Editing Moped (section)

==History==

The term "moped" now only applies to low-power (often super-economy) vehicles, but pedals were fitted to some early motorcycles, such as the pictured 1912 Douglas. Pedaling away from stationary was a great improvement over "run and jump" and light pedal assistance (LPA) was valuable for climbing hills. Better transmissions with wider ranges, better [[clutch]]es and much better engine performance made pedals obsolete on most motorcycles by 1918 but the pedals on mopeds remained valuable for their original purposes as late as the 1990s.

The earliest mopeds were bicycles with a helper motor in various locations, for example on top of the front wheel; they were also called cyclemotors. An example of that type is the [[VéloSoleX]] brand, which simply has a roller driving the front tire.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AxHJCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA67 |page=67 |title=Cycling and Recycling: Histories of Sustainable Practices |author=Ruth Oldenziel|author-link=Ruth Oldenziel|author2= Helmuth Trischler |publisher=Berghahn Books |year=2015|isbn=9781782389712 }}</ref>

A more innovative design was known in the UK as the [[Cyclemaster]]. This had a complete powered rear wheel which was simply substituted for the bicycle rear wheel, which originated from a design by two [[DKW]] engineers in Germany. Slightly larger machines, commonly with a {{convert|98|cc|1|abbr=on}} engine were known as autocycles. On the other hand, some mopeds, such as the Czech-made [[Jawa Motors|Jawa]], were derived from motorcycles.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O_Z6CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA2 |page=2 |title=TWO AND THREE WHEELER TECHNOLOGY |author=DHRUV U. PANCHAL |publisher=PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd |year=2015|isbn=9788120351431 }}</ref>

A further category of low-powered two-wheelers exists today in some jurisdictions for bicycles with helper motors &ndash; these are often defined as power-assisted bicycles or [[motorized bicycles]]. Other jurisdictions may categorize the same machines as mopeds, creating a certain amount of confusion. In many countries [[three-wheeler]]s and [[microcar]]s are classified as mopeds or variations thereof. This practice is not restricted to the third world; France and Belgium classify microcars such as the [[Aixam]] similarly or as "[[Light Quadricycle#Light quadricycles (L6e)|light quadricycles]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aixam.com/legislation.php|title=Legislation|website=www.aixam.com|access-date=2009-03-31}}</ref>  The [[Ariel 3 (moped)|Ariel 3]], a motorised three-wheeler is classed as a moped.

As of 1977, the [[Vienna Convention on Road Traffic]] considers the moped  any two-wheeled or three-wheeled vehicle which is fitted with an internal combustion engine having a cylinder capacity not exceeding 50 cc.<ref>[[Vienna Convention on Road Traffic]]</ref>
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
File:Woman on Velosolex.jpg|A woman riding a 2005 [[VéloSoleX]] Black'n Roll S4800 in France
File:Flat twin Douglas 1912 N 3.jpg|This 1912 Douglas has modern chain-drive but still has pedals
File:1947 Moped, Bangor, ME IMG 2522.JPG|1947 Italian-made moped on display at the [[Cole Land Transportation Museum]]<ref>[https://www.colemuseum.org/ Cole Land Transportation Museum]</ref> in [[Bangor, Maine|Bangor]], [[Maine]]
</gallery>