From what I understand the pedals on most mopeds are mostly for show. You use them to start the motor and that's about it. In the event of motor failure, it's generally quicker and easier to get off and push then it is to try pedaling.
That being said, here in Arizona if you put a motor of any kind on a bicycle it's considered a moped. I own a Sinclair C-5, this is a factory built electric, three wheeled, moped. Top speed pedaling alone is perhaps 8 mph (better than most gas mopeds). I had an EV Warrior that I gave to my daughter, while most people consider this an electric bicycle, it does everything a normal moped does. Lights, turnsignals, horn, spedometer, fuel guage, top speed of 20 mph and much better when running on just pedal power than ANY gas powered moped I've seen (it has a 5-speed rear derailer). There are several companies currently making two wheeled electric mopeds. The point is that it's possible to convert just about any vehicle to electric, some are just better candidates than others. From the gas powered mopeds I've seen, converting them would generally be more effort than it was worth. It's doable but better results could be achieved by starting with a bicycle or from scratch. Here is a webpage for a couple electric mopeds I built some years ago: http://www.angelfire.com/oh/PetesCafe/ebike.html Actually the two wheeler setup (phase II) was just a test bed and couldn't be pedaled, so it's not really a moped. The three wheeler (phase III) worked, but I want to redesign it and I've been too busy with other projects to work on it recently. Keith Richtman wrote: > Anyone on the list ever converted a moped? I am talking the real > mopeds that are pedalable in an emergency. Most of them have a rear > rack for some batteries and a engine nicely situated for replacement > with electric. > > Keith > > >
