moped on back of widebeam

[Ssscrudddy]

ok

[Guest]

Surprisingly, you are wrong if you passed your car test before 2001 and just want to ride a moped. Have a look here: https://www.gov.uk/cbt-compulsory-basic-training

 

Motorcycle licence entitlement does seem hellish complicated though.

 

Just trying to wade through whether a bike with DCT can be ridden on an automatic licence is a nightmare - the answer seems to be it can though.

[nicknorman]

Motorcycle licence entitlement does seem hellish complicated though.

 

It is. It's a product of the regulations changing repeatedly over the years. Or to put it another way, various governments' attempts to protect us from ourselves since "Nanny knows best".

[Phil Ambrose]

Thank you all for caring ;-).

I'm planning on using it on backroads, not in heavy traffic...

A scooter, not a motorbike.

A high vis jacket and illuminous green onesie.

A darth vadar helmet.

Training wheels.

5 layers of leather clothing

An ice cream van speaker system to alert people of my presence.

 

I'm getting old so a bicycle doesn't work for me. Having a car is not going to happen. Got rid of it a while ago. Incompatible with the boating lifestyle

 

A scooter is a viable alternative, but yes...safety is important.

Mmm luminous Green Onsie

Phil

[WJM]

If your motorbike entitlement comes as part of an older car license then you definitely CAN carry a passenger. I have been stopped a few times with a passenger and the police have done a very exhaustive check on my legality and come back every time that I was definitely licensed to have someone ride pillion. Sometimes the police officer himself shook his head and said that it was news to him.

 

Relative to the OP's requirements, I have a well tuned 50cc bike that I use only for 10 or 15 minute urban commutes - and it is absolutely ideal for that kind of road conditions. I had a much more powerful bike and I got rid of it. It's power often tempted me to go for gaps that were not always there. I find riding a less powerful bike much safer because I have no choice but to ride 100% defensively all the time.

[Ricco1]

It is. It's a product of the regulations changing repeatedly over the years. Or to put it another way, various governments' attempts to protect us from ourselves since "Nanny knows best".

 

This is very true. I've ridden motorbikes in several countries where few regulations exist (India, Cambodia, Indonesia). To someone not used to the way people drive/ ride there the idea of riding a bike there appears to be inviting suicide. But personally I feel much safer riding in these places than I do at home. I'll explain:

 

There are 2 ways to drive/ ride:

 

1/ Regulate everything. Establish who has priority in law. Install traffic management systems such as traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, humps, chicanes etc. etc.

 

2/ Little regulation, everyone looks out for each other.

 

Obviously Britain has 1/. This is fine in some ways. But its downside is that it encourages drivers/ riders to be lethargic in terms of observation. Their observations are done for them by traffic lights etc., they believe. But what happens if someone goes through a red traffic light by mistake? an accident, very often, because drivers going through green lights aren't making the observations they should. The driver 'shooting' the red light will be blamed 100% for the accident but in my opinion, the driver who went through on green should take some (less) of the blame because if they were paying proper attention, the accident could probably have been avoided.

 

Another reason Britain is a dangerous place to ride a motorbike is that they are relatively uncommon. If they were everywhere cars drivers would have to pay more attention otherwise they'd be hitting bikers regularly.

 

To stay safe riding a motorbike in Britain I'd suggest adopting a regime of observation/ readiness to react that might be used by drivers in a third world country. So, for example, if you're going down a main road and a car appears in a side road ahead expect it not to see you and for it to pull out. If you don't do this it's almost certain that you will have a nasty accident, very soon after you take to a bike.

 

There's not much comfort in knowing that you were in the right, you had priority, when you're in hospital having lost the use of a leg, or worse.

[Guest]

Tim (mr smelly) always used to say on here.

 

Green means 'stop' unless it's actually safe to go.

[simon&jan]

Hi Dean ,do try and get a honda if you can an SFX or XR8S are both good bikes but one does look better than the other !! Both use the same engine and are well built ,try and steer clear of any thing chinese or italian ,the old peugeot speed fights are pretty good too ,all you have to remember all 50cc mopeds are used flat out and are probably the most abused, people generally ride them till they stop (DEAD) ,the older generation like them too for nipping down the shops etc and the fact they are quite light too ,these are the ones you want !!

