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Are mopeds allowed on motorways

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  • 22-07-2010 9:18am
    #1
    Beano
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,357 ✭✭✭


    Twice in the last few weeks i've seen the same moped (its a vespa) on the M50 approaching the stillorgan exit with a big line of cars and trucks behind her as she does 40MPH at most. Can anybody tell me if they are allowed on the M50? it seems quite dangerous.


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    #2
    helimachoptor
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 21,648 Mod ✭✭✭✭helimachoptor


    If its less than a 50cc engine its not allowed.


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    #3
    Gregor Samsa
    Registered Users Posts: 8,941 ✭✭✭Gregor Samsa


    Here's the rules for what's allowed on a motorway:
    • people who do not hold a full driving licence for the category of vehicle they drive,
    • vehicles incapable of a speed of at least 50 km/h,
    • vehicles with an engine capacity of 50cc. or less,
    • people driving on "L" plates,
    • invalid-carriages,
    • vehicles that do not use inflated tyres,
    • cyclists,
    • pedestrians, and
    • animals.

    (source)

    So assuming she has her full licence, her Vespa's engine is over 50cc*, and given that you say she does 40Mph (64Km/h)**, she seems legally entitled to use the motorway.

    (*Edit: I don't know much about Vespas, but it seems that the smallest engine size in the current range is the Vespa LX 50, with a 50cc engine, so motorway legal

    **Edit 2: The rule is that the vehicle must be capable of going at over 50 Km/h, not that you can't travel slower than that.)


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    #4
    M.J.M.C
    Registered Users Posts: 949 ✭✭✭M.J.M.C


    Rules include:
    No Vehicles under 50cc
    No Slow vehicles(less than 50 km/h)
    No Learner drivers

    There are some bikes that "look" like mopeds but are 80cc and up.


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    #5
    Beano
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,357 ✭✭✭Beano


    well its definitely a vespa and i thought they were all 125s. But surely a 125 can go more than 40MPH?


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    #6
    john kinsella
    Registered Users Posts: 462 ✭✭john kinsella


    Only if its over 50cc i think which most Vespas are and over 50kmph


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    #7
    Beano
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,357 ✭✭✭Beano


    well it seems like she is allowed then. Still seems quite dangerous.


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    #8
    spurious
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,139 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    No, not if it's under 50cc.

    There ARE Vespa scooters that would be bigger then 50cc and they would be legal.


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    #9
    Beano
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,357 ✭✭✭Beano


    According to cartell its a piaggio and the model is given as CYCLE. unfortunately it doesnt give the CC.


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    #10
    PCPhoto
    Registered Users Posts: 6,584 ✭✭✭PCPhoto


    like a lot of road traffic laws .... can only be enforced when the garda are around.... which is why so many people ignore some of the rules of the road - lack of enforcement.

    I regularly see people taking illegal left/right turns (despite signage), driving through red lights and parking illegally (I do this myself on occasions).

    in this case a Moped user (of less than 50cc is not allowed on the motorway - which was already mentioned) ....but what are the chances that the driver will be caught...prosecuted, if caught they will more than likely get told "Dont do it again" .... and the likelyhood that the same garda will catch them again ...or that the person will be caught again is so low that the person will more than likely continue (it probably saves them an hour driving to work)


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    #11
    CraftWork
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13 ✭CraftWork


    phutyle wrote: »
    Here's the rules for what's allowed on a motorway:
    • people who do not hold a full driving licence for the category of vehicle they drive,
    • vehicles incapable of a speed of at least 50 km/h,
    • vehicles with an engine capacity of 50cc. or less,
    • people driving on "L" plates,
    • invalid-carriages,
    • vehicles that do not use inflated tyres,
    • cyclists,
    • pedestrians, and
    • animals.

    (source)

    So assuming she has her full licence, her Vespa's engine is over 50cc*, and given that you say she does 40Mph (64Km/h)**, she seems legally entitled to use the motorway.

    (*Edit: I don't know much about Vespas, but it seems that the smallest engine size in the current range is the Vespa LX 50, with a 50cc engine, so motorway legal

    **Edit 2: The rule is that the vehicle must be capable of going at over 50 Km/h, not that you can't travel slower than that.)
    invalid-carriages,? What is that?Wheelchair? strange in 2010


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    #12
    Beano
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,357 ✭✭✭Beano


    phutyle wrote: »
    Here's the rules for what's allowed on a motorway:
    • people who do not hold a full driving licence for the category of vehicle they drive,
    • vehicles incapable of a speed of at least 50 km/h,
    • vehicles with an engine capacity of 50cc. or less,
    • people driving on "L" plates,
    • invalid-carriages,
    • vehicles that do not use inflated tyres,
    • cyclists,
    • pedestrians, and
    • animals.

    (source)

    So assuming she has her full licence, her Vespa's engine is over 50cc*, and given that you say she does 40Mph (64Km/h)**, she seems legally entitled to use the motorway.

    (*Edit: I don't know much about Vespas, but it seems that the smallest engine size in the current range is the Vespa LX 50, with a 50cc engine, so motorway legal

    **Edit 2: The rule is that the vehicle must be capable of going at over 50 Km/h, not that you can't travel slower than that.)

    Surely if it is a 50cc engine then it isnt legal for her to be there? Anybody know any sites that will give that information based on the reg apart from cartell?


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    #13
    Anan1
    Registered Users Posts: 22,818 ✭✭✭✭Anan1


    CraftWork wrote: »
    invalid-carriages,? What is that?Wheelchair? strange in 2010
    I assume they're motorised wheelchairs.


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    #14
    jumbone
    Registered Users Posts: 609 ✭✭✭jumbone


    invalid carriages are three wheeled vehicles like Reliant robins


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    #15
    Gregor Samsa
    Registered Users Posts: 8,941 ✭✭✭Gregor Samsa


    Beano wrote: »
    Surely if it is a 50cc engine then it isnt legal for her to be there? Anybody know any sites that will give that information based on the reg apart from cartell?

    Actually, good point. It says 50cc or less. I misread that as less than 50cc.

    Anyway, it all depends on the exact engine size of the moped, and not how slow she's driving it.


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    #16
    keithclancy
    Registered Users Posts: 9,222 ✭✭✭keithclancy


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEgXSXvKFt8


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    #17
    Gregor Samsa
    Registered Users Posts: 8,941 ✭✭✭Gregor Samsa


    CraftWork wrote: »
    invalid-carriages,? What is that?Wheelchair? strange in 2010

    As above, not wheelchairs, but a specific class of vehicle: More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invalid_carriage


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    #18
    Gregor Samsa
    Registered Users Posts: 8,941 ✭✭✭Gregor Samsa


    Beano wrote: »
    Surely Anybody know any sites that will give that information based on the reg apart from cartell?

    Try http://www.mywheels.ie/, it gives the engine size on the free lookup (at least for the few vehicles I've checked).


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    #19
    pippip
    Registered Users Posts: 2,249 ✭✭✭pippip


    In the past mopeds that state "50cc" engine are actually 49cc, much like car engines being a few cc out to what they say.

    i.e. http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/vespa_lx_50_2t_2010.php


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    #20
    pajo1981
    Registered Users Posts: 1,178 ✭✭✭pajo1981


    I've actually seen a guy in an electric wheelchair out on the road ( not the motorway mind you).

    He was taken in by the guards. it looked like he was having a breakdown.

    ed: by breakdown i mean a mental breakdown, btw.


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    #21
    Paparazzo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,398 ✭✭✭Paparazzo


    bikes engine size is always slightly lower. So a 50cc is always about 49cc. 125's are always about 124 etc etc. I have a 1200 but it's actually 1170cc


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    #22
    mikemac
    Closed Accounts Posts: 19,986 ✭✭✭✭mikemac


    Beano wrote: »
    well its definitely a vespa and i thought they were all 125s. But surely a 125 can go more than 40MPH?

    Different models.
    Firstly if your moped is 50cc it's classified as 49cc so you can't take it on the motorway.
    Much like cars move the cc number a few places down.

    I owned a Honda scooter, was 100cc and I regularly drove it it up and down the M50. Top speed was about 90km/h.
    Safe enough except windy days, parts of the M50 are windswept so that's very dodgy.

