Sapporo Contest of Epic Moped Win!

Sapporo USA Facebook Linkage

Starting May 30th, Sapporo will start a contest and a lucky person might have a custom Sapporo moped! It looks to be a photography contest in which your supposed to get a photo that "Shows Your Star Moment," which shouldn't be that hard, I have everything from Heineken moments to Bell's Moments on a monthly bases, lol jk.

I'm all for free stuff but especially when it comes to mopeds and especially when it comes to Sapporo, I love them even if they don't know it!

Either way this should be exciting, chances of winning a moped from a company don't come along to often, I bet the last one was either in the late '70s or early '80s.  Not to mention I love Sapporo, their beer is light bodied and its quite sweet with a little bitterness, has a very clean finish to it and is the best thing to have when its hot out. The bikes though look way better then any bike I've ever seen, as for what they are? Seems to be all custom and the consensus on MA is that its a Batavus HS50 frame with Tomos swing arms, forks, and engine(A55), with a Negrini Tank. Did I mention they have 8 mopeds to give away?

This is taken from Sapporo's Facebook Page, awesome sight isn't it?

I do like how Sapporo is trying to market its brand too, being kind of hip in a retro style. For a premium brand, Sapporo isn't trying to sell their beer like other beers in the sense that your either are 1. a Sports fan 2. a Loud and obnoxious idiot 3. a Hunter 4. Out to party and get wasted 4. to high society 5. get laid 7. pick up chicks. If you look at their photos its for a relaxed party with just friends and thats what kind of interests me on the ad side of things. Even though I just purely like their product and probably buy it more then Bud Lite and any other brand of light beer combined with fufu drinks like Mike's hard lemonade. Its purely the beer that I enjoy even though it'll never be a micro brew but its by far my favorite adjunct lager brewed beer! I'm not one for BMC's even though High Life and Busch are my favorite all around budget beers, I'd still pick up a Sapporo.

Now I bet some of you are questioning me on why I just went on a rant about Sapporo but its beer, I love beer, I love the taste, I love to brew it at home, and I love to share my love for beer to others. When mopeds and beer come together in a purely forum based discussion, I just loose myself in both worlds within the conversation.

I personally plan on taking some photos for this contest, not sure what of but maybe get some friends together and have a few beers. Though I doubt I'll win, still I'd rather have some chance at winning then no chance of winning at all. I'm so excited! Hopefully it ends before the riding season is over...

Registering Mopeds in Michigan 2-Benefits of MI compared to other States

I've been lurking in quite a few forums lately and thought I'd put forth further commentary on the registration process. Now some people may not know this but Michigan has probably the best laws in the United States for owning a moped. What makes it so great? Well compared to other states it has lots going for it!

A good example of how awesome Michigan laws are is registration, some might find it a hassle or if your far in the right outfield, a encroachment on our personal freedoms. Unlike Michigan, Indiana doesn't require registration or tags but that upside is clearly a downside when your moped gets stolen and a tag will be in a computer system so if its ever recovered either in state or out of state you'll receive it back.

The other upside to registration is that in Michigan you only need a bill of sale, a title is good but what happens to them is they get lost because most people get their hands on a moped, loss interest in them and loss the title. The other great thing is that it only costs $15 for 3 years and even though it carries a cost, I don't mind when you think about it costing $5 a year to ensure that if it ever gets stolen you might have a chance of it getting returned.

Somethings that you probably didn't think about is how laws work out of state. To keep it simple, your home moped laws will stay the same once you leave the state. Depending on what state your from or going to will also depend on how much you'll get hassled. This works 2 ways, the legal side and the justice side, I may be incorrect in the wording but here are a couple examples.
-In Illinois, in order to register a moped, when you buy your moped from another owner in Illinois you have to get a title. Otherwise you'll have to run thru loops to get it retitled and have to pay insurance in case of counter claims. While if someone from Illinois were to travel to Michigan and purchase a moped and only have a bill of sale from Michigan, they could register it in Illinois. This has been done before, the only problem is that not everyone at Illinois, or from what I hear, knows that this is a acceptable way of registering so it is possible but depends on the person you get. Some people will use Michigan to circumvent Illinois law to save money on getting their mopeds retitled.
- On the justice side we have road rules, in some states, like again Illinois your required to have your moped registered and plated, along with insurance. Now lets say I drive to Illinois from Michigan on my registered moped without insurance and get pulled over for not having a plate. Will I get hassled? Yes because I lack insurance but as for registration I just have to point to my sticker. In the US, individual states honor other state's laws for vehicles registered in other states. This deals with cars and motorcycles, each state will honor each other's laws. So I won't necessarily be required to have insurance, even though it would be a good idea just in case. This also goes for licenses too, for example in California your required to have a special license in order to operate a moped, I think they go by M1 and M2 but anyway. If I were to drive my own moped there and got pulled over I wouldn't need a special license as long as I'm on my moped thats registered in Michigan and have my Michigan driver's license. Now if your on a California registered moped I'm not sure what would happen so I'll have to get back to that some other time.

