Moped Speeding Tickets ARE on the rise in South Carolina. Police officers are issuing citations for speeding, operating a motorcycle without a motorcycle endorsement, uninsured vehicle, improperly plated vehicle, operating an unregistered motor vehicle and driving on a suspended license, even if they are carrying a valid South Carolina moped permit. Many mopeds are being impounded as a result of a stop for excessive speed.
You can be stopped for riding an improperly registered vehicle on a moped anytime a law enforcement officer believes the moped exceeds 30 miles per hour on level ground.
One solution is to have your moped speed restricted, and show up in court with documentation to prove this work was performed. In many cases, this results in a dismissal of most of the charges, and saves you about $1100 in fines.
Moped City, at 936 Savannah Hwy, Charleston SC 29407 can review your moped's performance, and restrict the top speed to make it in compliance with South Carolina Moped Speed Laws.
If you have received a ticket for speeding on a Moped in South Carolina, contact Moped City. After a technician reviews your Moped's performance, they will restrict the top speed in the best way possible for your particular Moped.
Moped Speed Restriction techniques can involve the transmission, fuel system, and electronic ignition system, and there is no one method of restricting moped top speeds that works with all mopeds.
CHARLESTON MOPED AND SCOOTER RENTALS
Now there is a company renting out high quality Mopeds and Scooters in Charleston.
Moped City is a full service moped and scooter dealer, offering the highest quality Mopeds and Scooters available at very affordable prices. You can find great deals on quality Mopeds and Scooters, the best service in the Lowcountry, and Moped and Scooter rentals so visitors to the Lowcountry can enjoy getting around on two wheels with ease.
For information, or to make a reservation, contact:
Moped City
936 Savannah Hwy.
Charleston, SC 29407
843-402-6900
http://www.mopedcity.us
Moped City is a full service moped and scooter dealer, offering the highest quality Mopeds and Scooters available at very affordable prices. You can find great deals on quality Mopeds and Scooters, the best service in the Lowcountry, and Moped and Scooter rentals so visitors to the Lowcountry can enjoy getting around on two wheels with ease.
For information, or to make a reservation, contact:
Moped City
936 Savannah Hwy.
Charleston, SC 29407
843-402-6900
http://www.mopedcity.us
Not All Mopeds are Created Equal
Not all Mopeds are created equally!
With gas prices rising, Mopeds are popping up for sale almost everywhere. Gas stations, used car lots, auto repair shops, private driveways etc.
Most of these Mopeds are purchased for the lowest possible price from importers who buy their Mopeds from low end Chinese assembly factories that use poor quality components, inferior wiring harnesses, engines castings and internal parts made from metals that are not properly hardened which cause premature failure, electronic components with high failure rates, poor if any replacement parts availability and almost all come with no real warranty.
The local seller may promise you the world, but when you have a problem, you are on your own.
At Moped City, we search for Quality Mopeds sold by the manufacturers themselves thru U.S. based operations.
At Moped City, we have learned over the past ten years of servicing Chinese Mopeds that over 90% of what we repair comes from other sellers. We have seen Mopeds with less than 500 miles on them need complete engine rebuilds and with less than 1000 miles on them, ready for the junk yard.
Our promise from day was to provide QUALITY LEGAL SOUTH CAROLINA MOPEDS to our customers, with full service and parts and a warranty.
You will never see MOPED CITY trying to out price the other guy because we will not sell low quality for the sake of price.
We can't tell you where to buy your scooter, but we can try to make you more aware that the old saying " YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR" is more relevant than ever.
We hope to see you at Moped City
CHARLESTON VESPA SERVICE
Charleston Vespa Service has certified moped and scooter technicians. A pickup service is available. Both Motorini, Vespa of Savannah and American Biker recommend and rely on Charleston Vespa Service for Vintage Vespa and Genuine Stella service.
Charleston Vespa Service
936 Savannah Hwy
Charleston, SC 29407
843-642-5671
Chucktown Moped Crackdown
If you ride a Moped, you've probably noticed that the Police are giving them much more scrutiny recently. The SC Highway Patrol put together a guide for local law enforcement about moped laws in this state, and most departments were encouraged to go out and enforce the laws. And they have. Tow yards throughout the state are filling up with mopeds and scooters.
One of the biggest problems most people are running into is that they are being cited for not having a real South Carolina Moped Plate. The plastic plates sold at many moped dealers and Pep Boys are illegal in South Carolina, and the dealers who issue the real plates are reporting a tenfold increase in the number of people trying to purchase a South Carolina Moped Plate.
According to the report from the Highway Patrol, it is illegal to operate a Honda Ruckus or any Vespa model with a moped plate in South Carolina. These vehicles need to be registered as motorcycles in South Carolina. The Sullivan's Island Police Department is reported to have impounded a Honda Ruckus that was being ridden with a plastic moped plate attached. Further, it is almost impossible to get the necessary paperwork to have an authorized issuer put a real South Carolina Moped Plate on any scooter sold over the internet and shipped to the buyer from out of state, a costly lesson that involves a day in court many residents are learning now.
Many Police Departments, including the Charleston Police Department, have impounded Mopeds if the owner did not possess documentation that the moped engine is less than 50cc, AND makes less than 2 horsepower. Unless you have documentation from the manufacturer, or authorized Moped Plate Issuer, that the vehicle meets those two requirements, it can not be legally plated and ridden as a Moped in South Carolina. Due to stepped up enforcement of the labeling and selling requirements for Mopeds in South Carolina, it is virtually impossible to put a Moped Plate on any vehicle ordered online or over the phone from a company out of state.
A woman who bought a scooter from the Charleston Scooter Company in West Ashley saw it get impounded by the Police, the plastic plate the dealership put on was removed, and she was required to insure and register it as a motorcycle before it was released. According to officers of the Charleston Police Department, she could have bought a similar model a block further down Savannah Highway at Moped Medic, and would have been in full compliance with the South Carolina Moped Law, with all the documentation necessary to keep it from being impounded. A representative of CPD stated that the only dealership in compliance with the South Carolina Moped law is Moped Medic.
Moped Medic has gone on record as stating that they will send a representative to court on behalf of any owner if any of the Mopeds they sold are improperly impounded as a result of this crackdown.
It is not known how long this level of enforcement will continue. According to sources, the Charleston Police Department is also targeting bicyclists and skateboarders. Apparently someone in a position of authority in Charleston believes it is a good idea to get people off mopeds, bicycles and skateboards and back in SUVs, in order to ease the traffic congestion in downtown Charleston.
One of the biggest problems most people are running into is that they are being cited for not having a real South Carolina Moped Plate. The plastic plates sold at many moped dealers and Pep Boys are illegal in South Carolina, and the dealers who issue the real plates are reporting a tenfold increase in the number of people trying to purchase a South Carolina Moped Plate.
According to the report from the Highway Patrol, it is illegal to operate a Honda Ruckus or any Vespa model with a moped plate in South Carolina. These vehicles need to be registered as motorcycles in South Carolina. The Sullivan's Island Police Department is reported to have impounded a Honda Ruckus that was being ridden with a plastic moped plate attached. Further, it is almost impossible to get the necessary paperwork to have an authorized issuer put a real South Carolina Moped Plate on any scooter sold over the internet and shipped to the buyer from out of state, a costly lesson that involves a day in court many residents are learning now.
Many Police Departments, including the Charleston Police Department, have impounded Mopeds if the owner did not possess documentation that the moped engine is less than 50cc, AND makes less than 2 horsepower. Unless you have documentation from the manufacturer, or authorized Moped Plate Issuer, that the vehicle meets those two requirements, it can not be legally plated and ridden as a Moped in South Carolina. Due to stepped up enforcement of the labeling and selling requirements for Mopeds in South Carolina, it is virtually impossible to put a Moped Plate on any vehicle ordered online or over the phone from a company out of state.
A woman who bought a scooter from the Charleston Scooter Company in West Ashley saw it get impounded by the Police, the plastic plate the dealership put on was removed, and she was required to insure and register it as a motorcycle before it was released. According to officers of the Charleston Police Department, she could have bought a similar model a block further down Savannah Highway at Moped Medic, and would have been in full compliance with the South Carolina Moped Law, with all the documentation necessary to keep it from being impounded. A representative of CPD stated that the only dealership in compliance with the South Carolina Moped law is Moped Medic.
Moped Medic has gone on record as stating that they will send a representative to court on behalf of any owner if any of the Mopeds they sold are improperly impounded as a result of this crackdown.
It is not known how long this level of enforcement will continue. According to sources, the Charleston Police Department is also targeting bicyclists and skateboarders. Apparently someone in a position of authority in Charleston believes it is a good idea to get people off mopeds, bicycles and skateboards and back in SUVs, in order to ease the traffic congestion in downtown Charleston.