    If the Vespa is 125cc, it'll be easily going over 100km/h


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    #23
    Beano
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,357 ✭✭✭Beano


    phutyle wrote: »
    Try http://www.mywheels.ie/, it gives the engine size on the free lookup (at least for the few vehicles I've checked).

    Cheers. It seems it is a 125. engine size comes up as 124.
    feelingstressed wrote: »

    If the Vespa is 125cc, it'll be easily going over 100km/h

    Well this one defintely wasnt. I was doing 100kph and she was significantly slower than me. so much so that artics were trying to overtake her. The first time i seen it was VERY wet and windy. how she wasnt blown off the bike i'll never know.

    Anyway, it seems that she is there legally but from a safety point of view i dont think she should be.


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    #24
    mikemac
    Closed Accounts Posts: 19,986 ✭✭✭✭mikemac


    M50 is lethal on windy days.
    Worst road I've driven though is the Nenagh bypass, soon to be the M7.

    Ok maybe on a 200kg bike but if you're slim and on a scooter you'll be blown all over the road.

    I suppose she was legally there but that's where common sense comes in.
    If everyone is doing 100km/h you have to keep up with traffic and the Vespa can do that speed.


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    #25
    hobochris
    Registered Users Posts: 2,164 ✭✭✭hobochris


    feelingstressed wrote: »
    M50 is lethal on windy days.
    Worst road I've driven though is the Nenagh bypass, soon to be the M7.

    Ok maybe on a 200kg bike but if you're slim and on a scooter you'll be blown all over the road.
    One situation where its handy to be a fat c*nt.


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    #26
    mikemac
    Closed Accounts Posts: 19,986 ✭✭✭✭mikemac


    Indeed, I need to pile on the pounds , it's for my own safety :cool:


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    #27
    pajo1981
    Registered Users Posts: 1,178 ✭✭✭pajo1981


    feelingstressed wrote: »
    M50 is lethal on windy days.
    Worst road I've driven though is the Nenagh bypass, soon to be the M7.

    Ok maybe on a 200kg bike but if you're slim and on a scooter you'll be blown all over the road.

    I suppose she was legally there but that's where common sense comes in.
    If everyone is doing 100km/h you have to keep up with traffic and the Vespa can do that speed.

    A scooters stability is related to its centre of gravity and the size and rate of turn of its wheels.

    Being fat will actually raise your scooters centre of gravity and make it less stable.


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    #28
    jimmycrackcorm
    Registered Users Posts: 14,331 ✭✭✭✭jimmycrackcorm


    Wish i had an in-car camera for the time I came up behind a moped sitting alone in the overtaking lane on the M1. Bad enough not staying left but straining to try and do 100km/h at the same time is really taking the piss.


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    #29
    spiggotpaddy
    Registered Users Posts: 873 ✭✭✭spiggotpaddy


    Paparazzo wrote: »
    bikes engine size is always slightly lower. So a 50cc is always about 49cc. 125's are always about 124 etc etc. I have a 1200 but it's actually 1170cc

    not always true gsxr 1100 is 1127cc


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    #30
    MikeC101
    Registered Users Posts: 1,707 ✭✭✭MikeC101


    spiggotpaddy wrote: »
    not always true gsxr 1100 is 1127cc

    There's a few like that - my W650 is actually 676cc, the newer BMW F650GS has the same engine as the F800GS - 798 cc, but it's usually a good rule of thumb.

    50cc (or slightly above) doesn't seem like it'd be much fun on a long motorway journey. I certainly wouldn't go on the motorway on one, but I suppose it's more designed to keep M license holders off the motorway than anything else.


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    #31
    Paparazzo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,398 ✭✭✭Paparazzo


    MikeC101 wrote: »
    There's a few like that - my W650 is actually 676cc, the newer BMW F650GS has the same engine as the F800GS - 798 cc, but it's usually a good rule of thumb.

    50cc (or slightly above) doesn't seem like it'd be much fun on a long motorway journey. I certainly wouldn't go on the motorway on one, but I suppose it's more designed to keep M license holders off the motorway than anything else.

    Yeah, it's usually the smaller ones for legal reasons. 50, 125 and 250. Think 400cc is an important one in Japan


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