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A motorized bicycle is a bicycle with an attached motor used to power the vehicle, or to assist with pedaling. Sometimes classified as a motor vehicle, or a class of hybrid vehicle, motorized bicycles may be powered by different types of engines.

Motorized bicycles are distinguished from motorcycles by being capable of being powered by pedals alone if required. The actual usage of the pedals varies widely according to the type of vehicle. Some can be propelled by the motor alone if the rider chooses not to pedal. Those known as mopeds mostly have pedals for emergency use or because of legal requirements and these are not normally used. Those known as power-assist bikes have the pedals as the main form of propulsion with the motor used to give a bit of extra power, especially uphill. Many motorized bicycles are based on standard bicycle frame designs and technologies, although the modifications to the design to support motorization may be extensive.

In countries where there is a strong bicycle culture (notably in Asia), the motorized bicycle is particularly popular; in 1996 Shanghai had 370,000 motorized bicycles and 470,000 other vehicles.

History

The two-wheeled pedal powered bicycle was first conceived in Paris in the 1860s. By 1888 John Dunlop invented pneumatic tires and the chain drive making possible the safety bicycle, giving the bicycle its modern form.

The origins of the motorized bicycle can be traced back to the latter part of the 19th century when experimenters began attaching steam engines to stock tricycles and quadracycles. This moved into attempts to fit the newly-invented internal combustion engine to the bicycle form.

Development diverged into two distinct streams: motorcycles, which are powered solely by their engines, and motorized bicycles as defined above. The closeness of the two forms in early years is demonstrated by Félix Millet's machines of 1892/93 and on. These had both pedals and an ingenious fixed crankshaft radial engine built into the back wheel. Within a few years motorized bicycles and motorcycles were recognizably divergent, with for example early motorcycles being longer, heavier and with a markedly different riding position from that of a contemporary pedal cycle. Later, development forked again with the advent of mopeds, small motorcycles fitted with pedals that can be used as a starting aid but which cannot, practically, be ridden under pedal power alone. This development appears to have been largely in order to exploit ambiguities between the regulatory framework for bicycles, powered bicycles and motorcycles - in jurisdictions where pedals were not required to meet the legal framework they were often simply omitted on otherwise identical models.

In the case of motorized bicycles, too, there were soon two parallel streams of development: motor assistance as an addition to existing machines, and purpose-built motor-assisted bicycles like the Derny and VéloSoleX, with stronger frames and sometimes with only token ability to be wholly human powered. In these cases some assert that the product is more formally a motorcycle or moped than a motorized bicycle, and some jurisdictions also take this view.

The gasoline-powered motorized bicycle eg the "vélomoteur" (VéloSoleX) was popular in France during the 1930s, and continued to be widely sold in early postwar years as a means of transportation during a period of gasoline shortages and limited automobile production. This continued in the 1960s and 1970s as young people could ride them without needing a license.

Other countries had relaxed licencing requirements eg lower age limits for motorized bicycles, which increased their popularity.

British countries in the 1940s and 1950s developed both the “clip-on” motors for bicycles (35 to 49 cc), and the “autocycle” with a purpose-built frame incorporating pedals and a two-stroke engine (often a 98 cc Villiers engine), but without a gearbox (eg the Malvern Star).

Modern motorized bicycles follow both trends, with conversions being applied by hobbyists as well as commercial manufacturers. Hub motors in particular facilitate after market conversion, being built into the wheel and not requiring modifications to the drivetrain or frame, as well as having a low centre of gravity. Converting bicycles or tricycles has proven useful for some people with physical disabilities such as arthritis. The strength of tricycles is that they will balance even while stationary, but some people find it harder to ride a tricycle and claim it lacks agility. Portability is also compromised compared to bicycles.

