Moped

pastense

Thinking that a Moped would be a good addition, allowing a bit more flexibility that the push bike but haven't a clue about where to look for one or a carrying system and the price to pay etc. I do know that up to 50cc can done on a car license but is 50cc up to the job of carrying 2 people. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

niloc1951

Ever consider a pair of e-bikes, quality ones not cheap Chinese yokes.
No tax or licence issues and no back seat driver

CJhaughey

Bike licensing has changed, car license won't cover mopeds any longer, you need to do an IBT and then get your license.

pastense

CJhaughey wrote: »

Bike licensing has changed, car license won't cover mopeds any longer, you need to do an IBT and then get your license.

That changes the game big time, I thought once you had a 'B' license from before 2006 you had a free Moped but if what you say is correct then I'm going to look at electric bikes.

pastense

niloc1951 wrote: »

Ever consider a pair of e-bikes, quality ones not cheap Chinese yokes.
No tax or licence issues and no back seat driver

I did but the passenger just wants to driven like she has become accustomed to and I don't blame her really.
Seems my old 'B' license from the mid 70s might not be enough to cover a 50cc Moped any more.
Must check it out, after a bit of research the 50cc in 2 Stroke seemed like a great idea.

Malta1

Check out the licence requirements

I have seen elsewhere the following (but have not been able to confirm it yet):

Q.I have a full B (car) licence. Does this entitle me to drive a motorcycle?


A. The holder of a category B licence granted prior to 21 October, 2006 is entitled to drive a moped up to 50cc with a maximum design speed of 45 km/hour. All category B licences granted, for the first time, on or after 21 October, 2006 do not hold this entitlement. Such licence holders wishing to drive a category M vehicle would have to obtain a provisional licence in category M and successfully undergo the practical driving test in order to obtain a full licence in this category.

pastense

Malta1 wrote: »

Check out the licence requirements

I have seen elsewhere the following (but have not been able to confirm it yet):

Q.I have a full B (car) licence. Does this entitle me to drive a motorcycle?


A. The holder of a category B licence granted prior to 21 October, 2006 is entitled to drive a moped up to 50cc with a maximum design speed of 45 km/hour. All category B licences granted, for the first time, on or after 21 October, 2006 do not hold this entitlement. Such licence holders wishing to drive a category M vehicle would have to obtain a provisional licence in category M and successfully undergo the practical driving test in order to obtain a full licence in this category.

Thanks for that. I fit in with the pre 2006 rule so seems I'm clear for a Moped up to 50cc.

Malta1

pastense wrote: »

Thanks for that. I fit in with the pre 2006 rule so seems I'm clear for a Moped up to 50cc.

Please confirm that my "online" findings are correct and if you manage to confirm, will you post up here to make sure all are clear

Buona Fortuna

Hi OP

Came across this:

http://bikeworld.ie/2012/10/ride-a-scooter-on-your-car-licence/

I know an official site would be better

When I had a query on my licence (how do you get Tractor added) I just phoned up the NDLS but that number doesn't seem to be there anymore.

RiderOnTheStorm

I thought about the electric bike for a while myself, but as we tend to do mostly wild-camping and not hook up to elec's, the charging of the bike might be an issue. I dont want to be running the van just to charge the bike. Then again, I could charge it before I go away ...

Whats the duration of a charge on an elec bike? (time? miles?)

Alkers

pastense wrote: »

Thanks for that. I fit in with the pre 2006 rule so seems I'm clear for a Moped up to 50cc.

Don't forget the capable of 45km/hr part. When new, 50cc scooters will have this restriction but if buying 2nd hand 99% of them will have them removed (most will do 80km/hr). If the restriction is removed, you don't have a license.

I would highly advise getting an actual license - travelling at 45km/hr on roads outside of the city centre is pretty dangerous.

the_syco

One thing that I've seen on the back of quite a few campervans is a small smart car. It has the two required seats, and shouldn't be that costly as it's only a 1L engine. The ones that I saw were not towed in the usual manner, but had one side "hitched" to the campervan so only two wheels were on the ground.

niloc1951

RiderOnTheStorm wrote: »

I thought about the electric bike for a while myself, but as we tend to do mostly wild-camping and not hook up to elec's, the charging of the bike might be an issue. I dont want to be running the van just to charge the bike. Then again, I could charge it before I go away ...

