Moped beginner for Twin Falls Idaho

[greedyrogue]

I am just getting into mopeds. I have been researching mopeds for over a month now and took the plunge and bought a motor yesterday. I have been involved with trying to clarify the moped law in Idaho and hope to get more information so I can promote moped use in Idaho.

 

[professor]

Some of the guys here, stress the difference between motored bikes (what this site is composed of) and mopeds.
In my state my bike can only be used (and registered) as a moped- so my motoredbike legally is a moped.
But WElcome to Motoredbikes!

 

[greedyrogue]

Same here

In Idaho there is no legal definition for a motorized bike, so in Idaho we have mopeds. I'm sure there is a difference, but I'll have to read a lot of the forums to recognize the difference.

 

[professor]

Compared to the moped sites I have seen (2), the two motor bike sites are overwhemingly more popular. In a lot of states, no plate or reg. is needed for an assisted bicycle (the technical term for motor bicycle).

 

[greedyrogue]

interesting

Here in Idaho there is no such thing as a pedalcycle or a motorized bicycle. The only definitions we have is a moped. I never considered that people would care what they are called.

For the most part we are all talking about a motor attached to a bike in the simplest terms. Regardless of what you call it, you have to go by the states definition that you live in. I think motored bike does sound better than moped, But I have to work within Idaho's law.

Like the saying goes, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, same goes for our bikes.

 

[DuctTapedGoat]

Motorized bicycle is used as a term once in the code, but that is in relation to taxation, which only applies to the lone article.

Moped is derived from MOtor and PEDal. It's the same thing, the difference being that in the 60s and 70s they were really up and coming, and those bikes were 140 something CC. Idaho never officially recognized Motor-Assisted Bicycles (which is the new term in many states), so there is a lot of crossover in the laws, as they once applied to an essentially different vehicle.

But, we take what we can, and we adapt to the laws beset before us with the materials we have access to.

Idaho's current laws are actually really awesome in how they apply to motor assisted bicycles - most states that do recognize them and pass legislation over them end up making you register, insure, M endorsement, the whole nine yards.

It's not so much that there needs to be renditions to the code in place currently, it's that the right amount of research needs to go into it so that we know we are in compliance with what exists. The more I look into it, the more I find bicycle laws and moped laws MORE than forgiving to anyone riding in Idaho.

 

[professor]

You guys in Idaho have it made.

I only pointed out the difference in terminoligy because HERE - this site is dedicated only to bicycles with a motor attached and NOT to the traditional factory made Mopeds from the 1960s and onward.
It was suggested a while back, to include traditional mopeds into the site, but that was turned down.

 

[greedyrogue]

I agree professor, we do have it made here in Idaho!

I also agree with you on the terminology differences. A 1960's moped is nothing like what people build on this site, or even the other "moped" sites. I don't think a traditional moped should be allowed either.

It all comes down to the legal definitions we have to work with. I think calling them a motorized bicycle/bike or a motor assisted bicycles just sounds a lot better than calling it a moped. I just use the term moped because it is what we have to work with here in Idaho.