Not All Mopeds are Created Equal

Moped Medic, 936 Savannah Hwy, Charleston, SC 29407, sent us this press release.  

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 Medic, we search for Quality Mopeds sold by the manufacturers themselves thru U.S. based operations. One of our main concerns is that parts are always available and that the manufacturer, not the distributor who may go out of business, offers a minimum of one year parts and labor warranty.

At Moped Medic, we have learned over the past five 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 MEDIC 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 Medic

The Truth about Moped and Scooter Warranties

Many Moped and Scooter Dealers in Charleston tell you there is a warranty when you go to buy your new Moped or Scooter. It isn't until you need to use it that you often find that there really isn't a warranty, or it doesn't cover most of the cost of repairs. 


Here are, from their own websites, actual manufacturer's warranties on three of the most popular entry level Mopeds and Scooters sold in the Lowcountry. All three of them start at less than $1000.


Peace Sport- Peace Industry Group (USA) Inc. offers our dealers following warranties. The all parts come with a 30 days factory warranty exclusive tire(s), body part(s), plastic part(s) and batteries. Engine(s) comes with 6 months warranty. Theses warranties start from the date dealer sell to their customers. ... Shipping cost and labor fee ... is specifically excluded from this warranty.

Tao Tao or Taotao

Limited Warranty:

6 months warranty for internal engine parts of on-the-road vehicles, 3 months 

warranty for internal engine parts of the off-road vehicles, and 30 days limited 

manufacturer's warranty for all other parts.

LABOR TO REPAIR OR REPLACE PARTS: TAOTAO USA, INC. does not pay or 

reimburse any labor cost under any circumstances. 

If your product is still under warranty you may return any part for 

exchange, at your expense, to our Dallas, Texas Distribution center.

Puma Cycles-

OUR LIMITED WARRANTY COVERS PARTS AND LABOR FOR ONE YEAR.

No matter what the guy trying to sell you a Moped or Scooter is telling you, the Manufacturer's warranty is what it is. It makes sense to go online and check what the warranty really is before purchasing a new Moped or Scooter, especially if you intend to use it for daily transportation. The better the warranty, the better they have to build it. 

Vespa Service in Charleston

Now that American Biker is out of the Vespa business, Local Vespisti need a place to take their Vespa and Piaggio brand scooters for Service.

Moped Medic offers Local Independent Vespa Service, with pickup service available. According to Macarena Baez, Service Manager at Moped Medic, the parts they use are OEM or better, and due to their large volume of parts orders in Europe, Moped Medic offers Piaggio replacement parts for less than most Franchise Vespa Dealers.
Motorini, Vespa of Savannah is another option for local Vespa Owners. They offer pickup in the Charleston area a couple of times a month. While their turnaround won't be as quick as Moped Medic's, their technician is almost as well versed in Motorcycle and Scooter repair as the Technicians at Moped Medic. Both Motorini and American Biker recommend and use Moped Medic for Vintage Vespa service.

Moped Medic has a GREAT Deal on Eton Mopeds

MOPED MEDIC PRESS RELEASE
from Moped Medic World Headquarters

Introducing the E-TON Beamer III Moped, the next generation of the popular Beamer scooter line. This Beamer III is powered by a Yamaha Minarelli 50cc oil injected engine that gives you great performance and an economical transportation alternative. The Beamer III is easy on the fuel bill.

The Beamer III is fully decked out with our performance-enhancing EPA approve exhaust system, powder coat wheels, and race spec front suspension system.

Eton is an OEM supplier to Ford, Volvo, Yamaha and Nissan, so their build quality is world class. The Eton Beamer 3 IS NOT Made in China. Limited Factory warranty covers both Parts AND Labor. There are a lot of Etons out there with well over 20,000 miles on them. Ours has more than 10,000 miles on it and it's never stranded anyone.

We got a great deal on the last Black 2010 Eton Beamer 3s. Come in and test ride one today, check out the competition just up the street, then check out the one we ride from Mt. Pleasant to the store. There is no better Moped out there for the money. Get one before they are gone.

Moped Medic
936 Savannah Hwy.
Charleston, SC 29407
843-402-6900
http://www.mopedmedic.com

Lowcountry Scooter and Moped Impounds, November 2011

According to the South Carolina Moped Taskforce,  Law Enforcement Agencies in the Three County Lowcountry impounded a total of 14 Scooters with Moped tags being ridden by their legal owners during the month of November 2011.
4 were sold by Lowcountry Scooter or Charleston Scooter Company, for illegal tag or improper documentation.
5 were sold by KT Motorsports, two were impounded for being illegally tagged 150cc scooters, and the rest were impounded for lack of proper documentation that they complied with South Carolina's Moped Law.
3 were sold by Motorsports of South Carolina for improper tag or documentation.
2 were Honda Ruckus models that were impounded for being tagged as Mopeds and not registered as Motorcycles.

BEST AND MOST RELIABLE 50CC MOPEDS

Top 50cc Scooters

Model Score Yamaha 86% Vespa 80% Vmoto 79% Keeway 79% Honda  78%

SOURCE: http://thescooterreview.com/component/content/article/107-yootheme-top-frontpage/168-top-50cc-scooters

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.