European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 26, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Moped mania Story and photo by Jim Coles Init by Ever higher gasoline insurance and maintenance costs More and More americans Are turning to a popular euro Pean form of transportation the moped these Little machines a Cross Between a bicycle and a motorcycle arc taking the country by slow underpowered storm yet they have gained so much popularity in the past few years that they Are a sure bet to be part of the american scene for some years to come. According to Industry figures about 150 -000 mopeds were sold to americans in 1977 the american moped Industry expect double that number to be sold in 1978 that s More than were sold in America Winall the years since 1962 combined. There Are two american moped manufacturers am and Columbia. Both Are recent entries in the  to operate mopeds Are so simple to operate and so economical that they make great sense As an around town commuter vehicle or eve for Short out of town trips according to Many americans who own  mopeds available in the states or in Europe have 50 cubic centimetre cd two stroke engines. That s about three cubic inches in american terms. Most rein the ll4-to-3 horsepower Range though most develop about two horsepower an will attain a maximum Speed of 25 Mph. According to a Fortune insurance of Germany representative motorized bicycles or mopeds must be insured. Insurance costs about $35 a year. A Usa eur vehicle registration offi Cial said registration and licensing requirements vary according to the class of vehicle. For example a two wheeled motorized vehicle with engine capacity exceeding 50cc requires a class 1 License which requires the Driver to pass written and performance tests. Insurance on this class of two wheeled vehicle costs half Smuch As the Auto liability Premium. No Green plate mopeds fall into licensing classes 4 and 5. These classes May be added to an exist ing Usa eur License but do not require a test. You also May drive a class 4 vehicle without a License at All. No Usa eur Green License plate is issued for these vehicles. According to the official 25 Mph and 49.9cc engine capacity Are the maximum limits allowed for a vehicle in these categories. Class 4 vehicles May not exceed 15 air Canada shuts Down because of walkouts the stars and stripes Page 9saturday, August 26, 1978 economical easy to operate and maintain motorized bikes score on popularity charts no moping about costs Marilyn Mckimmy casts aside her mandatory helmet momentarily at Darmstadt Germany As she shows off Mph. Class 5 vehicles May not exceed 25  Little White tag or License plate seen on mopeds is actually an insurance plate issued by the insurance company. Mopeds fall into two general categories friction driven and Chain driven. The least common and least popular Type Fric Tion or wheel driven mopeds has its Small motor mounted on either front or rear wheel. Drive is by a simple friction roller Montreal a air Canada has announced it is immediately shutting Down operations for an indefinite period be cause of walkouts by grounds Crews. Members of the International Assoc a italians negotiating for ship hotel off no. Genoa Italy a italian state owned shipyards Are negotiating with american businessmen for the construction of a giant ship hotel to be anchored at Atlantic City.  reliable sources have reported. They said the negotiations Over the con tract with shipyards of the Kepi group based in la spezia and pict a Ligure Are in an advanced stage. A it a financial details were not disclosed nor was the identity of the u a. Businessmen. Sources said the ship a Taj rooms and Large Halls for Slot machines and gaming tables lion of machinists and aerospace worker walked off their jobs a Tai Idair a number of Canadian airports after a a Artyv ejected a tentative contract agree ment reached Between their Union and air reached aug. 15. A ejected by thel.500 ramp workers and maintenance employees. The proposed pact would have iasted25months an Given the men a 18 percent be increase but most workers favored a year contract with Claude Taylor the Rau touts made it impossible to Simc kr7ua.ian users withdrawn a from service ii the Oast few  be �8, win out the agreement of thing used by Iran and some latin american cd readers help. Countries As floating hotels. The moped she rides to work almost Dally. It s the cheapest Way i know to get around town she says. Turning on the tire. Rear wheel friction drive models Are very scarce and Are the least efficient moped the More common moped sports a step through Frame with motor mounted be tween the pedals. Riding a moped is one of the Little thrill sin life. The machines Are so simple to ride it s hard not to feel overconfident. To Start merely turn the bicycle Type pedals a few turns and off you go albeit  mopeds have either a sup Lype centrifugal clutch or a two Speed automatic transmission. In either Case no shifting is involved. To get going simply give Erthe Gas. And As revs build the clutch in  is by front and rear drum brakes on most Good models. A few really cheap models have bicycle Type Caliper brakes which lose almost All stopping Power when wet. Handling varies according to Model Butone thing can be said of All mopeds they Are primarily straight line machines. Most tend to lose traction very easily especially on wet streets or in Sand and  Little bikes Are reasonably nimble on dry ground and arc adequate for zipping around town. But they just Don t have enough Power to be Ridden safely on  gear is now the Law in Germany Many people in Europe receive serious or fatal injuries in moped accidents every year though German police officials scythe number of fatal moped accidents is Only a fraction of the number of motorcycle fatalities. Only in Belgium. Italy  and Switzerland can you ride with out a  Economy is one of the main reasons people buy and ride mopeds. Most manufacturers claim the bikes deliver about 150 Miles per gallon of fuel. Most riders say it s really closer to 100 mpg. The bikes have docile two stroke engines which Means lubricating Oil must be mixed with the Gas. In Europe most Gas stations sell a ready mixed Gas Oil fuel. In Central Germany that mixture costs roughly 90 cents a gallon. Most moped Gas tanks hold l i Gallons. That Means most people can ride to and from work All week carry groceries if you have Saddle bags and run other errands for about $1.50. Ride turns out to be a real sore Point inmost mopeds. Though most scats Are wide and Well padded the suspension is  appears to be Hydraulic Shock absorbers Are in reality simple Coil Springs inn tube. A decent size Hole will give a Good Jar to the rider. Poor suspension combined with relatively poor traction make Riding a moped a bit . In response to customer demand conducted a sales test on mop sat Baum older. Hemslein. Kaiser Lautem and Frankfurt Germany. The lest ended july 31. An cafes official said the data from the lost arc being evaluated  purchased two models of mopeds. One costing roughly $500 and the other about $400. Both Are German made bikes and Are importable to the . According to an cafes official the higher priced moped has sold reasonably Well while the less expensive Model has not sold Well in cafes  on the machines is a snap. The tiny uncomplicated engines require Only minimal care usually cleaning and a capping the single spark plug about every 500 Miles a five minute Job and de coking the head removing Carbon about every 2.000 Miles. The Chain is essentially a heavy bicycle Chain and can be adjusted or changed easily and quickly. Single Magnet electrical Power is provided by a single Magneto. Output will vary according to rpm. Which is a drawback especially for night Riding As headlight and taillight ditto nothing while idling. Most bikes do not have turn signals. Even with these limitations the Magneto setup is a Good Choice because it requires Little or no maintenance and replacement is inexpensive. In Germany a stripped average priced moped can be bought new for about $350. A few accessories can turn this Little machine into a very useful vehicle at very Little Cost. Some of those accessories Are Windshield and fairing. Price $15 to $40 Saddle bags. Price $8 to $30 for set of two. Turn signal kit. About $50 Good in vestment if you plan to take it Back to the states where there Are no special moped lanes. Thirty five states now allow mopeds trailer and hitch. Price $100 to $150.most mopeds will haul about 150 extra pounds with 175-Pound rider at 10  any town of 150 or More persons will have a moped shop. Availability of machines and spare parts is excellent throughout most of  single most expensive component the engine can be replaced for less than$150. The june 1978 edition of consumer reports carried a test of six of the mos popular brands of imported mopeds. Here Are their rat Ings Mot Becane Italy excellent . Price $529puch Maxi Germany very Good. Us Price $4c9vespa Bravo deluxe Italy very Good us. Price $515batavus Germany very Good us Price $485garclli Gran sport Italy very Good . Price $489honda Hobbit Japan not acceptable defective brakes. . Price$430 Camatti Cit Bike Italy not acceptable defective brakes. . Price$479 relatively Safe in Short mopeds can be an inexpensive relatively Safe enjoyable alternative to Acar or can provide adequate transportation if you can t afford a second car. They Are easy to maintain cause almost no hassle in registration and licensing will run practically on fumes and can be sold almost at any time you re through with  limitations Are primarily weather related. Riding in heavy rain is not recommended and Winter Riding is Only for the very Brave nor should the bikes be used As off Road vehicles they Aren t made for it