wiki said:
Legal terms and definitions of low-powered cycles vary from state to state and may or may not include "Moped", "Motorcycle", "Motorized Bicycle", "Motorscooter", "scooter", "Goped", "Motor-Driven Cycle", and or others. A moped's speed generally may not exceed 30 mph (48 km/h) on level ground, even if it is capable of going faster. In a few states this number is 20 or 25 mph (32 or 40 km/h), and in most states, the maximum engine capacity is 50 cc (3.1 cu in). However, Kansas ("Motorized Bicycle" K.S.A. 8-126, 8-1439a) allows up to 130 cc (7.9 cu in).[16] Some states, like California, require pedals, while others do not. Virginia allows mopeds to operate at up to 35 mph (56 km/h). Some states, like North Carolina, require there to be no external gear-shifting mechanism.
Moped - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I suspect this thread is simply makin' a mountain out of a molehill as even the states cant agree, evidenced by the "official" description that amounts to, "urm... yea - those crazy lil bikes" heh In the clutter and chaos of mine brain, it rolls like thus;
Motorcycle: No pedals, factory built & designed w/a engine.
Moped: Pedals, factory built & designed w/a engine.
Motorized Bicycle: Pedals (or without 'cause they were yanked off later), it
started out factory built and designed to be a bicycle, thus
without a motor until some madman got a hold of the poor thing and strapped some random internal combustion engine to it so they didn't hafta pedal nomo.
*shrug* As I see it, the distinction is "original intent" - ya can't make a moped a motorcycle by jus' pullin' the pedals off, a motorcycle isn't a moped even if it's a mere 50cc*, and a bicycle will still be a bicycle no matter how much
we modify them, thus motor-
ized bicycle. Yea, there's gonna be some gray areas - the above classifies vintage motorcycles as "mopeds" (1911 Harley had pedals w00t!), but there'll always be exceptions heh
...and so this poll is flawed by bias *shrug*
*You may notice I disregarded engine displacement as a qualifier, tho some states may disagree (logic & lawmakers? don't make me lol) I can't see how motor size makes a bit of difference. Although only imported for a single year (1982), the Honda MB5 was a great bike and a prime example of a perhaps miniscule, but still a motorcycle (I had two, I wish I still had 'em).
Honda MB50 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
MB5 Technical Spec - UK Honda MB5 Web Site