MOPED ARMY

As I've said before,

MOPED: 50CC max, 2HP max, 30MPH max, Automatic transmission, Pedals for propulsion.

i read somewhere that it's the placement of the motor. The motor is at the back on a scoter and the motor is in the middle on a moped. I did see a moped with the motor in the top of the front wheel though. It was a solex i think. I think it's the pedals that count.

roger

just my 2

That's why it's all about pedals. No pedal, no moped. A 50cc engine can just be a small motorcycle or a scooter. But the term pedals means something.

For example, what's the difference between a helicopter and an airplane? It's not jets. Some helicopters have jets on them as well as rotor blades. Some planes use propelers. Some even have wings that move up and lift vertically like a helicopter. The difference also isn't wings, since some jets have very small wings and some helicopters technically have small wings as well (e.g. the Apache). The crucial difference comes down to ONE thing: helicopters have two sets of rotor blades perpendicular to each other. No airplane has that.

So I stand by the one difference between scooters and mopeds: pedals. I would even contend that any motorized two or three-wheeler that used pedals to start or as an alternate means of propulsion is a moped.

excellent feedback guys

i learned a lot

for a bunch of guys who just like to ride small bikes, i guess we are an intelligent bunch of older, fun-loving kids

at least i like to think so

ride safe

ps: i have a 50 cc Kymco scooter that really looks like a hybrid between a moped and scooter mainly because it has 16 inch wheels.

Miguel

Before you buy anything you have to take a ride on the Kymco" People" model- it is very fast - 50 mph- smooth, and so quiet you can barely hear it run.

I even bought one for my wife and she loves it. ( and she is very picky )

It blows away the Mantis and everything else in its class !!!

ride safe

my moped doesn't have pedals though, and i wouldn't describe it as a scooter, maybe i'm wrong, its a 50cc Yamaha chappy, it has a 2 gearing system (low ratio and drive) and neutral, it also changes at 25kmph. but it doesn't have the distinctiveness of the scooters i'm thinking about i'm sure u know what the chappy's look like..hmm

It can also be a "mo-kick". That's a German term that's floating around to describe a kickstart moped (like many of the newer models, such as Tomos Targa). Something like the Honda Hobit might also qualify, since I remember it having only foot pegs. Or the 50cc Bridgestone ...

I think this one has already been beaten to death, but I might as well kick the corpse while it's still warm.

The whole moped/scooter thing is an issue of semantics.

In the eyes of the State, any two-wheeled vehicle of 50cc or less, designed for 30 mph or less, and used at 23 mph or less is a moped. Period. I care about this distinction because registering my moped costs me $20 and I can run it without insurance, and registering my scooter costs me $50, insurance and an inspection. Also, my moped registration is filled out in my own handwriting... how cool is that?

The pedal distinction is nice, but my roomate has a Yamaha QT50, which has a battery AND a kickstart, so that doesn't quite work out.

To further complicate the issue, the pedals were so useless on my Batavus that I removed them, disconnected the pedal chain, and mounted billet aluminum footpegs on the pedalshaft. I start it the way I always did- by pushing it down the street and popping the clutch.

So it's not a mo-PED by your theory, and it's not a mo-KICK, either. Is it a mo-PUSH?

I contend that it doesn't matter what you're sitting on, as long as it's Mo'. To me, the moped is the bastard child of the two-wheeled world. It has always been ostracized by those who think of it as too humble a form of transportation. It is also, thankfully, shunned by thieves in this area.

But the point is the bottom line- I can outwit cars, outlast motorcycles and scooters, and if I have engine trouble I can throw the damn thing over my shoulder and walk. And that to me is a moped- fear it.

Gimme Mo'... Swarm and destroy!

i never thought id get so much input on this question, but im glad i did

ride safe you guys

So anyway, the description I gave way back when came from the California Vehicle Code and pretty much agrees with what I have seen as the Federal description.

Now to really muddy the waters here, both my Vespa Grande and Solex 4600 have tags saying they are "motor driven cycles". They comply to the Moped description, but this tag says they are vehicles that California would require annual registration on. Mopeds here only require a one time registration for as long as you own it. And it's only five bucks.

Are we all clear now? ;)

Jim C.