Lego Moped(?)

"Jim Spanfeller" (awesomeaustinv) 07/28/2020 at 11:06 • Filed to: Legolopnik, bikelopnik, two wheels good

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At least I think it’s a moped. I think I’ve heard bikes like this being referred to as mopeds, although I thought mopeds were just bicycles with tiny engines? Eh, somebody who knows more about this than me can correct me. Two Lego wheels good.

This was based on a moped (I think) frame that someone else designed as part of a larger diorama (hence my picture of just the frame. That’s the part he mostly designed), and I wanted to build my own so I could make the rest of the bike. But that was years ago and I’ve forgotten who that was, so... Credit to him for that part, whoever he was!

The wheels are made by stretching regular car tires over a pair of 6x6 radar dishes. This only really stretches the center of the tire, and it’s one of the better ways to make a small motorcycle tire since Lego doesn’t have an official one that size (or at least they didn’t at the time). This model was finicky as heck, but fun to build and I thought some of you might like it :)

UPDATE: Apparently, it’s an underbone motorcycle. Thank you, EssExTee!

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Jim Spanfeller 07/28/2020 at 11:12

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Neat. There are a few vintage pieces in my collection that have very tall narrow wheels but the require an x shaped axle to work and even then fit very loosely. That tire seems like a great design. 

facw > Jim Spanfeller 07/28/2020 at 11:17

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So as I understand it, the traditional moped is something like this:

Bike like, with the ability to pedal, or use a weak gas engine to get around. However it seems today there’s a wider variety of models that are classified as mopeds (at least in the eyes of the DMV) even if they don’t even have pedals.

At the extreme end, electric scooter rental company Revel is calling their scooters mopeds, even though they are clearly scooters:

They’ve also temporarily shut down after a local newscaster was killed in a crash, creating some bad press.

Darkbrador > Jim Spanfeller 07/28/2020 at 11:19

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brilliant !

user314 > Jim Spanfeller 07/28/2020 at 11:19

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There’s some fuzziness on the definition, but Mopeds and Scooters generally have a step-through frame and the difference is mostly based on the displacement of the engine. I would therefore say that is a moped;  and might I add , nice use of pistols for the handgrips.

Jim Spanfeller > facw 07/28/2020 at 11:20

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Thanks! That clears things up a bit. I like building Lego motorcycles, though I don’t actually know very much about real ones...

Jim Spanfeller > user314 07/28/2020 at 11:21

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Thanks!

shop-teacher > Jim Spanfeller 07/28/2020 at 11:22

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Oh wow!  I LOVE this!

Jim Spanfeller > shop-teacher 07/28/2020 at 11:27

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Thank you! It’s one of my more spindly bikes, but it looked great on the shelf.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Jim Spanfeller 07/28/2020 at 11:35

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Very nice - love what you did for the wheels.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Jim Spanfeller 07/28/2020 at 11:38

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It’s an underbone motorcycle. If the engine is mounted on the swing arm, it’s a scooter, and if there’s pedals it’s a moped.

Jim Spanfeller > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/28/2020 at 11:38

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Thanks! I used them again on a Porsche tractor model, I’ll have to find pictures of it...

Jim Spanfeller > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 07/28/2020 at 11:40

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Ah, thank you. That’s the dirtiest-sounding motorcycle term I’ve ever heard...

KnowsAboutCars > Jim Spanfeller 07/28/2020 at 11:52

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This is very nice! Liking all the details

user314 > Jim Spanfeller 07/28/2020 at 11:55

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Wish there was a way in Kinja to @ users. Brickman would love this.

This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: > Jim Spanfeller 07/28/2020 at 12:10

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Mind the potholes.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 07/28/2020 at 15:57

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Some what related have you ever seen one of these? It’s a Cf Moto Cruz 250. It has the same Honda Helix derived 250cc engine and CVT trans as the Cf Moto faSION which literally is just a licensed copy of a Honda Helix. Anyway this is a scooter

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 07/28/2020 at 17:52

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I’ve never seen that specific one, but yes I have seen bike-shaped  scooters before. They usually are styled like sport bikes

I wonder what they do with all that space where the motor would typically be