How to ride a moped?
Mopeds are ideal for inexperienced road users because they’re incredibly simple to use. Unlike driving a car, which can take months or even years to learn, riding a moped can be learnt in a single day. This doesn’t mean you’ll be an expert however, and much of the real learning will be done once you get amongst other drivers. This guide will help you with the basics of riding a moped.
How do you learn?
Although it’s possible to teach yourself how to ride a moped, you’re legally required to complete a CBT test. This stands for Compulsory Basic Training, and is (unsurprisingly) the absolute minimum training needed for riding on the road. It usually only takes a single day, and is very hard to fail. You can sit a CBT once you turn 16 and hold a provisional driver’s licence.
How do you ride a moped?
Many mopeds, including those we sell at Direct Bikes, are referred to as “twist and go.” This means that they have an automatic transmission, and so do all of the difficult gear changing for you. This is a really helpful feature considering gear changing is what many car drivers struggle with. 50cc mopeds are nearly always automatics, but many 125cc scooters and motorbikes use manual transmissions.
To ride a moped you basically have to get on and switch on the engine. To move, you simply twist the accelerator and the moped will set off. The more you twist the accelerator, the faster you’ll go, and learning to control this is where the real skill comes in. If you accelerate too fast, you risk losing control of the moped. Too slow, and you’ll start to wobble and fall over.
Although mopeds used to have pedals (hence the name), they don’t any more. All of the work is done using your hands, but all you need to do is accelerate, brake, and steer. Mopeds have brake levers on the handlebars, and they’re usually very responsive. This is why mopeds are so easy to ride; they don’t require all that much input from the rider.
The most important thing to practice when riding a moped is keeping your balance. Only having two wheels means a moped relies on its own movement to keep it upright, but if you’ve even ridden a bicycle you’ll know all about this. A moped is considerably heavier than a bicycle though, and so can be harder to keep up, but that’s what the kickstand is for.
Riding a moped is incredibly easy, and shouldn’t take more than a day or two to learn properly. If you pass your CBT but don’t necessarily feel confident going on the roads, find a car park or open space in which you can practice. It won’t take you long to get the hang of everything.
