Moped Laws: More on Virginia
GMI
More on Virginia - submitted by Ted Schwartzbeck
I bought a Yamaha Riva 49cc today, 6-17-98 in Herndon. No vehicle license, title or inspection is required; no drivers license is required; no insurance is required. Helmets are required of all moped drivers. Headlights, turn signals and brake lights are required. 2 passengers are permissible when there is the extra seat and footpegs. Mopeds may not be driven on highways or roads with permissible speed limits over 45 mph. If one's drivers license is suspended or revoked for any reason one cannot operate a moped so it is not an alternative to a car after a loss of license. Ted Schwartzbeck
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Even more Virginia - sent by jlwoods@erols.com
The 1999-2000 Virginia Driver's Manual p.3-10 specifies: "Mopeds: Under Virginia Law, a moped is a bicycle-like device with pedals and a helper motor. The motor cannot be rated at more than two horsepower or enable the moped to travel more than 30 MPH. Moped riders must be at least 16 years old and must obey all rules of the road. As a driver, treat moped riders with the same care given to any other vehicle driver. Although you do not need a driver's license to operate a moped, you may not operate a moped if you have been adjudged a habitual offender and your license is suspended. You may not operate a moped if your license has been suspended for failure to file financial responsibility with DMV." There is no reference whatever to mopeds in the Virginia Motorcycle Operator Manual. There are numerous specifications for mopeds within the state Transportation Code, some of which are picayune, but common sense is the prime consideration (unlike Maryland or DC), and local juristictions may impose particular requirements more stringent than the state code.
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Yet another bit on Virginia - submitted by DGoncz@aol.com
Here in the Commonwealth of Virginia, which separated from what is now West Virginia during the Civil War, the "State" defines a moped as a bicycle-like device with pedals and a helper motor. The last time I looked was in 1992, I think. The Fairfax County Regional Library has the Code, and I can look at it at the local branch, the Woodrow Wilson branch. Of course, the pedals must be working. The lockable pedals on my Derbi DS-50 were of concern to officers who stopped my uncle when he had the moped. A visit to court made a determination and that record also could be found and added to your site. Any kind of strap or kludge would be trouble. Proper operation of the Derbi pedals after stopping and engaging them immediately proves to the officer that "it's a moped". Mechanically, a broken decompressor valve will prevent you from demonstrating this operation to the officer, even though the engine might start and run. Keep them working!
The City of Falls Church requires a helmet, but I hadn't heard that the state does. Virginia did pass seatbelt and helmet laws within the last several years, and it's been years since I rode.
The horsepower rating is 2.0. Electric power is not specifically ruled out. Operation of any motorized vehicle, even an electric wheelchair or mobility assistance device, is not allowed in many parks, such as the well known Four Mile Run Trail. There are various parks, local, regional, and state. I am attempting to add a spare Derbi electric starter motor without the usual planetary gearing to the other side of my Derbi's engine, with the starter to provide an initial push in the usual way, and the ungeared starter motor operating at six times that speed providing a transition to around ten miles an hour. An old Interstate truck battery will provide the power. I'll let you know if I have legal trouble with this setup. I have a Honda Insight gas/electric parallel hybrid two place automobile owners manual which doesn't really say a lot about this and can explain torque and power to police officers most effectively with a chart I can draw up before I hit the road. The electric and gas engines complement each other well and can provide 2HP from stall to top speed when properly mated and rated.
Possession of a driver's license is not required in Virginia to operate a moped but the operator must be eligible for a license. A DWI suspension, or simply being too young to drive, means you can't operate a moped either. At least not legally.
