HAha a Scooter forum - Here's mine

[MaxxMPG]

Seeing that brings back memories. We had a moped in the late 70s and early 80s - a "Jawa Babetta". Made in Czechoslovakia.

Local state laws at the time required registration of a "Class C moped" (engine less than 50cc, top speed no faster than 17mph), but no insurance was needed. No helmet or other gear required. And no license required. The rider had to be at least 16 years of age, but apparently nobody ever checked, since my 12 year old brother was out there riding it around town all the time. My dad had "rejetted the carb" and it'd do a good 25mph, depending on weight and wind. Apparently, nobody ever clocked a moped either, since our "C" moped was a very fast way to get around.

I used it to get to/from my summer job when I was in high school. When I got my license, I got a car and the next younger sibling got the moped. We racked up a lot of miles on that thing and it meant we could accept job opportunities that were beyond walking distance from home. I don't remember it needing more than half a gallon of gas maybe once a week.

It was so much fun that as recently as earlier this year, I was checking online for a used moped for errands that are too far to walk yet too close to justify cold-starting the car. The best aspect of the moped is that you can always pedal if you run out of gas. But that happened to me a few times, and I think pedaling that thing a couple of miles was the reason I ended up with legs that could press over a third of a ton. Talk about cardio!

[RedylC94]

Originally Posted by MaxxMPG

Seeing that brings back memories. We had a moped in the late 70s and early 80s - a "Jawa Babetta". Made in Czechoslovakia.

Local state laws at the time required registration of a "Class C moped" (engine less than 50cc, top speed no faster than 17mph), but no insurance was needed. ...

Ah, yes! I tested 10 brands of new mopeds around that time, with rated top speeds of 30, 28, 25, and 20 miles per hour. (Manufacturers adjusted the top speed to comply with laws of different states that set different speed limits.)

I measured their actual top speeds, which were generally pretty close to what they claimed. Measured gas mileage, at 18 mph, ranged from 90 to 170, and weights ranged from 69 to 131 pounds.

Some were so difficult to pedal that you could travel faster on foot with less effort.