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Difference between revisions of "Moped"
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The term "moped" now only applies to low power (often super-economy) vehicles, but pedals were a sign of sophistication when first fitted to the early motorcycles, such as the 1912 Douglas in the photograph. Pedaling away from stationary was a great improvement over "run and jump" and LPA (light pedal assistance) was valuable for climbing hills. Better transmissions with wider ranges, better clutches and much better engine performance made pedals obsolete on all serious motorcycles by 1918 but the pedals on mopeds remained valuable for their original purposes as late as the 1960s. | The term "moped" now only applies to low power (often super-economy) vehicles, but pedals were a sign of sophistication when first fitted to the early motorcycles, such as the 1912 Douglas in the photograph. Pedaling away from stationary was a great improvement over "run and jump" and LPA (light pedal assistance) was valuable for climbing hills. Better transmissions with wider ranges, better clutches and much better engine performance made pedals obsolete on all serious motorcycles by 1918 but the pedals on mopeds remained valuable for their original purposes as late as the 1960s. | ||
The earliest mopeds were | The earliest mopeds were bicycles with a helper motor in various locations, for example on top of the front wheel; they were also called cyclemotors. An example of that type is the [[VéloSoleX]] brand, which simply has a roller driving the front tire. (See picture, below left.)[[Image:Woman on Velosolex.jpg|thumb|left|A [[France|French]] [[VéloSoleX]] moped]] | ||
A more innovative design was known in the UK as the [[Cyclemaster]]. This had a complete powered rear wheel which was simply substituted for the bicycle rear wheel, which originated from a design by two [[Dampf-Kraft-Wagen|DKW]] engineers in Germany. Slightly larger machines, commonly with a {{convert|98|cc|1}} engine were known as autocycles. On the other hand some mopeds, such as the Czech-made [[Jawa Motors|Jawa]], were derived from motorcycles. | A more innovative design was known in the UK as the [[Cyclemaster]]. This had a complete powered rear wheel which was simply substituted for the bicycle rear wheel, which originated from a design by two [[Dampf-Kraft-Wagen|DKW]] engineers in Germany. Slightly larger machines, commonly with a {{convert|98|cc|1}} engine were known as autocycles. On the other hand some mopeds, such as the Czech-made [[Jawa Motors|Jawa]], were derived from motorcycles. | ||
A further category of low-powered two-wheelers exists today in some jurisdictions for bicycles with helper motors – these are often defined as power-assisted bicycles or [[motorized bicycles]]; see full article there. Other jurisdictions may categorize the same machines as mopeds, creating a certain amount of confusion. In many countries three wheelers and microcars are classified as mopeds or variations thereof. This practise is not restricted to the third-world, France and Belgium classify microcars such as the [[Aixam]] similarily or as "light quadricycles".<ref>{{Cite web|work=[http://www.aixam.com Aixam.com]|title=Legislation|url=http://www.aixam.com/legislation.php|accessdate=2009-03-31}}</ref> | A further category of low-powered two-wheelers exists today in some jurisdictions for bicycles with helper motors – these are often defined as power-assisted bicycles or [[motorized bicycles]]; see full article there. Other jurisdictions may categorize the same machines as mopeds, creating a certain amount of confusion. In many countries three wheelers and microcars are classified as mopeds or variations thereof. This practise is not restricted to the third-world, France and Belgium classify microcars such as the [[Aixam]] similarily or as "light quadricycles".<ref>{{Cite web|work=[http://www.aixam.com Aixam.com]|title=Legislation|url=http://www.aixam.com/legislation.php|accessdate=2009-03-31}}</ref> | ||
==Etymology== | ==Etymology== | ||
[[Image:Moped old.jpg|thumb|The original moped – a bike equipped with a motor]] | [[Image:Moped old.jpg|thumb|The original moped – a bike equipped with a motor]] | ||