Moped Restrictions (31mph) Is it really necessary?

[Lipsmoker]

Okay so i know i post alot of turd.

But this has always had my scratching my head and i think it deserves it's own thread.

Basically I passed my CBT April 2010 and had a Yamaha Neos 50cc scooter not the prettiest of scooters but it did it's job

Now i was NOT restricted but i have my reasons

It's top speed was a clock speed of 45mph which really is maybe a tinkle over 40mph [9mph over what my licence permitted me]

I used to use it for college, from Chorley to Preston

Down the A6 ... A long.. Dual carriageway.. Miserable.. Scary place for a scooter rider.. Now i hacked that twice a day at 40mph every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

I got Beeped at almost smashed into.. Cut up.. Pulled over for going to slow yet still i'm actually breaking the law for going to fast. i couldn't imagine what 31mph would have been like

I had a Police officer follow me.. on a bike. i had to do 35mph all the way he followed for 5 minutes then rode past and tilted his head at me.

Is 31mph illegal on a NSL road?

Why the restrictions? Most Teenagers blast around Happily on 70cc DT/RS's Anyway.
I tend to find if you make something illegal more people do it.
I never broke the speed limit on my scooter.. or my current bike.. Fast riding.. Is done In NSL Which is within legal speeds.

It was a godsend when i got my 125. to be able to do a legit 60mph although it screams a little.. but that's my main reason to get a bandit 600


Am i wrong? If i was restricted to 31mph would i not be allowed on the Dual Carriageway.. I Pay road tax for a reason
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[AndyRoberts]

I can totally sympathise with this, from having a 50cc scooter before I got my 125.
And to be honest I don't think I've ever seen a scooter than could only do 31mph.
I never dared go on a dual carriage way because of the speed of mine so kudos to you on that. It does seem a bit rediculous though.

I can think of one advantage, very unlikely to be speeding in a 30 zone?

[N cee thirty]

lulz

16 year olds will just start doing there tractor test instead and get a tractor that can do 35 or summat

stupid rulez
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[Shaft]

I've been posting on the 'new licencing laws' thread about how I think it should be harder to get into high powered biking, but now I'm going to contradict myself.

I think bikes restricted to 30mph are bloody dangerous; I thought it when I was 16 and I still think it now, when I ride the work's 50cc scooter.

You need some extra squirt to get you out of trouble sometimes (and yes, it can get you into trouble too, but that's what learning to ride is all about) and a restricted 50 doesn't give you that option.

I would raise the bar to 80cc/50mph, which gives you the chance to use the speed when you need it, but places the onus on you to stick to the limit.
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[Flemy]

16 year olds are on the whole a stupid bunch, suddenly give them a 50mph ped they'll do 50mph everywhere until they come off/getpulled/break it. Very dangerous stuff.

I think that it's wise to restrict a 16 year old just until they get the hang of things and can move up to a 125.

(Hands up I was one of those idiots and had so many near misses and one big crash that could of been the end of me but luckily I'm still here and have learnt the importance of being sensible... Until I get a 600)
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[Shaft]

[Flemy]

[Shaft]

[rockers]

Having never had a 50, i dont know how much slower they are than a 125, they shouldnt be soo strict on the speed but are moped easy enough to control doing 50 ? designed for going 30 going fast its not desgined todo so ? or am i wrong ?

What i struggle to get my head around is with the new license laws you will struggle to break a speed limit till you reach 19+ yet if your 17 you can do a car test and hop stright into over a ton of metal and do over a ton - wheres the logic in that ? less than 40bhp car for under 20's sounds fare.

Lipsmoker - do you still ride a 50 ? is there no other route you can use instead of a dual ?

[Shaft]

[Jayy]

Oh how I remember those long roads on a 50cc scooter that seemed to go on and on and on

I think they should just do one test at 18, you can get whatever you want, just like a car. You want an R1 at 18? You pay £10,000 in insurance = just rich kids dying, the same as in cars with the rich kids getting ferrari's for their 18th and crashing them.

Point is, most people wouldn't afford the insurance so they could get something a bit more powerful than a 125 but nothing too fast like a sports 600 for a few more years.

Cast your mind back to when you got your first car and how much the insurance was? So you buy a 1.2 litre, drive around for a year and then get something a bit bigger like a 1.8 but costs you a hell of a lot more and the progression goes on until you're of an age were you can afford the insurance for a fairly powerful car.

Why not do the same, what's the fucking difference?

[Rogerborg]

Oh, it gets better (or worse). The new AM ped license limit is 45kph = 28mph.

I consider that limit to be hazardous and inappropriate for modern roads. It essentially sets 16 year olds up to feel and show contempt for road traffic laws. It's obviously too slow, and I don't mean "my ped pops wheelies at 80mph innit", I mean that it's exactly the wrong speed for a 30 limit - you'll constantly have frustrated traffic up your arse, and be subject to dangerous rage-overtakes.

3/4 of PTW accidents are multi-vehicle, most of those are down to the bike not being perceived, and very few of them are speed related. Putting 16 year olds under pressure to ride in the gutter like a pushbike is exactly the opposite of keeping them safe.

