# Mopeds?



## Chuckt

What kind of moped could I get today and which one could you recommend?


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## Missourian

Honda Elite scooter.

2013 Honda Elite | motorcycle review @ Top Speed


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## DriftingSand

I like those little motorized mountain bikes I've seen a couple of times. Don't know the brand.


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## Jarlaxle

Missourian said:


> Honda Elite scooter.
> 
> 2013 Honda Elite | motorcycle review @ Top Speed



That needs a MC license.  Only the Ruckus and Metropolitan are <50cc Hondas.


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## longknife

Having been around for decades, Puch is one of the most dependable built.


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## Chuckt

Jarlaxle said:


> Missourian said:
> 
> 
> 
> Honda Elite scooter.
> 
> 2013 Honda Elite | motorcycle review @ Top Speed
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That needs a MC license.  Only the Ruckus and Metropolitan are <50cc Hondas.
Click to expand...


Are there ones that don't require a MC license?


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## DGS49

That Honda Elite appears to be amazing.  All of that with only 106cc's.

A "moped" is, by definition, a motorized bicycle - i.e., something that can be propelled by pedaling, as well as a motor.

Does anyone still sell one of these in the U.S.?


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## Jarlaxle

Chuckt said:


> Jarlaxle said:
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> Missourian said:
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> 
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> Honda Elite scooter.
> 
> 2013 Honda Elite | motorcycle review @ Top Speed
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That needs a MC license.  Only the Ruckus and Metropolitan are <50cc Hondas.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Are there ones that don't require a MC license?
Click to expand...


Under 50cc's.


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## Missourian

longknife said:


> Having been around for decades, Puch is one of the most dependable built.



The Puch!







You can't handle the Puch!

Puch are great little peds...motobycaines (sp) too.

If you have hills,  you'll be a' peddlin' tho.

I think the little Puch I had was like 35 cc.


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## Zander

Chuckt said:


> What kind of moped could I get today and which one could you recommend?



Are you a woman? 

Men don't drive mopeds.


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## Chuckt

Zander said:


> Chuckt said:
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> 
> 
> What kind of moped could I get today and which one could you recommend?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Are you a woman?
> 
> Men don't drive mopeds.
Click to expand...


I see them down in the city and I just want to save some gas.


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## Zander

Chuckt said:


> Zander said:
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> Chuckt said:
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> What kind of moped could I get today and which one could you recommend?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Are you a woman?
> 
> Men don't drive mopeds.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> I see them down in the city and I just want to save some gas.
Click to expand...


Of course.  

Just be sure to get a new purse to match your helmet.


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## DGS49

(a)  What city would that be?  Vatican?

(b)  A 250cc conventional scooter gets over 100mpg, and can be had used for a couple hundred bucks.  How economical do you want to be?


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## Jarlaxle

No...a 250 will get 65-80MPG. (My Helix got ~70.)  A 50cc will get 100+, some 100-125-150's might.


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## JakeStarkey

SLC is moped and scooter heaven for all ages and stages.

Fun to watch.


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## Missourian

I have a cheap chinese scooter right now...gave a couple hundred for it and ride it around town to run errands and such.

DO NOT buy a chinese scooter...they are disposable junkers that are next to impossible to get parts for.


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## Missourian

Zander said:


> Chuckt said:
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> Zander said:
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> Are you a woman?
> 
> Men don't drive mopeds.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I see them down in the city and I just want to save some gas.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Of course.
> 
> Just be sure to get a new purse to match your helmet.
Click to expand...



Don't listen to him...

Whatever gets your knees in the breeze is awesome.

I've had mopeds,  scooters,  dirt bikes,  cruisers,  crotch rockets,  atvs...they're all fun to ride.

We once converted a bicycle to power assisted motor-bike with a weed eater motor and roller wheel mounted above the rear tire.

Google it,  works great on flat ground,  pedal to help it up hill.


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## Indofred

Chuckt said:


> What kind of moped could I get today and which one could you recommend?



I use a small Honda Spacy.
Your helmet fits in a compartment under the seat and it runs forever on a tiny tank of gas.
Servicing is very cheap and very easy.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9AF4MYrMNc]Honda Spacy Helm in PGM-FI Review & Test Ride - YouTube[/ame]

I have a car as family transport but I use the bike far more often as I see no point dragging a load of metal around when the bike is far faster in traffic and is easier to park.


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## g4racer

Zander said:


> Chuckt said:
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> What kind of moped could I get today and which one could you recommend?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Are you a woman?
> 
> Men don't drive mopeds.
Click to expand...


