What is a moped?

Few people below the age of 30 would remember the moped “craze” of the 1970s, but driven by fuel shortages, some urbanites flocked to low-powered, small-sized motorbikes from European makers like Puch and Peugeot. Equipped with two-stroke engines — not unlike lawnmowers — mopeds run on a mixture of gasoline and motor oil. Once running, mopeds can average about 70 miles per gallon and hit speeds of 25 miles per hour.