The only thing when riding in other states is that sure your registration and licensing is welcome, you might have to obey different road/traffic laws. This goes with international law too, such as Canada, which will honor your licensing and registration but you'll need insurance of a certain amount(I think its above $200k), either way you'll have to obey Canadian law so make sure you have a speedo thats in kilometers. As for other countries out side the US I do know that in countries such as Japan that you'll need at least a international motorcycle license, even though a Japanese individual with a car license can drive a moped but not a person from abroad with a international drivers license, go figure?

Some other things that I'd like to touch is people with DUI's, even though I pity them for their situation because its hard to get to work et al. In Michigan its illegal for them to operate a moped if they have a suspended license. I've read articles whenever mopeds get into the news and then continue on reading in the comments section about people's opinions. If you read on there is always that one person who says something to the affect of "...anybody can ride a moped, you don't need a license!" Which is totally untrue and should be pointed out how wrong they are, I did that once and even though I sounded like a dick, they apologized and now I certainly do feel like a dick and no matter what I thought about replying could make me feel better, so I didn't open up my cake hole again.

The only downside about Michigan moped laws is that there are no provisions on parking on sidewalks. I know in some colleges it is legal and in other states too. For example if you park in downtown Grand Rapids, your going to get a ticket if you park and lock up on a bike rack. Where in Holland, you can park on bike racks on Hope College's campus, same goes for either UofM or MSU(I forget which one). The upside is that cities like Grand Rapids have established two parking areas for "scooters" or rather mopeds, I know I say "moped" alot but scooters fall under the legal definition as moped in Michigan. Any who, parking in the two locations is free, no meters or anything. Those two parking spots are found here. You can also check for nearby colleges, like GRCC offers free parking at their campus for mopeds and motorcycles too. Smaller towns without a police force I wouldn't worry about unless its some sort of public school or a large mall that gets patrolled alot.

Most people who ride mopeds are usually responsible adults, there are those who are younger who ride dirty(without any license) which even if caught could get a slap on the wrist to getting their mopeds towed away and impounded. Just depends on the cop and circumstances but the offender would have to be quite young. If your 15 you can get a special moped license which I wish I would've gotten...

Another law short mentioning is Michigan's helmet laws dealing with helmets. Which basically states that if your 19 and younger you have to wear one. If your older its optional, I personally would suggest wearing at least a half shell lid on your noggin. Though there are those who choose not to, I totally respect that but I don't care to be vegetable after a accident.

Now that I probably bored y'all to death with legal mumbo jumbo, the common laws that are broken and people get away with: Registering, if you have a bill of sale without a sale price, then one has leeway on taxes, this can be foiled quite quickly by the SoS contacting the seller. The next common is kitting your moped out to over 50cc using a kit, there is no real way of enforcing it since nobody can really tell if your bike is kitted or not. Which brings me to thee most common law broken, its the 30mph law which is done by modifications usually derestricting the bike, its broken the most and isn't really enforced to my knowledge. Occasionally I'll hear of police testing bikes on a portable dyno but thats just insane to have it happen in west Michigan, I only heard of it happening in a big city like Boston or NY once.

Laws that you shouldn't skirt around are the riding double, easy to spot. Riding dirty can be done but if you get caught the end result depends on the situation and how nice the cop is(could get your bike impounded). Now even though I said you can get away with speeding, if you go 45+mph past a cop, most likely you'll get stopped, your better off speeding when no cop is around. Though one could always blame the wind at your back and the road has some slop on it.

