Hello from Vermont.

[TheMightyGoat]

I'm a 23 year-old guy living in semi-rural Vermont. I've often thought my Jeep was a waste of gas simply to commute to and from work on the other side of town, maybe two miles away, getting 15-17 MPG at best. But I'm not quite enthused enough to walk or pedal myself every morning, nor would I invest a large sum of money in a factory moped or any such thing, so I sort of passively abandoned that energy-conscious ideal some time ago.

It wasn't until I saw an episode of American Pickers on the History Channel, where the guys found an old bicycle someone had modified with an engine, that I thought "That would be just fine for me, why doesn't someone make this today?"

A brief Google search revealed that indeed people do. The low start-up cost is even more appealing. I've spent all of yesterday and today researching the idea and I'm sold on the concept, but not quite sure of the legality. It's a shame these things are seen as garage cobbled liabilities rather than energy-saving personal transportation.

 

[Dave C]

Hi and welcome. I understand your concerns but I've heard nothing on Vermont. They might be like most states, under 50cc and 30 top speed and stay off side walks, bike paths are for the most part ok, too. We have a "Green Belt" you do not go down motor running. There are Boise City Police on bikes to make sure of that.

Lights and a helmet go a long way to keeping the cops off your tail. There are very few states that have come down on the MB. Just don't do anything to draw their attention

 

[Happy Valley]

Hello and welcome to MBc.

My son lives in Bratt, a serious roadie and I'm just downriver a bit. While VT has
a lot freedoms going for it, like gun laws etc, unfortunately it's MB regs are a bit stifled. A couple friends of ours have gotten hassled by VSP running non-compliant MBs with ICEs. They want you to make it a moped with CoO, tags and ins. Stealth is key, rural is good, and I know one guy who switched over to electric and has not had a problem. And oh, stay off any bike paths with power assist, that will bring headaches. Good luck with it.