moped

Brit a light motorcycle, not over 50cc

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

e-bike

(Electric-BIKE) A bicycle that is augmented with an electric motor. E-bikes are powered by a rechargeable battery, but the rider still uses the pedals. However, when going up hills or wanting a boost, the electric motor makes the ride easier.

An Electric Bike

This unisex 26" bicycle from Schwinn has a 250-watt motor, and the thumb-driven controller on the handle bars adjusts the assistance level. (Image courtesy of Schwinn Bicycles, www.schwinn.com)

An Electric Moped

Mopeds have traditionally been powered by internal combustion engines; however, all-electric mopeds are also available. This GigaByke Groove has pedals in case the battery is drained. (Image courtesy of GIGABYKE, www.gigabyke.com)

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The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Moped

a name designating a two-wheeled vehicle with an internal-combustion engine with a piston displacement of up to 49.8 cm³ and pedal and chain drive to the rear wheel.

In the USSR, light mopeds are equipped with an engine having a piston displacement of 45 cm³ and a power of 0.88–1.1 kilowatt (kW), or 1.2–1.5 hp; they have no transmission and are capable of speeds of up to 40 km/hr. Standard mopeds are equipped with a one-cylinder two-cycle engine with a piston displacement of 49.8 cm³ and a power of 1.62–1.84 kW (2.2–2.5 hp), with a two-speed transmission. They are capable of speeds of up to 50 km/hr. Shifting is accomplished by operating a handle on the left handlebar. Pedals are used to start the engine, for braking, and as a support for the feet while riding. Mopeds are also frequently equipped with a stepless, automatic V-belt drive and an electronic ignition system. Mopeds with a motor driven by a storage battery have appeared in some foreign countries.

Mass production of mopeds began in the late 1940’s and is increasing continuously. In the USSR mopeds are manufactured in Riga and L’vov (see Table 1). Production in 1972 was 340,000 units.

Table 1. Technical characteristics of Soviet mopeds
	Riga-7	Riga- 12 and Verkhovina-4
Type of engine .....	D-6	Sh-57
Maximum engine power, kW (hp) .....	0.88 (1 .2) @ 4,500 rpm	1.62 (2.2) @ 5,300 rpm
Maximum speed (km/hr) .....	40	50
Weight (kg) .....	36	52

REFERENCE

Grishin, E. M., and Z. la. lanson. Mopedy: Ustroistvo i ekspluatatsiia. Moscow, 1966.

S. IU. IVANITSKII and B. V. SINEL’NIKOV

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

A 33-year-old man reported to police that he was on his moped in traffic when two males on another moped pulled up alongside him and sprayed a liquid in his face before stealing his moped and making off.

Teenage boys arrested after five acid attacks

The Metropolitan Police said the assaults appeared to be linked and two involved victims having their mopeds stolen, while adding that one victim had been left with "life-changing" injuries, reports the Independent.

Men carry out five acid attacks in London in 70 minutes

Neil Morrison, who was driving the articulated lorry which the two mopeds were attempting to overtake, said: "I remember thinking to myself 'What are these two playing at?', because I knew there was a bend coming up."

Teen denies causing moped rider's death

Pc Daniel Pennington of the Southern Area Roads Policing Team said: "An independent female witness provided her mobile phone number to a relative of the moped rider.

Appeal to accident witness after mix-up over details

"If people are parking their motorbike or moped up overnight, ideally, they should park in a garage or a secure parking area."

Warning over motorbike thefts

Although the moped barely qualifies as a "motor vehicle," Indiana requires a license to scoot along a public roadway on one.

Romeo on a moped

Police said initial indications were that a Subaru Outback driven by a 52-year-old Eugene woman was heading east on 28th and the moped was heading north on Chambers.

BRIEFLY METRO

One 59-year-old uninsured patient, who asked that his name not be used, had a similar reaction when a MOPED counselor called to tall him he qualified for Medicaid and the liver transplant he was about to get in early March of this year at Broward would be covered.

Outreach program helps patients get covered: Broward's MOPED steers patients through Medicaid paperwork morass

TWO teenagers were killed and a third injured after crashing their overloaded moped on the way home from a pub.

2 TEENS KILLED IN BIKE HORROR; Crash after pub

AN elderly Shropshire man says he has been left a prisoner in his own home after his moped was snatched from outside a supermarket.

OAP's moped taken at store

Robert Young has been riding around Oahu on a moped since 1979, convinced the more affordable means of transportation would someday take off.

Mopeding around: sales are up for these affordable motorized bikes

The loan of a moped will presumably be paid for by local taxpayers.

Birmingham Post Comment: Deals on wheels