[nebulae]

I had an elderly Honda 50cc moped which I rode on my 50yr old car licence(shows how old I am).It was light enough to lift on to the stern of the boat I had then.With a bit of fiddling it fitted inside the back doors. Very useful to retreave the car when bridge hopping. Never seemed to be a bus available when I needed one .Also very handy for fetching takeaway/shopping.I did feel very vulnerable,especialy as I had friends killed riding mopeds.Gave it up as I felt I had used all my luck..(The weight on the boat was not an issue)

[b0atman]

I saw one boat with motorbike on back and they had used heavy duty electric cable tray they fastened a ramp (of same ) to whichever side towpath was on .

[Kwacker]

Get an electric bike and charge it at work. No rules or regulations apply (no tax, insurance or helmet) and you can ride it places that you can't legally ride a moped (the towpath?).

The single seat won't be a problem, because if your missus is anything like mine, the novelty of riding pillion will very soon wear off, especially on the back of a 50cc moped.

http://www.thompsons-online.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=77&zenid=1r5j0pd2bl3u13iv3er9usjho6

 

I used to sell the £499 bike, and they are very robust, but liftable if you remove the battery (heavy 36v lead acid type).

The electric mountain bike is excellent if you've got the £829.99 to spend, and being much lighter, you could just lift it onto the roof for storage

Both bikes will do 20+mph in twist-and-go mode (off road) or 15mph in road-legal pedal-assist.

 

To my mind, a moped is just fast enough to get you into trouble, but not fast enough to get you out of it.

[Robbo]

I dont want a motorbike

I want a bicycle with an engine

 

I'm only going to drive it for 12min trips each day. Worsley to Manchester. Trafford to Manchester. etc.

 

That's about the furthest I'll travel with it on a daily basis. Basically I want to be able to go on short trips out of our marina, but still shoot back to work. The alternative is to never leave the marina...which is not an option

Would not a bicycle be better if only 12min trips, 2-3miles? You'll be able to go on the towpath then.

[WJM]

The OP has decided what he wants - yet he gets a whole thread telling him he is wrong! Leave him alone!

[maty]

http://www.hondac90.co.uk/pictures.htm. These things will go all day on £5 , and very rugged will survive a dunk in the canal no problems

The bike test is very difficult these days , which is killing the bike market in the uk , as it's so difficult for youngsters , the cbt is quite easy allowing you to go up to 125 cc which is enough , you would have to do your cbt every 2 years , but it's a good day out so not much off a hardship

[nicknorman]

The OP has decided what he wants - yet he gets a whole thread telling him he is wrong! Leave him alone!

 

A common theme on this forum and one that will inevitably continue, where you have people with no experience of a subject, asking question of those who do.

[maty]

Just seen this on eBay a bit off tlc & with bags of caricature http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/131111244370?nav=SEARCH

[nicknorman]

http://www.hondac90.co.uk/pictures.htm. These things will go all day on £5 , and very rugged will survive a dunk in the canal no problems

The bike test is very difficult these days , which is killing the bike market in the uk , as it's so difficult for youngsters , the cbt is quite easy allowing you to go up to 125 cc which is enough , you would have to do your cbt every 2 years , but it's a good day out so not much off a hardship

I used to have an ancient (pre-ohc) Honda 50 stepthrough as a runaround (in the days when I had an original Triumph Trident T150 which was less than reliable!). It was as you say unburstable and significanlty faster than a legal "moped" since it would do a respectable 45mph or so. A friend had a Honda 90, and whilst it was a lot faster, you got the impression that it was a bit too powerful for the chassis, with it's dodgy (at speed) leading link front suspension and drum brakes. Whereas the 50 could be driven recklessly without fearing the chassis failing to keep up.

[Kwacker]

The OP has decided what he wants - yet he gets a whole thread telling him he is wrong! Leave him alone!

