MOPED ARMY

when i was a kid in ohio, you could ride a moped at 14. i don't think a test or a plate was required.

Please do a search on my old threads:

"When Mopeds Ruled the Earth"

and

"The Golden Age of Mopeds"

I was there and lived to tell about it.

1984 is the magic year in Ontario Canada when the government decided they would 'regulate' mopeds, snowmobiles and other "off-road vehicles". Before then it was basically just ride them and registering anything like a tractor, snowmobile, moped, minibike and such was either optional or local jurisdiction (I still have some of the bicycle license plates from my town) and even then it was more of a recommendation in case of theft then something which was enforced.

People deciding mopeds were somehow a DUI vehicle is urban legend and as true as calling a lawn tractor a DUI sedan. Up until the 1980s people in the main stream really did not take such a hard line against DWI/DUI. It was common place for local law enforcers to let Charlie drive himself home because it was too far to crawl or stumble if the 'knew' the person. The cops would just drive behind them or go check at their residence after to make sure the car was parked in the driveway.

Back then drunk at the wheel was seen more as an annoyance which some people could or couldnt handle, sort of the way people debate 'distracted driving' today.

In NJ, prior to 1983, you had to be at least 15 years old, possess a moped license, and have liability insurance. In 1983, NJ required that mopeds be titled, registered and helmets were required. That is when mopeds "died" in the state of NJ. By the mid/late '80's, most moped dealers had closed shop.

here dudes, scanned from the book "All About Mopeds". these were all the laws circa 1977.

In the 1960s in Illinois, I made a moped using a Briggs and Straton lawn mower engine (horizontal shaft) and a strong bike frame. I will have a picture soon. It is being digitized. I had to license the bike (state plate and a village tag). I was never stopped. I rode that homemade bike for years. The engine had a very small gas tank-maybe aa pint. With gas at $.30 a gallon, I filled up for less pennies. At the time, service stations pumped the gas. Can you imagine the looks I got when I pulled up to the pump and I spent less than a dime. The attendants often got pissed. One filled the tank and just walked away never collecting the eight cents I owed.

Unfortunately, the bike was stolen and was never found.

Oddly, our family only had one car and my brother and I were dating our future wives at the time. The bike was used by each of us for transportation to see our future wives. I guess that is why I like mopeds.