The modern electric bicycle is true to the concept of a pedal bicycle with assisting propulsion, being ridable without power. Batteries have finite capacity, which means that the hybrid human / electric power mix is much more likely to be emphasised than is the case with a combustion engine. Electric bicycles are gaining acceptance, especially in Europe and Asia, in response to increasing traffic congestion, an aging population and concern about the environment. Electric vehicle conversion – converting conventionally-powered vehicles to electric or hybrid vehicles – is also increasingly common.

Autocycle manufacturers were well established in countries such as Britain and Australia before the second world war, but the hiatus of the war appears to have set the market back, although the American bolt-on Whizzer continued until 1962. The motorized bicycle saw a resurgence of popularity in Britain during the 1950s and such bolt-on motors as the Cyclaid and the Cyclemaster motor wheel saw brief periods of immense popularity. The Cyclemaster, which was a hub motor which could be fitted to an ordinary bike, started at 25cc (painted black), but later the size went up to 32cc (painted grey). Elsewhere in Europe the motorized bicycle continued to be popular. The Italian, Vincenti Piatti had designed a 50 cc engine for driving portable lathes and this was also used to in the form of the Mini Motore to power bicycles. Piatti later licensed the design to Trojan for production in Britain as the Trojan Minimotor. Production of The French VELOSOLEX began in 1946 and continued until 1988. After French production ceased, the VELOSOLEX continued to be produced in China and Hungary. In 2003 production ceased in Hungary. Today production continues in China and has restarted in France. Velosolex America is the company that markets the VELOSOLEX worldwide.

Currently there are several companies manufacturing aftermarket Internal Combustion (IC) motorisation kits for Bicycles. These include both 4-Stroke and 2-Stroke. Notably there was also a Compression-Ignition engine kit produced using an 18 cc variable head engine - this was made by Lohmann in Germany.

Current manufacturers include Golden Eagle Bike Engines using a rack-mounted belt drive (also called a rear-mount) and Staton-Inc who uses a rack-mount with a chain drive geared transmission with an 18.75:1 gear reduction ratio from the engine to the output shaft (the part that connects to and drives the chain). There are also various other kits available using 48-50/60/70 and 80cc 2-stroke engines made to have the engine centrally mounted in a position echoing that of motorbikes (again generally using chain drive), called a V-mount option. One such notable company that manufactures and provides such a variety of kit choices is GruBee, which not only provides various 2-stroke models but also 4-stroke--all with V-mount and rear-mount choices. GruBee, like Staton-Inc, also manufactures a chain drive geared transmission but with a much lower gear reduction ratio of about 3.75:1 from the engine to the output shaft, allowing for a greater top speed but with a bit less pulling power. And more recently, GruBee also introduced a T-belt-driven chain drive transmission with a 5:1 reduction ratio from the engine to the output shaft. However, both GruBee's geared and T-belt transmissions are designed specifically to be powered only by a Honda GXH50 or Chinese-built HuaSheng 142F 4-stroke engine. The Whizzer company also has their own version of a belt drive. Belt drives tend to be lighter and much quieter than geared transmissions as very little to no lubrication oils are required and there is no screaming sound produced by fast-churning gears, which sometimes can be louder than the engine itself.

Companies marketing the latter types include EZ Motorbike, Dax, Spooky Tooth Cycles, Kings, Bicycle-Engines.com as well as Canadian-based Blow By U Motorized Bicycles and Quinte Skyhawk (2-stroke only) plus there are other sellers worldwide. These generally have a top speed of between 25 mph (40 km/h) and 40 mph (64 km/h) (using aftermarket tuning and higher gearing ratios).

Naming and legal status

The legal definition and status of motorized bicycles varies by jurisdiction. Legal terms for motorized bicycles include "Power Assisted Bicycle (PAB)" (Canada), MOPED, "Electrically assisted pedal cycle (EAPC)" (United Kingdom), or (commonly) "electric bicycle", frequently abbreviated as "ebike". In comparison some custom designs of electric bike have a range of up to 40 miles (64 km) and a maximum speed of +55 mph (89 km/h).

It is possible to register a Cyclemotor or motorized bike for legal u

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