The way I see it, if I see someone about to step in a cowpat, I give them a shout.

From his post, I got the impression that Dean has no experience of mopeds, and what a forum like this should be good for is letting those with experience help those without it. Learning by experience can be expensive, and in the case of mopeds, bloody dangerous.

[maty]

I've been riding & building lambretta for over 30 years it's massive passion of mine , I do get very excited at mopeds & scooters . & did get a little upset when I had to sell one to pay for my survey on my boat recently , hay ho that's life , but I do stand by IMHO that the honda is the best moped built

[Kwacker]

Just seen this on eBay a bit off tlc & with bags of caricature http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/131111244370?nav=SEARCH

It certainly is

[Robbo]

I dont want a motorbike

I want a bicycle with an engine

 

The OP has decided what he wants - yet he gets a whole thread telling him he is wrong! Leave him alone!

 

He wants a bicycle with an engine. A electric bike has major plus points over a moped, especially in running costs. (no Tax/Insurance/Licence, ability to ride on towpaths, smaller, etc.).

[raymondh]

Hi,

We met a guy sailing in Portugal who has a Sachs Saxonette for his daily ride

He used it in Ireland and the UK totally illegal as he had no tax,insurance, numberplate etc

He claimed that it was so rare and unseen in the UK that the police never bothered him

Now I would not condone such action! but rode my Velosolex for a year around Wigan no problem

I had a wicker basket that hid most of the motor

see

http://kleinanzeigen.ebay.de/anzeigen/s-saxonette/k0#177448016

Regards Ray

[billh]

 

 

He wants a bicycle with an engine. A electric bike has major plus points over a moped, especially in running costs. (no Tax/Insurance/Licence, ability to ride on towpaths, smaller, etc.).

My first 2 wheel commute was a 1964 Raleigh Runabout- a bike with an engine. On a rare good day it would top 40mph and on a bad day it would stop. The french engine was hopeless. Pedalling with the engine drive disconnected was very hard work. I sold it last year to a vintage vehicle collector.

My last commuter bike was a Honda SFX scooter- limited to 30mph , it was fine in town traffic, would keep up , reliable but thirsty, the big deal for me was the leg protection afforded by the design in wet or cold weather- far better than the CG125 before that. The SFX never managed better than 50mpg, probably because it was on full throttle all the time. It would take a passenger if you could accept a top "speed " of 10mph!

[mango]

The OP has decided what he wants - yet he gets a whole thread telling him he is wrong! Leave him alone!

I confess to giving someone a Greenie for suggesting that a bicycle was a good alternative. Sorry.

 

Perhaps it is appropriate to comment on the safety issues of having a moped on a boat. Petrol and overhanging bits of bike or carrier could be issues, and would a BSS inspector be happy with the arrangements.

[SteveS]

^{OK, Here we go...... Your UK licence was issued after 2001. therefor you have a full UK car licence and a full moped licence. It is the category P. This category is NOT valid until you have completed a CBT. Oddly enough you only have to do it once and the CBT certificate, despite its printed expiry date, stays valid for life! Having completed CBT you have a full category P licence and you may carry a passenger so long as the machine is fitted with seat and footrests. A modern moped is restricted to a top speed of 28 MPH (God / Allah / Darwin help you) . If you are going to buy one then make sure you can get spares. £400 is going to be a living nightmare! Tell you what; just send me the £400 and I will send you nothing in return. Believe me it will be cheaper in the long run. My suggestion is to buy a 2 stroke for around £1000 that has been well looked after. They are restricted but a lot more powerful than the 4 strokes I would suggest an Aprilia sr50 (because I sell Aprilia) and when they are derestricted will happily carry 2 up. But beware if you have derestricted it, it is now a 50 cc motorcycle which falls into category A. So my credentials; Been riding for 43 years, teaching people to ride for 31 years and selling the things for 30 years. Hope this helps. P.S. a car driver needs to recognise, understand and compensate for the vulnerability that they are exposed to when riding a motorcycle. Its as simple as that, and yes riding restricted mopeds terrifies me only slightly more than riding a pedal cycle on the road.}

^Steve