So don't go breaking the law! There I said it, even though I don't frown upon mod'd bikes and speed everything else I do. Cops usually won't care unless your acting like a idiot or really standing out. I have deep respect for police officers, so far I have only came across all the nice ones and have always cooperated with them. Forgery and tax evasion shouldn't be done either, even though with mopeds, in my mind, seems like it would be easy to do, don't do it! Also I know its kind of hypocritical of me to say this but somethings may or may not be true but what I've stated is the best knowledge I have and if you've heard or know otherwise please speak up.

Mopeds are a learning experience, legal matters included, I sure hope this helps someone. For best legal advice contact the local cop shop, SoS, lawyer, court, or just lurk around and read on the moped/scooter forums. What is written here is mostly opinion and facts that may change or be incorrect so make sure you get proper legal advice and double check anything your not to sure on.

Big Ride Plans

This upcoming weekend I plan on doing a 150+ mile ride to a cottage and have myself some fun. Now here is where planning and logistics come into play. First I look at my moped on whether or not I can make the trip, then I look at the possible routes and choose a primary and secondary route and weather, this comes in handy if road traffic looks bad or if something unforeseen event is happening. I then look at the distance and how many stops I need to make for breaks or for gas. Lastly its looking at my pack that I carry and seeing what I need to bring and/or wear.

I plan on riding from Byron Center, MI to Crystal, MI which is approximately 75 miles away, my tank holds about .7 gallons and gets about 100mpg so I will need to either fill my tank or carry extra. After thinking it over, I'm going to do both for the OSS(Oh Shit! Scenario). This really is a problem since one I'm nearly there, its pretty much all field about 20 miles in every direction and I wish to have plenty of gas and two, again I don't want to get stuck in middle of fields. I'll probably be carrying a spare set of clothes with a spare pair of long pants and a long shirt so my load with tools will be high so I'll most likely take 2 breaks, one for gas and another for my back.

A good thing to do when figuring out a route is whether or not a map is needed, I try to keep my routes simple with as few turns as possible. Right now the plan is to travel down Byron Center Rd(84th St) and then hang a left on Alden Nash and take that. Alden Nash turns into Lincoln Lake and then turns into 19 mile/Sydney Rd which goes into Crystal, MI. The alternate route is get to Seranac and then follow the Grand River and then take the Lyons/Muir route to Crystal. My third alternate route is take 21 to Lyons/Muir and take the same route north as my 2nd route.

Overall the weather looks great and the only problem should just be the traffic...

Sorry no pics, I'll take some pictures if I remember my camera...

Awesome Ride!

Monday I thought I'd drop by Founder's Brewery and see if I could meet up with the Ghost Riders of Grand Rapids. It was a nice sunny yet warm day, it was probably 55-60dF with not a cloud in the sky. So awesome weather, afternoon rush hour just ended and I was off.

I decided to take the long way there, take 84th to Homerich to 76th to Kenowa to 56th to Canal to Chicago Drive and then I turned onto Broadway and took the back roads to Wilson. I finally went onto the best stretch of road in west MI, the Indian Mounds Dr! It was great! Drove down it like a bat out of hell, it was great fun! There was a slight 10mph wind out of the NE but it only killed about 3-4mph off my top speed. I breezed past people riding bike and turned a few heads. It wasn't long until I got halfway when a van was in front of me driving the posted speed limit of 25mph, I was going more like 35mph... The good thing is he pulled off the road about 200 yards after I started following. All the while riding I was impressed by the Grand River and how much it has risen and flooded the area, if I went off the road, I'd be wet. There were a few cool things I saw, herrons and other wildlife. People parked alongside the road was kinda strange, I'm used to seeing those people fishing or picnicking, though I guess they just were there to ride bike or something. So I zoomed on until I hit Market.

Now Market street is a 4 lane road, I'm going slower, it wasn't as bad as I thought. I'm use to driving on country paved roads that are 2 lanes and its surprising how comfortable it is, the only thing that I wasn't used to was starting and stopping with all the lights, I need a hi hi compression head from Treat's... So I continued down into the lower left armpit of Grand Rapids and got lost a little bit, soon finding Grandville where Founder's is located. I zoomed pass it a few times, getting used to the roads. Why a few times? Didn't see another moped there so I rode on venturing into downtown GR. Its fun driving downtown, except for those buses who make wide left turns. I swear they are out to hit you and anyone else in a car.

