Howdy, I'm Guthrie, somewhat new here and I had a couple questions.
I live in NYC, am 17, and am looking to buy a moped for commuting throughout college and the upcoming years. I've done some research on Craigslist, ebay, and even here, but I'm having some trouble finding anything I'm sold on. I have about 1000~ I'm willing to spend all in all, but that includes the cost of renting a van/pickup and registration fees, so it's more like 800~ buckaroos for the bike. Everything I've found has been a bit pricey, not my type, or too far. I guess I should also mention I don't have a garage or workshop to do any serious repairs, though I am mechanically handy and have an auto shop near me. So here are my questions, no need to answer all, but I appreciate what you can help me with!
1.) Should I be looking for bikes with or without a title? I know about the M51 and M51B, but is that not ideal?
2.) Will a standardish sized moped fit upright in a minivan? If not, what's a good way to secure it to a pickup (never transported a cycle before);.
3.) Are there any good resources for inexpensive, pre-owned but otherwise running mopeds (other than craigslist, ebay, and here)?
4.) Does it make sense to just bite the bullet and get something not running? My fear is that while I'll think it's just a carb that needs cleaning, it'll actually be a different issue, i.e with electricals or more in depth engine stuff, and I'll be f*cked,
5.) I've been somewhat frantic as none of the mopeds I've seen have had signals, presumably because they don't have a battery, so therefore I probably couldn't even add them if needed. Does it really matter for a class C? Or in your experience are hand signals okay? Note I live in a pretty dense city, and I want to prioritize my safety to spare my sweet mother a heart attack.
Thanks again all, hope to be back with some cool moped pics!