. Back home, there are still a few mopeds waiting to be fixed. He’s almost out of space in the shed, though, and parting with those pieces of his life won’t be easy. One, in any case, will stay where it is: the moped his son and his circle of friends gave him for his 50th birthday. “Naturally, I have a special bond with that one,” he says.
Then his thoughts turn straight to the next trip. Every year, with his friends, he travels through a different region of Switzerland. Someone organises the route, the hotels and the van for the luggage. Then they set off together, slowly, with the engine sputtering and leaving a bluish cloud in their wake.
Most of the participants have returned to the starting point at the Isebähnli restaurant in Trimbach. The riders from Ticino have also already loaded their mopeds back onto a van and are ready for the return journey.
Thomas Kern / SWI swissinfo.ch
In Switzerland, new mopeds are now a niche product. The last remaining Swiss manufacturer is Amsler & Co. of Feuerthalen, canton Zurich, which has been producing the Pony since 1995, having launched the brand in 1961.
The current models, the GTX and Cross, remain true to the classic formula: a 49cm³ Beta two-stroke engine, a two-speed automatic gearbox, a top speed of 30km/h and a catalytic converter. An electric starter, indicators, a brake light and a horn are available as optional extras.
Edited by Zeno Zoccatelli. Translated from Italian, sub-edited by Thomas Stephens