One good thing about driving in town, it forces you to shape up your hand signalling and sharpens your senses. Even though I wasn't overly cautious, you soon pick up what things to look for when doing certain things, one is watch for "Stop" signs because cars like to hide them and don't take your eyes off the road for too long. Even with heightened situational awareness, riding on a moped/scooter in a city isn't comparable to anything else, unless your on a motorcycle. Being able to have that much more vision without all the blind spots that a car creates with its roof and all the columns by the windows. Its just mind blowingly awesome! I then circled by Founder's again, still nobody there so I took a spin around the city again.

A good thing about mopeds is that they attract attention, in the best of ways! I had one girl say "hey, I like your bike" me being the shy guy I am said "thank you" and was on my way. Should of asked for a phone number or something. Either way plenty of good looking girls looked at me when I rode by, I never get that with my Taurus that has a hole in the exhaust when I gun it! Now even though picking up chicks isn't my prerogative with a moped, it still is quite fun to have that much head turning power.

Now on my exit out of the city was by Division, again I wasn't sure of 4 lane roads but this just seemed like a test ride to me and had to try new and different things. Now I started on Division by the four way stop at Fulton which was in downtown, lots of stop signs and buses. Started off well, nothing really bad, people were going a little faster then my ped but I was keeping up. I soon passed Wealthy, clearing away from the large buildings I was soon getting that NE wind at my back. Cruising at around 40mph was fun, even though most people were going 45-50mph on a 40mph limited road. It was fun, then a couple of police cars with their lights were in front of a store on the opposite side of the road, I went 30mph pass them...

I was soon cruising again hitting a couple of stop lights, not that many people were creating dangerous situations. Sure there was a handful of people getting ready to pull out of driveways but being vigilant nothing bad happened, everyone saw me and didn't cut out in front of me. One car did cut across the opposing lane from a driveway and I doubt it seen me until I was right behind him because I slowed down enough to keep myself out of his way. Which was a big doom on you feller!

I continued on my way home, seen a few scooters but no mopeds. Overall made it home, it was a fun ride, and a good day!

Murray Brake Cables

So I finally got my cable, basically I went to Treats and looked for a Puch one, since thats what people on MA told me will work. After getting it out of the package I took off the side panels and went at it, took me longer because snaking it thru correctly was important to me. After that I started to adjust it, everything was going really smooth then I hit the big snag, the cable was a little on the long side. I'd adjusted it all the way as tight as it would go and still couldn't engage the brakes.

Now at this point I'm like Luke Skywalker learning who his dad is in my head. So I ask for a second opinion, I'm thinking knarps, everyone on MA is thinking knarps, my dad isn't thinking knarps. So he says why not make a spacer? I'm like ok, since it'll take 3-9 business days(most likely 3) but the weekend is coming so with 3 business days it would've most likely been here Tuesday. He says he can have it done at the latest by Friday night. So we went out measured it, came up with a design, I had to work and so did he but he had a lathe at work and was able to fashion a spacer out of brass.

Heres a basic blueprint:

Heres some pictures of it finished:

So everything went really well with its installation, the spacer works better then a knarp in my opinion because you don't have to cut anything off or worry about slippage. With this spacer it lets you have a better adjustable range on the threaded part by the brake. If your able to get your mitts on a lathe and have the machine tool know how, I strongly suggest making this spacer. I bet you could make one out of wood to but brass or aluminum would probably better since it doesn't corrode like mild steel.

There are some thanks involved, thank you MA for your wise advise, Treats for your awesome service, and to my dad for your awesome lathe skills, seriously who else can mill a slot with nothing but a drill shank?

Still no moped, damn you cable!

Finally got the cable in the mail, attached it onto the frame, sheath was the right size, had everything placed where I wanted it. Started to adjust the cable and the cable was too long. So here I sit, sweating it out in front of the computer, sulking because I want to ride.

The good news is that its entirely fixable, there are two ways of fixing it in this situation. One way is to knarp it which consists of putting it onto the cable and replace the stud thats already on it. The second option is to make a spacer, which would go between the hand brake assembly and the sheath. I'm going with option 2 because I don't want to wait for a knarp to come in through the mail next week, when I could be riding this Saturday and Sunday.

I think if it is working this Saturday, I'll head out early in the morning and drive to downtown GR for a fun ride. I'll most likely take 84th west, head up Kenowa, hang a right on 56th and then turn left onto Canal. Take that and then turn on Chicago drive and then go on Wilson, turning onto the Indian Mounds Dr. I know I talked about it yesterday, well I drove my car out that way since I was out in that area and the road is clear of flood waters and big branches. From there I'll probably head on Market and turn on Wealthy and just go ape shit on GR for the fun of it.