I guess if one is insecure that could cause a problem for them.  I wouldn't mind having a 350cc AJS or Velocette.  If I decided that I needed something larger it either could be traded for a couple of rice rockets or a couple of HD's.  I guess there are some that just require something large.
FYI  a G.4 is a small British sports car with a 1500cc push rod engine and weight 1040 lbs.  on a road course it will take most Porsche 6 cylinders and Trans-am cars.


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## KissMy

Chuckt said:


> Jarlaxle said:
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> Missourian said:
> 
> 
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> Honda Elite scooter.
> 
> 2013 Honda Elite | motorcycle review @ Top Speed
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That needs a MC license.  Only the Ruckus and Metropolitan are <50cc Hondas.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Are there ones that don't require a MC license?
Click to expand...


Anything 50cc or less that does not go over 35/mph does not require license, insurance, title, tax, inspection, etc.

Plus they are light so you can throw them into a vehicle when necessary.


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## Jarlaxle

Missourian said:


> I have a cheap chinese scooter right now...gave a couple hundred for it and ride it around town to run errands and such.
> 
> DO NOT buy a chinese scooter...they are disposable junkers that are next to impossible to get parts for.



PABLUM!  You can get any parts you might need!  There are literally DOZENS of places selling everything from belts, filters, and cables to complete engines!


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## Indofred

Zander said:


> Chuckt said:
> 
> 
> 
> What kind of moped could I get today and which one could you recommend?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Are you a woman?
> 
> Men don't drive mopeds.
Click to expand...


Inaccurate - insecure men don't drive mopeds, mostly because they don't want to be busted as gay.
Real men have no fear of this, so can happily drive one.
Of course, gay men can happily use one as they can always called the hecklers, "bitch" and ride off, totally ignoring most of the gas stations they pass.

You really have to either get over your insecurity, or come out of the closet; that way, you can also get 100 miles per gallon and save yourself a fortune.
Easier to park outside your local gay bar as well.


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## Indofred

Jarlaxle said:


> No...a 250 will get 65-80MPG. (My Helix got ~70.)  A 50cc will get 100+, some 100-125-150's might.



All the new 110 to 125 cc Honda bikes get at least 100mpg, I'm guessing the other brands do as well.
Mine costs bugger all to run; I have a car but usually only use it for family trips, rarely alone.


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## g4racer

Do any of you remember the Whizzer?  The first were engines that attached to a bicycle and were friction drive via a small roller.  I remember some had the engine in front wheel configuration but can rememberwho made them.


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## daveman

50cc?  Pffft.  Get one of these!


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## longknife

g4racer said:


> Do any of you remember the Whizzer?  The first were engines that attached to a bicycle and were friction drive via a small roller.  I remember some had the engine in front wheel configuration but can rememberwho made them.



1958, stationed in a place north of Bordeaux, France.






Went everywhere on a tiny amount of fuel.


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## Abishai100

Here are two alternative bike-riding choices:



If you want something sporty and unusual, consider a rugged 2014 Can-Am Spyder 3-Wheeler Bike (Spyder ST sells for about 19K USD):

Can-Am Spyder: 3-Wheel Motorcycles for Touring, Sport-Touring, & Sport | Can-Am Spyder US








If, however, you feel fancy, consider a smoothie 2014 Vespa Primavera 150 Scooter (4800 USD):

2014 Vespa Primavera 150 | motorcycle review @ Top Speed


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## pismoe

MADASS , Sachs Madass .   Don't know if its a moped and don't know if its still available .  I saw them in person a few years ago , haven't seen or heard much about them since then .  ---  Moto-Scoot MadAss 125 Motorcycles Scooters Milwaukee, USA  ---   think they come in 50cc and 125 cc .   Neat in my opinion plus Sachs has been around for a long time .


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## DriftingSand

Hey Chuckt.  Where you at?  Can't PM or contact you through Visitor's Messaging.  You ain't "pink" so there must by a glitch in the system?


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## Jarlaxle

Abishai100 said:


> Here are two alternative bike-riding choices:
> 
> 
> 
> If you want something sporty and unusual, consider a rugged 2014 Can-Am Spyder 3-Wheeler Bike (Spyder ST sells for about 19K USD):
> 
> Can-Am Spyder: 3-Wheel Motorcycles for Touring, Sport-Touring, & Sport | Can-Am Spyder US
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If, however, you feel fancy, consider a smoothie 2014 Vespa Primavera 150 Scooter (4800 USD):
> 
> 2014 Vespa Primavera 150 | motorcycle review @ Top Speed



Both require a motorcycle license.


