Moped Driving

Harry Bloomfield said:
Eric is the forum expert on e-bikes.
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Yes I use an e-bike, it is a little grey as to what is legal as it uses words like continual basis for power, and those made before a set date can have a throttle but little on bike to show build date, so you can get models which are over the 250 watt limit and have a throttle which still works over 4 MPH. Clearly 1000 watt motors are easy to see are illegal but 350 watt not so easy.

I have a folding one, which will fit in my Honda Jazz, fits behind front seats, this means anyone can rescue me, the bike is 24 kg so not light, but have lifted it over a stile.

The motor loses torque under 4 MPH so with hills in Wales not so good as my wife's which is mid motor, so motor drives through the gears, it also is not as good at delivering reduced power to increase range, her Eco, Normal and Boost works far better than my 1 - 5 which in real terms sets the point when assistance stops, hers does not need a throttle as soon as you put weight on pedals it is off, mine without throttle around three bike lengths to cut in, so hard restarting up hill without throttle.

Range is about 25 miles total, and the charging takes around 6 hours, but I have called into the railway and put it on charge to give it a boost. Both the battery can be removed, so only need to take battery into the house, but security on mine is poor, wife's needs key to remove battery, mine only velcro holds it on, why it is fitted with an ignition key I don't know, as you can still pedal it?

Unlike the moped you can pedal it, my Honda P50 when I was a lad it was easier to push it than pedal it. I do turn off motor on the canal tow path.

The speed on the e-bike is limited to 16 MPH with motor assistance, to work out how long it will take, think of 10 MPH average.

I find with motor on I do not use the gears unless very steep, as the motor gives more assistance as you come to raises, I note one has no gears and belt drive which I am sure would work well, but the rider weight limit is low as need to remove part of frame to renew belt.

I am charged £2.50 on the local train, same as a dog, but will only fit in one carrage, with others need to leave it on veranda, it is a heritage railway. 2'6" guage, I like it being able to fold and go in the car, as I can park car and bike is secure, by wife's on the bike rack not keen on leaving car with bike on the back.

Hers cost twice as much as mine, and is clearly a lot better, but mine is more useable, it has large wheels so is more stable to those will small wheels.

If using on canal tow paths be aware ruck sacks with metal frames can knock you off under the arched bridges. Lucky I did not fall in.
 
Used to commute 15miles into central London for about 35years on a moped ( no pedals these days Harry) .Found Piaggio best for performance and reliability and derestricted would do up to 65mph.
Train was over an hour door to door while the moped did it in 35-40minute every day , no delays.
Always chose route with least amount of ATS’s which meant could often get to work without having to stop .
 
When the capable of being propelled by pedals was dropped, the maximum power came in, I know there were some really powerful multi cylinder 50 cc motorcycles, but these were racing machines and not classed as mopeds, odd the motorway restriction was on cc, my friend was proud of being caught doing 90 MPH on the motorway and using a bike under 50 cc, he was testing it, it was street legal but no way was it a moped.

So in the main legal mopeds have a problem getting to 30 MPH, the old Honda 50 step through was not a moped. It seems now it means vehicles that are designed to go faster than 15.5 MPH but not more than 28 MPH, this also includes some 4 wheel electric vehicles, there is a quad which is restricted to below 28 MPH.

Lucky we no longer have the likes of the Raleigh wisp made, but for me, I may be able to ride a moped on my licence, or any other motorbike, but I can't take it on a cycle track, and I want to ride on tow paths and the like, so a bike classed as a moped is not what I want.

As to getting a 1000 watt motorcycle street legal that is also a problem, I have seen the over sized e-bikes used on the canal tow path, and talked to the owner, who was disabled so needed a bike which did not need pedalling, so understand why he had an over sized motor, but he was taking a chance, had the police stopped him, he could have lost it, I have never seen the police on the tow path, so in real terms only if one has an accident is there likely to be a problem, however I remember the same with over powered mobility scooters and a woman having to sell her house to pay compensation to a shop worker she hit, I think there was more to it than reported in the local paper, but if you use some thing not street legal then you have to accept it may be sized.
 
Bit of an update on this. I had a go on a Moped -- didn't like it at all! Felt safer on the trolley I'd adapted a lawn mover engine to! Just felt a bit 'on edge' with it and found it difficult to drive smoothly.

The traffic - while worsened - hasn't turned out to be as bad as I thought it might be.

I also decided I don't need an e-bike. The road with a couple of long inclines (located at 52.942477615697, -1.2577329601042802) is do-able by push bike. I presumed the incline was steeper than it was! When the rain stops I'll do a couple of days and see how I feel.
 
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