Boston clears up confusion over 50cc scooters, causes chaos

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Posted by: Paul

21 July 2009 796 views No Comment

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Boston.com today covers the news that the city is cracking down on 50cc scooter owners who have previously registered their bike as a moped under the city’s classification system allowing them to park their ride on the city’s sidewalks, and more importantly use a sticker rather than a full license plate.

From July 31st onward, owners of scooters such as the Vespa LX50 will now be required to register as a limited use vehicle, and require a full license plate beginning LU. This introduces a third two-wheeled classification sandwiched between moped users (stickered) and full motorcycle registrations (plated). It also means that riding a 50cc scooter in the city will require insurance, and a full motorcycle license. Up until now, registering a 50cc scooter has been an honor system, based on either the owners misunderstanding that it’s too fast to be considered a moped – often a misunderstanding propagated by eager dealers, or their own admitted avoidance of avoiding a full motorcycle registration to get the benefits of a moped classification.

Adding further pain, Boston 50cc scooterists will subsequently be subject to a $65 ticket if caught with their plated vehicle on the paths reserved for pedestrians. Mopeds (considered to be 50cc and under) will continue to not require a plate and therefore may continue to be sidewalk-parked.

The whole situation has gotten the local Boston Vespa dealer in a tizz, concerned that recent 50cc Vespa owners might want to return their ride once they realize their new mode of transportation is not necessarily as convenient as they may have first thought. Welcome to our world Bostonians.

You can read the entire article here.