My opinion is that the law is an ass on this matter and should be ignored with a clear conscience. Although that then leads to the thought that if 1mph or 20cc over the allowed limit is morally fine but technically illegal, then why not be hung for a flock and just ride a Gixxer with invalid insurance? It's exactly as illegal as riding a de-restricted ped, it's really just a question of how likely you are to be caught.

Anyway, on topic, no, there's no minimum speed limit on any road unless signs (white letters in a blue circle) indicate otherwise. Some roads have de facto motorway restrictions, i.e. no animals, agricultural vehicles, cycles or motorcycles under 50cc but again, it has to be clearly signed.

However, if you're holding up traffic, Plod may decide to have you for driving without "reasonable consideration". Almost certainly not, it'd be entirely up to him to prove a poorly defined charge in court, but if any government ever does press ahead with the threat to let Plod hand out FPNs for such "offences" then woe betide you.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
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[Nick__C]

The law, without a doubt is an enormous ass. Rode my brother's ped the other day just to pop to halfrauds for some chain lube + cleaner and while the small size was a novelty the speed is an absolute killer.. We haven't fiddled withit but the ped shows 40ish on the clocks and you don't half feel vulnerable

On a bigger bike if some twat is up your arse a quick flick off the wrist can get you away from him but on a ped you have no chance! And I rode the ped for 2 years before selling it to my brother! Luckily the only roads I needed to use it on were 30's and 40's but I really don't know how I managed that long!

In short, the law needs relaxing..
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[doggone]

It makes me cringe when I see a moped restricted to 30 running almost in the gutter with cars and lorries impatiently trying to get past - looks so dangerous.
If they could do up to 40 it would be much safer on urban roads which I suppose is the main use for them.

[G]

Sadly I don't trust (the parenting of most) British 14 year olds much, but it'd be nice to see them getting peds that can do 30, then maybe allowing it to be de-restricted or a restricted 125 at 16.

[Ayrton]

Moped riders are idiots. Increase the limit and they will travel everywhere at that speed.

[Rogerborg]

[Nick__C]

[Jayy]

Roger, it's not quite the same though is it. Alarm bells will start ringing when they see a fresh face behind a helmet and most 16 year old don't have the money to go and wax on a gixxer and all the kit to make them pass off as a proper rider.

I know if I was 16 and I had some how come in to possession of a gixxer and all the clobber, it would only be a matter of time before I either got pulled or crashed.

At least with a modified moped it looks legal for all intents and purposes.

Reminds me of my brother who got a string of driving convictions when he was 17 from taking a car and rolling it. He was charged with dangerous driving, leaving the scene of an accident, no insurance and no lisence (probably missed some) and when he did pass his extended driving test, his insurance was £3,000 for a 1 litre car. He paid that for 2 years then in his final year before he didn't need to declare them, he just 'forgot' to put them on his insurance quotes.

He was effectively driving around with no insurance as it wasn't valid because he hadn't declared any of his convictions but for all intents and purposes, if he got pulled, he was legal and checked out.

[Rogerborg]

OK, it's not an entirely serious suggestion (unless you want to lend said 16 year old your shiny visor), but I wanted to make the point that once you give a Yoof the choice of putting themselves into danger or breaking the law for their own protection, then you're setting them off down the path of thinking how much contempt they should feel for road traffic laws.

It might be better to just do away with peds altogether, to be frank. At least riding a pushbike teaches you a different kind of roadcraft, rather than developing bad habits on a PTW.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Kickstart]

Hi

It depends on where they are riding. As a slightly quicker and longer ranged form of transport than a bicycle the ~30mph limit makes sense, and for those who have no real commute to cause them to use fast roads it shouldn't be a problem.

On the other hand I am not sure I trust the average 16 year old with stuff all experience on something faster.

In many ways I would support a move to a more European idea, with 14 year olds allowed on ~30mph mopeds, possibly with being allowed to use cycle paths, with 16 year olds being allowed to ride a 125. The 14 year olds are unlikely to be having long commutes, the 2 years until they are 16 and can have a 125 / 3 years until they are 17 and can have a car makes it more worthwhile to splash out on a moped (so hopefully more on mopeds, and more awareness of bikes as more people have ridden them / have their son or daughter riding one) and it gives them a load of extra road experience. Get to 16 when they are likely to have a longer commute to college and / or journeys to work and they have access to a bike which can keep up with normal traffic.

All the best

Keith
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[bassmastergen...]

[Ayrton]

[Rogerborg]

I really can't imagine many things more stressful than riding a restricted (genuine) 28mph ped on a 30mph UK road, with every rage-cager treating the L plate as a handy place to rest their front bumper.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[andyscooter]

dont forget car drivers can get on a moped and ride without any lessons

would you relly want loads of people riding at 50mph without any training

there is a chav round here who rides at 30mph with his mates holding on to the back of his scoot on pushbikes luckily he hasnt worked out how to de-ristrict yet

also luckily for him i havent come across him whilst on my bike
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