If you’ve been looking into buying a moped scooter, the first thing to realize is that the two terms do have distinct uses and don’t necessarily relate to the same kind of product. However, because of the fact that most people don’t know what the difference is between a moped, scooter or even an e bike, many companies advertise all three kinds of vehicles together and will in fact sell all three. However, all three of them are in fact very different products. Here’s what you need to know:
The Basics
Again, whether your interest is in a moped, scooter or e bike, the three will likely be advertised together even though they are in fact vastly different kinds of products.
E Bike
Let’s start with the most basic version, which is an e bike. An e bike (or electric bicycle) is basically a bicycle with an electric (or gas, though in that case it’s usually called a gas bike) motor attached to it. However, in order to remain street legal, the motor is very small and does not kick in until you begin to pedal the thing. This allows you to own one without the need to worry about getting a license or insurance.
Moped
A moped by comparison, which is often marketed as a moped scooter is actually a hybrid of a bicycle and a scooter. In essence, a moped is able to run entirely under its own power or it can run under the power of the pedals which it includes. These kinds of vehicles are often more difficult to get a license for because they tend to have underpowered engines.
Scooters
Finally, a scooter, which is also often marketed a moped scooter (yes, it’s confusing) is a two wheeled device which runs entirely under its own power. The big difference between this vehicle and a motorcycle is usually the size of the engine and whether or not they are legal to take on highways.
What You Need to Know When Buying a Moped Scooter
Because so many tend to think of a power scooter as being a “moped scooter,” we’ll refer to them as such even though the two terms are technically different things.
The CC Rating
Basically, when considering a purchase of a moped scooter, you need to think about the CC rating of the thing (the CC rating is the amount of power the moped scooter has). In essence, it should ideally have at least a 125CC engine in order to make sure it’s really safe to ride (motorcycles by comparison typically have at least 1,000CC engines and can easily have 1,500 or 2,000CC engines).
Licensing
The other big consideration when you want to buy a moped scooter is the licensing requirements for it. You need to ensure that the vehicle you want to purchase is considered road legal in your state and or city and then you need to find out from the department of motor vehicles exactly what kind of a license you’ll need to operate your new moped scooter.
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