by pedman » Sun Aug 14, 2005 9:42 pm
There seems to be some confusion as to the purpose of the "Scooter Forum." It was not created to divide 50cc riders. Rather, the opposite. Some riders like both (mopeds and scooters), some riders like one and are indifferent to the other, and some riders prefer one and dislike the other. Please do not waste your typing trying to "convert" a rider to your preference. Let me lay out the arguments pro and con:
Moped riders say:
Scooters are unsafe because of there high center of gravity
Scooters are unsafe because of their small wheels
Scooters have too much plastic to make them easy to maintain and repair
Scooters are cheaply made and are not very durable
Scooters are unattractive
Scooter riders say:
Mopeds are unsafe because they are too slow
Mopeds have no style
I'm sure there are other reasons riders choose one over the other. However, let's look at what they have in common:
Mopeds and Scooters:
Are inexpensive vehicles to purchase and operate
Are a challenge to modify to get increased performance
Do not require titles (in some states)
Do not require registration (in some states)
Do not require insurance (in some states)
Do not require a license (in some states)
For the U.S. riders the Department of Transportation (DOT) defines a moped and then the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets emission standards. Soon the EPA will be implementing stricter emission standards which may change which companies and products are available to the U.S. consumer. The result could be no more 2 cycle engines which would change the 50cc market drastically.
The legal definition of a "moped" is different in each state. The MRA is a national 50cc riders organization and was created to help 50cc riders exchange information and establish organized rides. This was the purpose of creating the scooter forum. To help scooter riders exchange information and organize 50cc rides. This site does not intend to create a SRA (Scooter Riders Association) until a majority of the states create a separate legal definition for the 50cc scooter. Until then scooters are "legally" mopeds, but, technically scooters.
This scooter forum will be available so long as it is used for scooter riders to exchange information and organize rides. Otherwise, it serves no useful purpose to the MRA and will be eliminated. If scooter riders want to organize a sanctioned ride and exclude true mopeds, I'm sure the moped riders will respect the request. And, on the reverse if moped riders want to sanction a ride and exclude scooter riders they will expect the rule to be respected also. However, this was not the intention when the moped riders voted to "give a scooter forum a try." The intent was as stated above, to give scooter riders an opportunity to exchange information and organize rides.
pedman