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## montelatici

A 50cc Vespa, of course. Nothing  compares to the original scooter.


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## Jarlaxle

Honda Metro or Ruckus.


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## airplanemechanic

I have a Yamaha Majesty 400. 16 gallons of underseat storage, a top speed of around 100, and acceleration outpacing most cars on the road. 

65mpg highway.


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## Delta4Embassy

Chuckt said:


> What kind of moped could I get today and which one could you recommend?



Wouldn't recommend any moped. Do they even still make those? Scooter maybe but a moped means you peddle it like a bicycle.


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## Delta4Embassy

Had an old Yamaha Puch scooter, 40cc or so, top speed of about 35mph. My first motor vehicle.  If gonna get a scooter, should just get a small motorcycle honestly. Had a Ninja 250 as my commuter for a few years. Nice little bike.


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## Jarlaxle

In most places, you do not need a motorcycle license to ride a small (<50cc) scooter.


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## Indofred

Delta4Embassy said:


> Had a Ninja 250 as my commuter for a few years. Nice little bike.



A scooter has advantages.
Light and automatic transmission means easy to control, so very easy to ride with very little practice.
When it's raining, or just rained, the footwell protects your legs and feet from the front wheel splash, so no need for waterproof trousers and boots.
A simple poncho serves to protect you from the weather.
The fuel consumption  of those 110cc things is almost nothing.
Your helmet fits under the seat of all the new ones, so the security issue goes away,


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## Jarlaxle

Want more than a 110 (250, minimum) for any highway use.  Probably want at least 12" wheels for any highway use, and preferably 13's.


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## airplanemechanic

I had a 125 Vino. Thing topped out at 59, had 10" tires and was the most fun you could have on two wheels. No matter how I drove that thing, 85mpg.

You don't need big wheels for highway use and don't need a 250 if your idea of a highway is 55mph. All you need is a top speed of 55. 59 is even better. I had a tailwind once on a cold morning and accelerated right through 63 and ran out of balls before I ran out of top speed.


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## Indofred

Jarlaxle said:


> Want more than a 110 (250, minimum) for any highway use.  Probably want at least 12" wheels for any highway use, and preferably 13's.



If I were to use a scooter on a highway, I want at least a 250cc.
It's not the speed, it's the ability to accelerate out of trouble, and the 110 lump won't like higher speeds for long durations.


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## airplanemechanic

I've been riding for 10 years and have yet needed to "accelerate out of trouble." I've also never spoken to a single rider in 10 years who ever "accelerated out of trouble." That's a crock of crap by people who want an excuse for a motorcycle that can do twice as fast as they ever need to go.

In fact, just the opposite. A smaller bike will be lighter and more nimble and give you more options to swerve around trouble than a larger heavier bike.


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## Indofred

I disagree. On occasion, rare as they are, a burst of speed can get you away from a problem.
It isn't an intent to go at silly speeds, just get out of the way of a problem driver, usually by overtaking the car in front, using that car as a buffer between you and the tailgater.
Of course, it's far better to pull over and let him pass, but that isn't always possible. If the overtake option isn't available due to lack of power, it increases the potential danger from a foolish driver.
That and the extra engine capacity makes for less strain on the lump, meaning the bike will probably last a lot longer before major service or replacement.


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## airplanemechanic

Ok so you admit you never "accelerated out of trouble" nor knew anyone who did. If you are being tailgated you pull over. You don't speed up. Any motorcycle instructor will tell you that. If you speed up you'll be tailgated at a higher speed. Does that sound safer? If you can't pull over, YOU DON'T SPEED UP. You maintain a steady speed and let them pass or continue to tailgate you put playing cat and mouse will get you killed. You obviously never took an MSF course.

You know what you SHOULD do if being tailgated and you can't speed up? Start meandering in your lane, from one side to another. It makes you look unpredictable and all but the most leadfooted tailgaters will give you space. I've tried it, and it has always worked. That is what they teach you in MSF courses. THAT will save your life, "a quick burst of speed" is likely to get you killed.

I could imagine a scenario where if my bike had wings I could fly over the problem area. I mean, if we're going to get stupid and unrealistic, lets go all the way.


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## Indofred

airplanemechanic said:


> Ok so you admit you never "accelerated out of trouble"



A lie - I just told you of a situation where the extra speed and ability to accelerate, enough to safely overtake a car, got me out of a potential problem.
Yes, the book tells you to pull over, but when that isn't an option?
A bike can often safely overtake when a car has no chance of the same, so the problem is solved, as long as you have enough extra power to complete the overtake safely.
A smaller machine on a highway may not have that power at normal highway speeds.
Lies don't make for a reasonable debate.