Probably wondering why early? Well early mornings on Saturday the roads are fairly clear of heavy traffic that you expect during the regular weekday traffic. People that work in the city on the weekdays are at home twiddling their thumbs or playing a round of golf like the corporate tool they are. While the people you see are most likely people that keep the city going, going out for breakfast, going to see family, or going shopping. Which beats the myriad of other excuses that people use to drive around their mobile phone booth.

Hopefully Sunday I plan on finding another road that is like a rare gem. So far finding awesome gems involves one constant, roads that aren't used that often due to expressways. I love a majestic road all to myself with wonderful things to look at. I did find another stretch of road that I have rode in my car that would be great fun for riding on a moped/scooter. Its not as great as Indian Mounds but its a great ride none the less, its McClelland St that turns into Barry St, its located between Hudsonville and 8th St, just north of I196. There are some good roads north of there in a new subdivision where they are putting in a few lakes too. Its a short ride tho, about 3 1/2 miles and the views are of low lying farmland, its a nice ride with some sharp turns.

Maybe I should put together a rally and link all the awesome lengths of roads that I know together...

Awesome Weather, No Moped, and the Indian Mounds Dr.

So here is the skinny yo...

I currently am waiting upon a rear brake cable thats somewhere in our fine postal service. What that means is no riding in a nice sunny 80dF and its partly cloudy, awesome frickin weather! I just got my chain cleaned off and lubed with some Tri-Flo, went to the post office, no cable...

Its a big bummer when you loose a important component that your bike needs and then the nicest weather in months comes along and your sitting on your thumbs singing Elton John songs. I'm not coping well either, I'm like a crack addict that hasn't had crack in 2 days and one thats hands are shaking like a man with Parkinson's disease. Sure it sounds horrible but it seems like a cruel joke to me. Some would blame God the Almighty, nay say I! Satan is the only one who can be this fiendish, using the post office against me!

On another note, a 19yo man, I say man because young adult seems to demeaning to anyone who rides a moped/scooter, he died today when a drunk driver hit him and dragged his ride 3 miles down Wilson Ave in Walker/Grandville area at about 1am this morning on the way home from work. WZZM news says they are following it, I'd link the story but I'm lazy right now. The suspected drunk driver turned himself in so at least the driver has some balls, people need to learn that driving under the influence isn't worth it, stay where you and sober up! Same goes with you boys and girls, drinking and driving isn't worth it. Its sad that someone from the greater GR area has to die, especially at such a great age when you want to enjoy life.

This area is also where there is a fantastic road to drive on, those who go thru that area on the Kent Trails probably know what road I'm talking about. Its the Indian Mounds Dr SW, its a one way road that starts from Wilson and turns into Market St, its about 4 miles of riding bliss that has no equal in the GR area or for that reason in the whole western Michigan area. If you haven't been on it, make your way toward it on bike, moped, car, or unicycle. Its a beautiful drive that runs under a canipy of trees that snakes along the south bank of the Grand River, car traffic is rarer then finding rock music on MTV and the only people you share it with are those on the Kent Trails. I remember seeing a video of a Ghost Ride and knowing the exact road they where on because its that unique!

The only bad part is that its one way, it goes from east to west but I doubt anyone would care if you switched directions since its a 2 lane road most of the way but one side is for car traffic the other is for the Kent Trails. I'd also like to add, don't drive on the Kent Trails, I ride my bicycle on it and lets just say I'd be pissed off if you'd drive pass me but less pissed off on the Indian Mounds Dr. The road does have plenty of spots to take photos, go fishing, picnic, etc. So its overall a great place to ride, its one of those places that I get fuzzies inside from just thinking of it. You do have to go thru hell if your coming from the south part from downtown Grandville and then you have to know where to enter, its a unassuming drive on the right side and can be frightful just getting to it.

The above picture is from the drive during the spring floody season, since its along the river it can get flooded so meh...

Below are some random pictures that I found, they are good but don't do the road any justice in its awesomeness.

The above picture is a steel truss bridge for the Kent Trails, its really cool and there is a bench nearby for you sitting and watching pleasure.

Moped Maintenance Today...

After a long trip, I've mentioned that the rear break cable snapped because of fraying. Since then I've ordered a new one from treatland, brakes that I bought. Hopefully the brakes come tomorrow because they are easy to install, literally they take a minute to install and then probably 5 minutes adjust. This brings me to a point, check brake cables if you haven't in the past month or so.

