Update - I took some pictures, awaiting development (sorry, no digital camera) - I'll post them as soon as I can. In the meantime, I found some very faint lettering on the gas tank that looks like it begins with "cho" and ends with "ing." Also saw a stylized, looking like triangles, "C" and "Q" on the horn plate. The pedal cranks are French-thread (14mm x 1.25), as near as I can tell, since 9/16" pedals don't fit without considerable force.
Could it be a China QingQi? I read where they started making mopeds around 1985, which makes some sense since one of the tires is stamped with an 86 date.
Another question - anyone ever get a title for a moped, when you got it, say at a yard sale when the owner didn't have, or lost it? In Illinois, DMV is telling me either the previous owner must produce an IL title, or else I need a bill of sale from a state that doesn't require moped titles. Is there any way around this? Thanks again for your help.