The Police and Moped Lighting

[h2onxs]

New to moped group . Howdy!
I'm tinkering on a 1982 Honda NC 50 Express.
Of course the battery was DOA as well as most all light bulbs.
What's the word on the streets on Moped Lighting requirements.
Are they the same as MC and possible to be ticketed for not working factory installed lighting?

$35 was the lowest price so far for Just the headlamp, not even counting shipping. what are you smart guy doing on lighting replacement on these?


Second, Of course I had to clean the gastank, filter, hoses and carb.
I am having to adj the airscrew nearly ALL the way in to get it to run continously down the street. backed out say 1 1/2 turns it runs great , then behaves as if it is fuel starved. Seems to have enough fuel in bowl and float is 'fixed' plastic type. Is this someting to be cautious about and possibly toast the motor by this air setting. Thanks All.

[John]

If it came equipped with all lighting then it still needs them in the eyes of the law. Google Express headlight modification. Also take the carb off and clean it internally, all small passages.

[JD]

I see the law in Georgia is pretty lenient regarding mopeds. If the bike fits the "Moped" definition, then it doesn't have to be titled or registered. If a something doesn't have to be titled or registered, I interpret that as having no particular requirements at all, lighting or otherwise.

That said, it's a good idea to always have a working headlight, tail light and brake light for your own safety. If I needed all three for an old bike, and I didn't care about authenticity or matching components, I'd probably scrounge around for any moped headlight of the appropriate wattage and voltage. Any auto parts store will have 12v tail or side lights that you can stick on trailers, and they would serve on the rear end if you can find a way to mount them.

You could even use bicycle components, although they're battery operated and I doubt any of them are 12v (that would be a hell of a lot batteries in serial). But you get the idea.

At one point, I replaced the headlight on my Tomos with a spotlight designed to be mounted on an ATV. The Tomos headlight worked, but it sucked. The spotlight was amazing and would blind you if you looked straight into it. Cars saw me coming, though!


jd

[h2onxs]

sigh... wish it was a 12volt bike....

[JD]

You can use the same light fixtures as long as you can find 6v bulbs that fit into the sockets.

Alternatively, I'm no electrical engineer but I believe the 12v bulbs will work, too, but they won't be particularly bright. A different wattage may solve that. If I remember properly, Watts = Amps & Volts, or W/V = A. So if you need a 10w bulb at 6v, then you're using 1.66 amps. At 12v, a 20w bulb should use the same amperage.

Would someone who knows what he's talking about please opine on this?

jd

[mountainmoped]

In Georgia mopeds are considered motorized bicycles. No lights required unless they are ridden at night. No tag or registration required. All you need is some type of valid driver's license and a DOT approved helmet. There some great LED bicycle headlights that are bright and easy on batteries.

[Mufflerbearing]

I had to just buy my tags and asked the tag office and they are told if it is going to be driven on public streets it requires a tag. That's just what I was told and I know the lady at the tag office so I do not believe she is trying to collect revenue. I will get one for mine just in case.

[JunkyardDog]

It varies by state. My 1980 Puch moped does not require lighting in the daytime, that didn't start till 1981. Turn signals are also also not required in my state, though brake lights are, and I don't have one. Never been stopped for it though. I do have a headlight and tail light, wired directly to the lighting coil on the magneto, with no switches. It's a 6V system, so they are not very bright, and get really dim at idle. But I have gotten away with it for several years now.