Anyhoo, moped is down so its a good time to double check and fix things. One thing that I wondered about was my chain and how worn out it is, there are many methods of doing this. One is to check by stretching some links and see how much travel it has between the rollers and the chain. Mine didn't have much give between them but I'm no expert and I'm guessing it was the original chain. Another way to check wear is to see how bad its worn laterally, basically lifting it up on the side and see how much it sags. If it doesn't sag at all its good if withing a couple of feet it sags all the way down its pretty much worn. Now mine needs to be changed soon but since I didn't see any wear when I was changing tires so I think it'll be a later purchase.

One thing that I am doing is cleaning up the old chain so that I can get several more hundred miles out of it without to much more wear on it. Since grease and grit picked up during normal usage will constitute the vast majority of the wear. The best way I've heard is use gas, kerosene, or diesel, since those are quite expensive at the moment I was able to get some free jet fuel, basically when they check the fuel they have to check visually for water, so thats what I got.

Items that I used was a metal container and some safety wire. I took the safety wire and attached it to the chain where the master link would go, this is so that when I'm done I don't have to fish out the chain with my fingers since jet fuel is smelly. Once done placing it in the container, I poured in one quart of jet fuel into it and placed the lid on and shook it. Currently I'm letting it set over night and then I'll most likely take it out and clean it with a rag tomorrow. I'll probably save the jet fuel to...

Heres some pictures...

Oh yeah, heres a picture of a looped brake cable, if you have a moped and ever loose the karp, please fix your brake cables right. I understand that this is the cheap way but its half arsed and should be replaced!

(The cable is the think in middle of the picture thats going over the edge of my tool bag)


Remember clean parts work better then dirty ones and will wear less during operation!

Take a slow ride and take it easy...

What to bring when riding?

This thought crossed my mind recently, what to bring? What clothing to wear?

What to wear depends mostly on weather and what you are comfortable with. One big thing is how well does it breathe and what color is it? During warm days I'll usually wear a light, white cotton hoodie that breathes really well, it covers me completely. If its a cool day but its still sunny, I'll usually end up wearing a black hoodie, black will usually warm you up and the material is on the heavy side so it doesn't breathe as much, so it'll actually make me warmer. Pants, denim jeans all the way, no holes and no tears. If one were to fall off and keep moving those tears will most likely become larger and so will your wounds, same goes with holes. Also avoid loose fitting jeans with huge bottoms, things can and will find their way to the chain. Some people wear motorcycle jackets and pants, if you can afford it go for it! Denim jackets would probably be your best choice, if you can wear jeans and be comfortable with them on why not a jacket? I also wear boots with ankle support, anything else I'd avoid unless you want to hurt your ankles, though some people can get away with just shoes but why risk ankle injuries? Socks are also another important item, I like thick breathable ones that fit into every space of my boots. Gloves are also a good thing to wear, hands are some of the most sensitive things above the belly button, why not protect them from possible slides? Leather works great and you can pick them up anywhere. Shooting gloves that are leather or there are some synthetic ones cops use are puncture resistant, they usually are a few bucks more but well worth it. 

Helmets are a must in my book, though I can understand riding without one but I don't want to chance getting hurt, especially my head. If I was shopping for a helmet, I'd go for a open or full face helmet. Full faced helmets offer better protection but I want breathe without fogging up what I see through. Half helmets are better then anything. Choose your lid carefully, go to a local shop and shop around for one and if you do buy one online make sure you read reviews and measure your head accordingly. Expect a article about this subject in the future.

The next big thing I'd carry along is a backpack, especially if you have a 2 stroke or are going on a long ride. I find a backpack will carry your 2 stroke oil, I like to carry a quart because its cheaper then buying those little bottles for a higher price per a ounce. As for long rides, I usually throw my cell, wallet, and keys in so I have nothing in my pants. Having a comfortable ride in either car or moped/scooter involves pitching your wallet elsewhere, especially if its a thick wad of leather. 