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## Jarlaxle

I have accelerated out of trouble several times...usually to get past someone trying to merge into my lane on the highway.


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## airplanemechanic

That's not accelerating out of trouble. That's not trouble. You're making stuff up. You could just as easily have slowed down to let them in. You don't need to exceed the speed limit to let someone merge into your lane.

Rather than break the law and exceed the speed limit, you ever thought about changing lanes to let them in? Try it, it works.

People like you are why society hates motorcyclists. Rather than remain safe and change lanes, you speed up unpredictably. Hopefully one day a cop will tag you for speeding. Or you lose your license.

Show me someone whose ONLY method of avoiding an accident was exceeding the speed limit. Of course you can make some scenario where you exceeded the speed limit using the excuse "to avoid trouble" but you always have other options. Breaking the law isn't your only one. That's funny, I've been riding for a decade and have avoided hundreds of accidents and not once did I break the law to do so.


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## Jarlaxle

Are you trolling, stupid, or do you just not drive?  Spend some time on the highways in this area...you frequently CAN'T change lanes due to traffic!  I don't go especially fast (I only have 400cc's), but being able to accelerate can be critical.

My wife punched the throttle last fall to dodge a guy running a stop sign...never topped 45MPH, but the power came in handy!

Are you the idiot going 50 in the left lane?


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## airplanemechanic

No I'm the idiot trying to fix the damage idiots like you do driving around like fucking morons like you own the road. Cagers don't hate us because of people like me who follow the rules of the road, they hate us because of fucking idiotic stupid morons like you who speed and drive like a fucking road rage idiot. Your wife could have avoided the accident by slowing down as well. 

Keep trying to convince yourself that speeding and rapid acceleration is the only solution to a problem. You're the fucking morons that we read about killing themselves and skewing the safety stats of motorcycles. Motorcycles aren't dangerous, idiots like you are.

So I rest my case, a 125 is all you need to cruise all day on the highway. Highway, not interstate.


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## Jarlaxle

*Ca-rist*, you're a fuckin' idiot!  I will give you one million dollars if you can point to where I said that "speeding and rapid acceleration is the only solution to a problem."  Now go to it!

And no, a 125 is NOT "all you need" to cruise on the highway.  Claiming it is not only is wrong, but could result in someone's death.


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## airplanemechanic

No, speeding could result in someone's death. If the speed limit is 55 and your bike can do 59, you really don't need bigger do you? I had a 125 and rode on a 55mph highway just fine.

Where did you say that? You said it by sheer lack of saying anything else. You never once talked about slowing down to avoid an accident or maneuvering around one. All you talk about is SPEED SPEED SPEED.

Look man I've been riding maxi scoots far longer than you have. I was riding them back when nobody knew what they were. I now ride a 400 because I needed to go on the INTERSTATE, not the highway. Had I not bought a house so far from work I'd still have the 125.  I've had my bike 8 years. You act like a Burgy 650 is something amazing and special. I knew about them long before you did.


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## Jarlaxle

God and goddess, it's like talking to a mental patient!



airplanemechanic said:


> No, speeding could result in someone's death. If the speed limit is 55 and your bike can do 59, you really don't need bigger do you? I had a 125 and rode on a 55mph highway just fine.



Except...the speed limit is usually NOT 55 (65 is the norm in this area), and the speed of traffic is usually 70+.



> Where did you say that? You said it by sheer lack of saying anything else. You never once talked about slowing down to avoid an accident or maneuvering around one. All you talk about is SPEED SPEED SPEED.



Stupid, stupid, stupid.  Stop listening to those voices in your head and respond to what I ACTUALLY POSTED, not what the voices told you I posted!



> Look man I've been riding maxi scoots far longer than you have. I was riding them back when nobody knew what they were. I now ride a 400 because I needed to go on the INTERSTATE, not the highway. Had I not bought a house so far from work I'd still have the 125.  I've had my bike 8 years. You act like a Burgy 650 is something amazing and special. I knew about them long before you did.



Highway, interstate...different signs, same highway! (Hell, I'm not sure you can even take a 125 on highways in some states.)

You are a truly SPECIAL kind of stupid.


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## airplanemechanic

In my state highways here are 55mph, apparently you think an interstate is a highway.


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## Jarlaxle

Well, boy, not everyone lives in your state!  In the real world, there are 60 and 65MPH (and even 70MPH) non-Interstate highways!


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