Mopeds come in a wide range of styles which can be loosely split into the subcategories below.

Motorized Pedalcycle/Mobilette/Moped

The original (and some would say *only*) moped. A push bike or pedal cycle with a two-stoke engine. These bikes have a cult following all of their own.

Roadster

Like a mini motorbike. You sit astride it with your feet either side on separate footrests and the petrol tank between your legs. These often have a manual gear change.

Motocross (Dirt Bike)

As it says on the tin. A bike originally designed for riding on dirt. Think knobbly tires, tall long-travel suspension and large, often spoked,wheels. Not for the vertically challenged.

Super Motad

Almost exactly the same as the ‘crosser above but with smaller and thicker road wheels more like the type you would expect to see on a sports bike.

Cruiser

Like the Roadster with this type of machine you sit astride the bike with feet on separate footrests either side of the machine but with a low seat height and relaxed riding position. A kind of mini chopper. They even sometimes have elongated swept back handlebars.

Scooter or Step-Through

By far the most common style of moped at this time. These bikes almost always come with an automatic gearbox and have a footboard in front of the seat so when you are riding your feet are in front of you. The petrol tank is usually under the seat but some models have the filler cap at the front of the bike under a flap in the plastic, halfway up the front board and under the handlebars.

Engine Type

Believe it or not there are two types of petrol/gas engine available to you as a moped rider. There’s the noisy, smelly but more lively 2-Stroke engine and the generally quieter, smoother and more torquey 4-Stroke. 2-Strokes, although generally faster and more responsive seem to be slowly being phased out as more and more stringent anti-noise and anti-pollution policies come into force.

The only other real difference between the two engines types, without delving into the mechanics of it – I’ve reserved that for another article – is that 2-stroke engines burn oil along with the petrol and generally have a separate fuel-oil tank as well as the standard petrol one. So if you opt for the faster noisy option please *do* remember to check that tank as well as your petrol/gas tank. Repairs can be costly.

Speed

Some people might see this as a redundant topic. After all these days a moped is a vehicle that has a restricted speed anyway but there are differences I assure you. First of all there’s the restricted speed limit in the first place. The UK’s restricted speed is actually 3mph faster than its European equivalent. This may not sound a great deal but when you’re maximum speed is 28mph, three is whole 10% faster! People spend a fair bit of money on all sorts of go-faster accessories such as exhausts or new carburettors that have less effect. 10% is a lot!

Next you have to consider if you are going to de-restrict it. Some are far easier to de-restrict than others and so will cost much less to do. Some models can’t even *be* de-restricted. They are in fact that slow by design. So if you want your moped to go any faster you often have to resort to tuning which I’ll cover, along with de-restricting, in another article very soon.

Handling

Speed in a straight line is all very well but the next question you need to consider is just how fast will it go around corners? And how fast does it stop or slow down?

This is more often than not dictated by the style of machine you are riding which I will cover with a quick list below. But please bear in mind that these are general statements and handling etc is very specific to each model. There is no substitute for a test ride. Which leads me on a slight tangent before I finish. In my opinon (and I am a fully qualified Instructor) it makes more sense to get your training over and done with *before* you go and buy a bike. That way you have a much better idea what *you* are looking for. Remember it’s you that has to live with it, ride it and enjoy it. Which bike you ride is *your* choice and yours alone.

That aside, here are a few sweeping generalisations:

Cruisers are fantastic in straight lines but don’t have much ground clearance for corners. Fantastic choice if you’re slightly lacking in the leg department and often favoured over the Roadster by the fairer sex for that very reason. After that it’s simply a matter of taste.

Roadsters are the kings of the road in the countryside. Although we *are* talking about mopeds here, not Superbikes, so a little bit of artistic licence is assured.

Dirt-Bikes, Motocrossers (‘Crossers) and Super Motads are great in town as they change direction easily and have good visibility because you sit up so high. Easily the best option if you are over 6’ tall.

Scooters are now so common with so many variations that they have sub-groups of their own and in my experience the ‘Sports’ scooters often have very effective breaks and reasonable size tyres so make very good town bikes. Almost all scooters also have space for luggage which other styles do not. However they don’t generally react as fast as the taller motocross type bikes, nor do they corner wide open roads as well as the Roadsters. But when I ride a moped the Sports Scooter is definitely the choice for me.

In an effort to simplify this momentous task I’m going to try and break it down into segments.

Decide on your budget.

Firstly and most importantly, ask yourself what is your budget? There’s no point getting fixated on a certain style or specific model if you have limited funds available. All that will do force you into making rash decisions or impulse buying and that is where you lose your power. So set your budget first. Then stick to it.

See what‘s available for that budget.

Once you’ve established how much money you have to spend (don’t forget about the cost of insurance, road tax/licence/fund and training all of which are specific to the country in which you live) it’s time to do some research. Take a look at some shops that sell mopeds and scooters. Check out their prices and compare them to your budget. Don’t get too focused on what looks cool, what will fit you better or any of that. All you need to know at this point is what you can get for your money.

Take notes. Check many different places. Get a real good picture of what’s out there. Some brand new models are cheaper than 4 year old models. It’s a wildly diverse and competitive market. Remember to make a note of web addresses and/or telephone numbers while you’re there.

Make a list of the pros & cons of each bike.

The next thing to do is make a list of the bikes available in your price range. So go ahead and write them down. Then next to each one it’s probably a good idea to write down what you think are the best points or advantages it offers to *you*. Do this for each one and put down as many point as you can think of, then go right back and do it all over again but this time make note of the negatives in a second list on the page.

In part 2 of this article I will go more into depth on some of the differences between the different types of moped you could buy but for now one of the simple things to consider would be the style of machine that suits your need. If you’re very tall a scooter could be rather uncomfortable. It’s no fun bashing your knees every time you want to go around a bend or if you intend to regularly ride long distances a Cruiser might be the ideal thing. Maybe the converse is true and you’re vertically challenged in which case a Super Motad style or Motocross bike would be a mistake. Obviously how it looks is important too, so is the country of manufacture – European restrictions are a couple of mph slower than the Japanese models too so bare that in mind.

Analysis & Research

Once your list is complete look at it objectively. Does one model stand out with more positives than negatives? Does the model your best mate recommends actually have a tonne of negatives next to it? Remember objectivity is the key. The results should speak for themselves but before you rush out and buy just do one last thing. Take a deep breath and do some more research. Check out the second part of my post and look out further afield. You should by now have a fairly good idea what make and model you’re probably after so the search is much easier but google it and see what people have to say before you spend your money.

Hope that helps