Some other things to carry along are your lock up devices like chains or U-locks. Extra tools such as screwdrivers, adjustable wrenches, vice grips, and anything else that you can think of that you might need. I'd carry along a extra spark plug, extra tubes or patches for flats, extra chain lengths, and just about anything else you think you might need to fix. For example, I have gazelle tires, they have new tubes, and since they are the pain in the arse to take off, take extra flat screw drivers. If your spark plugs fowl up on a regular bases, get a ratchet and socket. If your light constantly needs adjusting, screwdriver and locktite. A bright orange vest would be a good idea to bring along in case visibility is real low or your along a busy road working on a bike.

First aide kits are optional, I'd throw in some band aids just in case, maybe some eye solution in case something gets in your eye. If your allergic to bees, then have a epi pen available, nothing sucks like death on moped/scooter by bee in middle of the boondocks.

Just think ahead, sometimes you won't need to bring everything depending on how long the ride is. Sometimes you'll be really close to home and you won't need it. Just remember to plan for the worst and have a counter measure for it. Gremlins, Murphy's Law, and Idiots are always out to get you, be prepared!

Why 50cc Mopeds/Scooters?

When I say I own a moped in front of friends or strangers they usually ask why not a motorcycle or make a quip about fat women. I usually don't get mad at people for this but if it ever turns into something insulting I'm going nuclear on them. For one, 50cc engines are cool in the fact you can get so much power out of something so little, especially since mopeds/scooters are like mini-AK-47's. They are so simple to operate, maintain, and modify. They don't have ignition systems, batteries, brake hydrolic systems, coolant, or any complexity or at least most of them don't have this stuff. Not to mention they are fun to work on, like a motorcycle but smaller.

They also are slower then most vehicles but they are easily tunable to go faster, this really depends on the engine. I personally wouldn't mind getting a 50cc motorcycle, something like a Derby or Aprilia RS50 but I currently have a moped that only has 2hp. While most scooters go only 30mph, its fast enough in a city or out in the country, when it comes to highways, not so much a good thing. If I ever wanted to go faster, new pipes and carb would probably jack up the speed by at least 5mph, with new lightweight tires I'd probably add 2-3mph, (because I put some heavy Gazelles on I lost this so I could easily get it back) and if I really wanted to I could port out my engine, adding probably another 5mph.

I also find that mopeds are easy to have, no special license, no insurance, $15 registration for 3 years, and gas economy is about over 100mpg. Though mine goes a little faster and sucks down the gas, so the economy is probably around 60mpg. Depending on your make of moped/scooter, replacement parts are fairly easy to find, I have a Murray which is almost a Puch but the frame and suspension is different. Either way, parts are easy to come by with a little homework since my moped is a little different.

Even so, if someone rides a bicycle they already know the benefits of 2 wheeled mobility, add a small engine and it already pays for itself on steep hills. Even so, having something lighter then a motorcycle makes it easier for handling and storage. You can pull your bike indoors if need be, load it up for travel, and park it near bike racks. If all else fails light poles or other affixed signs make excellent things to lock up to.

I recently rode out to Holland, MI for the Tulip Time Festival and even though the streets were packed with traffic, it didn't seem so bad, it was actually fun in heavy traffic, its slow moving and it seemed quite safe. Parking wasn't a problem, most places don't mind if you parked in their lots as long as you didn't take up a parking spot or blocked traffic. So nobody will tow you or bother you because they just see you as another bike. So during events that are busy a moped pays off by less stress, better parking, and more fun!

Overall if the ease of having one, the cheapness, or the numerous benefits of having one doesn't seem right, try riding one. The fun factor is what makes it great! Driving out to Holland takes about 30 minutes during a normal day, with event traffic bump it up to 50 minutes. With me on my moped I can get there and park withing that 50 minutes because its more maneuverable and easier to park. They also do stand out a lot, I had 4 positive comments during that trip, 0 negative. One was from a motorcycle rider, two from two girls in a car, and another one from a guy when I stopped for a pop in North Dorr. How often do you get compliments about your ride? I think 4 in one day while having fun riding is more then I ever got about my Taurus, probably more then someone would get with a new Mustang in a month.

Sure motorcycles go fast but they all look the same to me, Harley's all look just about the same to me and sound the same. Crotch rockets all look and sound the same again. Sure there are a few different things here and there but mopeds and scooters just have a awesome feeling about them. They turn heads and people make comments about them, even if I don't have my moped around. But the number one thing people talk about is speed, they are slower then just about anything on the road excluding regular bikes but they are just like a bike you don't have to peddle. They get you from point A to point B, they don't require peddling like a bike and its just like riding one without all the hoops you have to jump through to get a motorcycle.