The Moped Spot

Oh. My. God. Whilst rummaging around doing some research for a website I’m currently writing for I came across this old article:

New two-part motorcycle test announced : Directgov – Newsroom

Let me draw your attention to the highlighted quote.

“A two-part test means we can provide more test locations”.

Um pardon?!!? More?!!? Forgive me while I fall off my chair. *More* places have off-road sites big enough for learner riders to reach speeds in excess of 30mph *safely* do they?

In a word, no. The number of motorcycle test centres in the UK has been reduced by over 50% since the new two part test was introduced. Some training schools now have to ride for as much as an hour just to reach their nearest one. That’s an additional two hour’s training (one hour each way) that someone has to pay for.
Instructors aren’t paid very much in the first place for such a responsible and in fact highly skilled job. So they’re not about to give 3 hours of their time for free are they? Which generally means the training schools suffer because they can’t go charging extra to customers when their competitors, who may be nearer, do not.

So what *is* that news article all about then, hmm? Propaganda? Government spin doctoring? Or just a bunch of lies?

Maybe all three. And sometimes I wonder why I never believe what I hear in the news any more…

Unbelieveable! Check *this* out if you have 2 secs spare…

A diesel engined moped!!

The basics of the Internal Combustion Engine
The internal combustion engine is actually fairly simple in principal. Essentially a mixture of fuel and air is sucked into a cylinder where it is compressed by a piston and then ignited by a spark plug at the top. The resulting explosion pushes the piston back down and out of the way making space for a new batch of fuel and air to be sucked in and the whole cycle repeats.

This would all be fine apart from three things. Firstly the explosion produces a fair amount of gases which need to go somewhere before new fuel can be sucked in and secondly metal doesn’t slide very easily across a metal surface. It needs to be lubricated.

The 2 Stroke Solution
Putting a hole in the side wall of the cylinder gives the exhaust gases an easy exit point which is closed by the piston on its way back up. Theoretically all you need to do then is add some oil to the fuel/air mixture and it will lubricate the metal before being burnt up along with the rest of the gas. The only problem then is how to get the new fuel mix back into the space which is left.

So we have a second hole in the opposite wall of the cylinder called an inlet. At the mouth of this inlet is a valve which allows the fuel into the engine but doesn’t let it back out. In some engines this is a simple vacuum operated valve and in others it just looks like a plastic disc with a cut-out window. This disc spins in time with the crank – the bit at the base of the piston – so that once every revolution the cut-out lines up with the inlet and allows a measure of fuel mix into the crankcase.

Once the fuel mix is in the crankcase two things happen. Firstly the oil does its job and lubricates, secondly the whole lot gets pressurised by the piston on its downward stroke. This is whilst the exhaust gases are escaping out the top, which creates a bit of a vacuum so the pressurised mixture floods upwards to fill the gap.

The reciprocal mass of the crank acts like a flywheel and because of momentum it keeps on spinning, pushing the piston back up the cylinder shutting off the exhaust hole and once again compresses the fuel mix ready for the next spark to ignite it so the whole cycle can start once again.

The 4 Stroke Solution
The 4 stroke engine does things with a little more finesse. It takes it’s time and does one things at a time but is still all based around a tiny spark igniting a small but highly compressed volume of fuel and air.

As with the 2 stroke, the power of the explosion forces the piston down the cylinder, spinning the crank which acts like a flywheel as well as turning the gearbox of course. This is called the power stroke. As the piston reaches the bottom of the cylinder the momentum begins to push the piston back upward and starts the exhaust stroke.

Valves at the top of the engine open to allow the release of exhaust gases which are pushed out by the upwardly mobile piston. They then close as the piston reaches top dead centre and a second set on the opposite side of the cylinder head open up to allow the entry of fuel and air which is sucked in by the piston on it’s downward stroke. No oil in the mix with a 4 stroke though. All the moving parts sit instead in a permanent pool of oil which gets pushed around the engine by all this movement in much the same way as the fuel/oil mix gets pushed around the 2 stroke but this clever opening and shutting of valves keeps the fuel and oil entirely separate…

Finally, on the fourth stroke as the piston travels once again up the cylinder still being driven by momentum the valves close once again, compressing the fuel ready for the spark.

Summary
2 strokes are rough and ready simple little engines that have twice as many power strokes at the same speed as a their more sedate cousin, the 4 stroke. However due to the lack of complicated valves they also waste a certain amount of fuel mix as it  rushes over the piston and escapes with the exhaust gases. So they are less efficient as well as being noisier and smellier. They are also less efficient at lubrication and consequently need rebuilding quite a bit more often as they wear out easily.

That said they are far easier *to* rebuild and the extra power form those extra strokes is arguably worth it.

The Different Types of Moped

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.

Buying your first bike of any kind is a daunting task. In fact in a very large and competitive sea of various makes, models and styles we sometimes feel like extremely small fish indeed. Never forget though, that *you* are the buyer. So however small you may currently feel you still wield the power. Even though it may not seem like it.

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