CHINESE MOPED WARRANTY SERVICE
According to Macarena Baez, the Service Manager at Moped City, Moped City performs warranty work on almost every brand of Chinese Moped.
In addition, Moped City has one of the lowest hourly service rates in the Lowcountry, and is well known for repairing Vintage and Modern Vespa and Lambretta scooters.
Moped Cityh honors the factory warranty on most of the following brands:
Alpha Avanti Baccio Baja Baron Bashan BMS CFMOTO Cobra Cool Sports Derbi Diamo Dink Eagle Fly Fribest Fushin Galaxy Gator Genuine Geely Hanma JCL jmstar jonway kinroad Keeway Lance Lifan Longbo Longdong MMG Minarelli Mongoose Morini Moto Bravo Motobecane Motofino Moto Fino NST Pantera Peace Sport Pep Boys Peugeot Primo Qingqi Qlink Redstreak Rocketa Schwinn Shanghai Meitian Strada SunL Tank TNG United Motors Vento Verucci Viva Wildfire X-treme Xingyue Yamati Zhejiang Zongshen
MT50 QT50 50QT 150T
This is not a complete list, and new brands are added on a regular basis, so if you don't see yours, it's worth a phone call to Moped City.
SOUTH CAROLINA MOPED PLATES
In South Carolina, the seller of a Moped is required by State Law to attach a metal identification plate to each moped without pedals.... This plate must be designed by the Department of Motor Vehicles.
This means that the plastic "novelty" moped plates people are buying from local dealers on craigslist for $10 are illegal. The dealer who sold you the moped is required by law to attach an approved metal South Carolina moped plate to the moped.
It is unlawful for a person to operate a moped without pedals upon the public highways and streets of this State without displaying the metal identification plate which must be attached to the vehicle. A person who does not have an official South Carolina metal moped tag on his or her moped is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than two hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days.
So riding that moped with the illegal plastic Kinkos plate that the local dealer sold you is a crime. Did he tell you that when he took your $10?
If you did not get a legal metal Moped plate when you bought your moped, you can demand one from the dealer you bought it from. It is the law.
Demand the Legal Tag.
BUSTED
There is a crackdown going on in the Lowcountry. The Police are actively pursuing people riding mopeds. If you are on a 150cc Scooter tagged as a Moped, and you are pulled over going 50, there is a good chance it will be towed. When you get it back, you will be required to register it as a motorcycle, obtain motorcycle insurance, a motorcycle license, and pay personal property tax.
They are cracking down on just about everyone going over 35 on a moped right now. In Hanahan they have written tickets for 33 MPH,
The Police are also pulling people over to run VIN numbers. So keep a copy of your proof of ownership on you at all times.
If you are going more than 30 MPH on a moped, and you have all the paperwork that says it is a legal moped, South Carolina can still require you to register it as a Motorcycle, insure it, and only ride it with a valid motorcycle license. That is the law.
If you don't have a moped tag on your moped, many officers will pull you over for that. The law states that "It is unlawful for a person to operate a moped without pedals upon the public highways and streets of this State without displaying the metal identification plate which must be attached to the vehicle."
Those plastic tags you buy for $10 on craigslist and the internet are ILLEGAL.
The crackdown is mostly confined to North Charleston, and Berkeley County, but from what is going on behind the scenes, it appears to be spreading.
They are cracking down on just about everyone going over 35 on a moped right now. In Hanahan they have written tickets for 33 MPH,
The Police are also pulling people over to run VIN numbers. So keep a copy of your proof of ownership on you at all times.
If you are going more than 30 MPH on a moped, and you have all the paperwork that says it is a legal moped, South Carolina can still require you to register it as a Motorcycle, insure it, and only ride it with a valid motorcycle license. That is the law.
If you don't have a moped tag on your moped, many officers will pull you over for that. The law states that "It is unlawful for a person to operate a moped without pedals upon the public highways and streets of this State without displaying the metal identification plate which must be attached to the vehicle."
Those plastic tags you buy for $10 on craigslist and the internet are ILLEGAL.
The crackdown is mostly confined to North Charleston, and Berkeley County, but from what is going on behind the scenes, it appears to be spreading.
BEST MOPED SERVICE
Moped City
936 Savannah Highway
Charleston, SC 29407
843-402-6900
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)