Should I buy a 50cc or 125cc moped?
People are often unsure when it comes to buying a moped whether to go for a 50cc or a 125cc, which will be cheaper to run? Is one safer than the other? These are the kind of questions often asked especially by younger people who have just got their licence.
The key difference here is engine size and power, ‘cc’ is the engines capacity, the larger the number, the more powerful it will be. If you are 16 you will only be able to ride a 50cc until you are 17, however once you are 17 and above you can ride a 125cc moped with your CBT certificate using L plates.
What licence do you have?
If you have a full UK driving licence, issued before 01/02/01 then you do not need to take any form of extra tests to ride a 50cc moped, you just need the bike, insurance, a helmet and some ‘L’ plates.
If you do not have a licence or it was issued after that date, you will need to take a CBT test, to ride a 50cc or a 125cc moped, this can be done on a provisional licence, but will also mean doing your theory test as well, your local CBT or bike training centre can provide you more information on this.
Where you will be riding it?
50cc mopeds being restricted to 30mph means that zipping around town and housing estates will be a joy and you will keep up with the flow of traffic, however the moped will struggle when it comes to dual carriageways and open roads. You wont be allowed on the motorway with a 50cc moped, and also you wont be allowed to ride on the motorway without a full licence so take this into consideration too.
A 125cc moped will reach speeds of up to around 60mph, allowing you much more freedom when choosing your route and will be better for any longer journeys, it will also enable you to keep up with the traffic more freely too.
You can have 50cc mopeds de-restricted, this means a garage takes out the restrictors and it will allow you to go about 10-20mph faster, you can only do this if you are over 17 and it will also no longer be classed as a moped, you will have to inform your insurance company of the modification which will certainly increase your insurance, it will likely invalidate any warranties on the bike, and can also make it more difficult to sell on.
How do you want it to sound?
50cc mopeds are notoriously noisy and high pitched, often compared to a garden strimmer sounding like it’s going to explode.
125cc mopeds are still noisy but due to the larger engine capacity have a deeper note coming from the exhaust
How much do you want to pay to run it?
Whilst 125cc mopeds offer more power and freedom, they will cost more to run, petrol costs will be more expensive, as will insurance but you can get many top tips for cheap moped insurance here and bear in mind a typical moped will burn 55%-88% less fuel than a car. Whilst a 50cc moped is slightly cheaper to run, you may find that the cost of running a 125cc isn’t that much more and that slight bit extra is worth the power and freedom.
About HansRush
Author: