SC Moped Riders Beware

[skuttadawg]

Read this ASAP ! www2.wspa.com/news/2012/apr/26/moving-violations-rise-mopeds-creates-confusion-ov-ar-3681530/

[\\-olf]

Let me guess why...

1) people riding 50-55 mph on souped up "tuned" 49cc scooters modified with the 100cc bbk now,and the police have ticketed a bunch of scooters for exceeding the 30 mph limit and/or the 49cc max size engine and discovered lots of people were skirting the 49cc/30 MPH law so they are reviewing the whole thing with an eye now of requiring ALL scooters with a motor to license as a MC and purchase MC insurance, let me go and read and see how close I am.

Part of the article includes these;

"MOPED LICENSING REQUIREMENTS

SECTION 56-1-1710. Meaning of "moped".

For purposes of this article, "moped" means a cycle with pedals to permit propulsion by human power or without pedals and with a motor of not more than fifty cubic centimeters which produces not to exceed two brake horsepower and which is not capable of propelling the vehicle at a speed in excess of thirty miles an hour on level ground.

And here's the part that will kill those BBK's in a hurry when those installing them thinking they are getting away with it are fined $200 and spend up to 30 days in jail;


SECTION 56-5-3740. Modification of equipment to increase horsepower or speed.

It is unlawful for a person to modify or change the equipment of a moped so that the vehicle exceeds two brake horsepower and produces speeds in excess of thirty miles an hour on level ground. A person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than two hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days.

The video in the article interviewed a guy who said he can go 80, but usually drives 50- which still exceeeds the 30 mph max...
Another part of the clip shows a man and woman riding one scooter together, again violating the part of the law about not taking any passengers.

You can bet they will make changes, and not one of them will benefit real scooter drivers- I don't consider a guy riding a scoot as a last resort for 6 or 12 months because he had a DUI to be a real scooter driver- soon as he gets his license to drive a car back he'll ditch the scooter but not before violating the laws multiple times and leaving the "cleanup" in the form of new laws and restrictions for the rest of us to deal with.

[89CamminGT]

So....as long its VIN is 50cc , a rider should be good right?? LOL

[skuttadawg]

Have a motorcycle license , tag , property taxes and insurance and suggested a full face helmet

[inuyasha]

Hi
The thing is a moped and a scoot are 2 very different vehicles
Even a stock 50 cc scoot exceeds the hp and speed restrictions in that state, most mopeds fall in the specifications concerning speed and hp
The problem imho is people are mistaking the moped laws for scooter laws, which require a motorcycle endorsement reg and insurance even for a small scoot
I think that state needs to better define what exactly is legal or not concerning scoots and mopeds
Take care and ride safely
Yours Hank

[Deleted]

Between the idiots like Mr. '80 mph' and the cops that dont know shit....being a motorbike rider in SC would really suck.

[skuttadawg]

I have cops go around me no hassle . One night I was screaming down a steep hill , two cops pulled up beside me and laughed since a big guy on a little scooter going that fast and drove on . Register is only 10 , a tag 15 , taxes 28 and insurance as low as 35 a year so its no biggy and great be not be under a 30 mph limit

[\\-olf]

Apr 26, 2012 19:34:52 GMT -5 89CamminGT said:

So....as long its VIN is 50cc , a rider should be good right?? LOL

I doubt the cops are dumb enough to fall for it, the vin plates are usually just riveted onto the plastic somewhere, at least on the TT50 they are, and I'm sure someone has taken a 50cc vin plate off and re-riveted it onto a 150cc scoot and got caught.
Any cop with a radar gun or a traffic cam can easily capture your speed as 40 or 50 or whatever it may be, and you get cited. Going over the SPEED is what's going to get people caught and cited, doesn't matter what cc size they have or what kit they installed, if the limit is 30 for what is vin'd as a 49 cc scooter and you go faster, you get cited.

[90GTVert]

I just wish "Tommy" would join up here and tell us how that GY6 50 can do 80MPH. He'd prob just point to 80 KPH on the gauge though.... "See?" lol

[Fox]

That former cop on the state legislature isn't concerned with anyone's safety. It's money. Trust me, if there was no money to be made then it wouldn't be a consideration. Their state is broke and they don't like seeing people get on with their lives un-taxed.

[skuttadawg]

I can say many riders have a license and simply want to save on gas and have some fun doing so .

I meta guy on the street who told me he had just went through a checkpoint . The cop asked if he had a license and he said no and was told to move along . He was so drunk he could not walk without staggering . I thought that was wack since you can get arrested for being drunk on a bicycle or walking .

If you decide to register your scooter , do not call it a scooter or moped but instead say motorcycle as the DMV is not up to par as well

[jmkjr72]

well im sure its like most vin tags i have looked at
anything less then 150cc is taged as a motor driven cycle
and 150 and over are motorcycles

this is proably why they say that the dealer has to install a tag that says moped

[inuyasha]

Hi
Here in ct its simple
5 hp or 3.7 kW or less and and its a "motor driven cycle", no reg, no ins, no speed limits and no interstate or highway use and needs only a standard license
Any thing over 5 HP or 3.7 kW is a motorcycle
www.ct.gov/dmv/cwp/view.asp?a=810&q=430480
Take care and ride safely
Yours Hank

[89CamminGT]

Pretty sure VIN is ENGRAVED in the frame. And I was talking about a swap onto a 50cc frame anyways LMAO

[jmkjr72]

Apr 26, 2012 22:00:58 GMT -5 89CamminGT said:

Pretty sure VIN is ENGRAVED in the frame. And I was talking about a swap onto a 50cc frame anyways LMAO

no becuase the vin may not give the actaul displacement
like i said by fedral standerd there are only 2 wordings on the vin tag on the frame
motor cycle and motordrive cycle and the decideing factor is 150cc

if you read there state law the dealer is has to vertify that it meets the moped standerds and add an extra tag that says moped that is if it doesnt have pedals

heck even my true mopeds that date back to the 60s and 70s are still listed as motor driven cycles

the kicks is the document that tells all this information most people end up looseing when they are in non title or reg states and that is the mco
but yet some importers and even the big boys have gone as far as not putting hp on the mco or understating it so they meet the ped requrements