Light quadricycles?

[Palfrem]

BBC - Newsbeat - 'Moped cars' for 16-year-olds are coming to the UK

Two things;

This has to be asking for trouble. Less than 30 mph top whack is going to be fun on a 60mph road.

£10K! Hells Teeth - what a rip-off.

This is madness.

 

[martyz]

Bad news,as if there is not enough to contend with on the road.

 

[cl55 amg]

I think its a good idea..much safer than a moped

 

[BTB 500]

'Unrestricted' versions of these cars (that will do about 50 mph IIRC) have been around for a while. There's an Aixam that parks in our road - I had to Google it to find out what the hell it was!

G-Wizz & similar are also classed as light quadricycles to get round crash testing regs (which they would fail).

 

[janner]

Having driven an Aixam I can tell you that the vibration at 0:48 in that video is a true representation of what happens to your eyeballs when driving. Truly hateful thing. £10K...I think not...

 

[Red C220]

Our daughter will be 15 next February and can't currently "drive" an ipod never mind a car/scooter.

The idea of 16 year olds out in these is terrifying.

Wasn't there talk of the driving age going up to 18?

 

[Satch]

And the connection is.....

 

[markjay]

Nice concept.

When I was a teenager the Italians made something called Gilera with a tiny 50cc engine but the look and stance of serious motorcycle - all the boys wanted one because Lambretta and Vespa were so sissy. Also the Honda 50 was of similar disposition. IIRC they could be ridden from 16 as they were technically mopeds.

 

[Dieselman]

Also the Honda 50 was of similar disposition. IIRC they could be ridden from 16 as they were technically mopeds.

Not so, they were classed as motorcylcles so one had to wait until being 17 to ride a Honda C50. We used to hack C50's and C90's off road from about 13 years old. Great fun.
A friend passed his test on a Yamaha V50 a few days after his 17th Birthday and went straight to collect his Honda 400. Happy days...


I know someone had a Gelira. Perhaps not unsurprisingly he crashed it pulling out to cross a dual carriageway.

 

[st13phil]

Not so, they were classed as motorcylcles so one had to wait until being 17 to ride a Honda C50.

True of the Cub series (C50 / 70 /90) but Honda did do the SS50 which was legal at 16.

 

[Dieselman]

True of the Cub series (C50 / 70 /90) but Honda did do the SS50 which was legal at 16.

Because it had pedals, similar to a Yamaha FS1D. All the step through machines were motorcycles.

You hardly ever saw an SS50, being 4 stroke, all the kiddies wanted Fisie's.

 

[BTB 500]

When I was a teenager the Italians made something called Gilera with a tiny 50cc engine but the look and stance of serious motorcycle - all the boys wanted one because Lambretta and Vespa were so sissy.

It was the Yamaha FS1-E (Fizzy) when I was in my late teens. It had to have pedals to meet the 'moped' rules, but they could be folded forward to make normal(ish) looking footrests

 

[Dieselman]

It was the Yamaha FS1-E (Fizzy) when I was in my late teens. It had to have pedals to meet the 'moped' rules, but they could be folded forward to make normal looking footrests

Did your FS1E have pedals, if so wasn't that an FS1D, whereas the FS1E then had footpegs.

Seems hard to believe that a Fisie can actually move with 6 of you on it...but it can...

 

[BTB 500]

I didn't have an FS1-E ... was straight into a car at 17. But mates did. Sure the 'E' had pedals, but they could be flipped forward so it didn't look it!

 

[SL300-24]

I had a Honda SS50 in 1973.......big mistake 20mph slower than my mates FS1E's, and Garelli Tiger Cross

 

[st13phil]

I had a Honda SS50 in 1973.......big mistake

Ha ha! They were gutless, weren't they

In general, the pecking order speed wise was Garelli Record or Tiger Cross, Gilera's, Fantic Caballero or GT, Suzuki AP50, Yam FS1-E, then the rest with the Honda SS50 & Yam DT50 at the bottom of the heap.

 

[Mactech]

Ha ha! They were gutless, weren't they

In general, the pecking order speed wise was Garelli Record or Tiger Cross, Gilera's, Fantic Caballero or GT, Suzuki AP50, Yam FS1-E, then the rest with the Honda SS50 & Yam DT50 at the bottom of the heap.

So I suppose that when me and my mates but an engine from a Honda 6 in a FS1-E....that would be cheating a bit....
PS It did go...but not for long!

 

[Dieselman]

I'd never heard of a Honda 6. Thanks.

They sound like a swarm of bees in a metal bucket...

 

[developer]

My Gilera was ace- until it rained and the plug cap shorted out. It meant carrying talc around to dry it out at the roadside .

 

[developer]

This was me (in the middle) in 1991, moped racing on an SS50, however, this one was supercharged by a couple of clever Land Rover engineers.

It was fast but very unreliable, so rarely fimished.

Great fun though .