Whats the duration of a charge on an elec bike? (time? miles?)

I know it's a bigger picture, but have you considered 200 watts of solar panel(s) and a sine wave inverter. That will give you true independence from needing an EHU or running the engine.

A sine wave inverter (as opposed to the cheaper quasi sine wave type) will ensure the bike battery will get fully charged and also run other mains equipment including stuff like a microwave which does not perform well on the quasi sine wave type.

If the sun is out and all your batteries are full you could use the surplus to run the fridge and save on gas

Do electric bikes not like square waves? Or is it just a power factor thing?

niloc1951

the_syco wrote: »

One thing that I've seen on the back of quite a few campervans is a small smart car. It has the two required seats, and shouldn't be that costly as it's only a 1L engine. The ones that I saw were not towed in the usual manner, but had one side "hitched" to the campervan so only two wheels were on the ground.

See HERE for some advice

As we have learned here on 'the ould sod' anything usually goes but cross the water and it looks like a person could definitely fall foul of the law.
A-frames are at best suspect and in some countries illegal unless being used for recovery of a broken down vehicle. Towing dollies appear to be the reserve of recovery vehicles.

niloc1951

Sir Liamalot wrote: »

Do electric bikes not like square waves? Or is it just a power factor thing?

Chargers are among the type of items which run less efficiently on quasi sine wave power.
Quasi (square) sine wave inverters also use more battery because of the inefficiency they create in the appliance they are running

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzmfsU06qN8

http://www.cotek.com.tw/faq.html

http://www.exploreelectric.com/pages/pure-sine-wave-inverter-or-modified-sine-wave-inverter-which-is-best-for-you

the_syco

niloc1951 wrote: »

See HERE for some advice

As we have learned here on 'the ould sod' anything usually goes but cross the water and it looks like a person could definitely fall foul of the law.
A-frames are at best suspect and in some countries illegal unless being used for recovery of a broken down vehicle. Towing dollies appear to be the reserve of recovery vehicles.

The campers I'd see would be all non-Irish (most often yellow reg), and not using the A-frame. Shall look for the exact phrase later.

niloc1951

the_syco wrote: »

The campers I'd see would be all non-Irish (most often yellow reg), and not using the A-frame. Shall look for the exact phrase later.

Towing Dolly

A-frame

niloc1951

niloc1951 wrote: »

Chargers are among the type of items which run less efficiently on quasi sine wave power.

Sounds a bit strange but true. I thought batteries would prefer the square wave being DC and all, I guess it's more to do with the charger though.

niloc1951 wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzmfsU06qN8

That's not really a fair comparison imho.
I'd be interested in the overall power efficiency ie. from the batteries to the load. Not just inverter to load. MSW's can be more efficient for select loads due to their having less electronics.

Not knocking TSW Inverters though. I think they're great. If my cable runs were double what they are now I'd be running one.

the_syco

Dang. Can't find it, so I drew a picture.



One set of wheels is on the ground, and the other is hitched somehow to the campervan. Have seen this on the yellow regs, so I'm assuming english, or possibly french?

=-=

From a bit of googling, it seems some (USA) sites specify to use the A-frames for towing small cars to campervans once the brakes are hooked up correctly?

Alkers

This will satisfy all your needs OP.

pastense

That would do the job but its a bit too big for the parking spot at home. If I go for a moped I'll even have to get a removable carrier. I think nobody would talk to me if I was touring in that yoke.

airhead_eire

pastense wrote: »

Thinking that a Moped would be a good addition, allowing a bit more flexibility that the push bike but haven't a clue about where to look for one or a carrying system and the price to pay etc. I do know that up to 50cc can done on a car license but is 50cc up to the job of carrying 2 people. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

Once you sort the relevant licence, a Honda Cub 70cc or 90cc will do all you require. They are light enough and utterly reliable. They also have the added benefit of being slimmer/less bulky than a lot of the mopeds. The 50cc version may struggle slightly with a pillion but would be fine for rider only.

CJhaughey

How about a Di Blasi? These used to be in/on loads of continental campers.
Fold up really small as well.

Behold! The smartest EV in production.

killalanerr

I always wondered does carrying a moped in the garage bring an engine type smell into the van ?, i considered getting one few years back but your into payloads and max axel weights so never got round to it ,we stick with the bikes