Wired’s Bryan Derballa recently published a photo essay on the growing moped communities around the country and their passionate fascination with the fuel-efficient, but ailing, and often discarded, motorized bikes. Derballa’s three week immersion into the moped culture involved a run-in with the police and a group ride through Times Square.
The vibrant moped community in Brooklyn is centered on a little shop called the Orphanage in Greenpoint. The group support the little collection of bikes rescued from obscurity and repairs them to sputtering, though working, order. The mopeds often top out at 30 miles per hour and the little two-stroke engines pollute more than their larger counterparts, but more and more people are falling in love with these forgotten machines. This subculture, like much of the so-called hipster culture, thrives on the use of outdated technology like typewriters or NES consoles, though the moped community boasts a strong online forum. Beyond the Orphan gang of Brooklyn, there are moped “gangs” in most major US cities, including the Creatures of the Loin in San Francisco, the Puddle Cutter of Portland and Hell Satans in Richmond.
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The “pollute more” statement should probably be clarified. A two-stroke engine injects oil with the gasoline and burns this mixture and also lacks any emission control systems. Because of this, the particulate emissions from one of these mopeds is about equal to a diesel bus.
From a Discover magazine article: “A single two-stroke engine produces pollution equivalent to that of 30 to 50 four-stroke automobiles.”
Awesome. I’m glad the gang of six moped enthusiasts can pump out as much pollution as 100 Hummer drivers. They’re so cool.
August 19th, 2009 at 12:05 am
Thanks for adding this comment, I didn’t realize it the particulate emission were that bad.
August 19th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
very european…
August 21st, 2009 at 9:59 am
hey! a secret article…
about the emissions buzz, here’s one thing to consider (taken from someone who worded it better than i could):
“the two real metrics would be “environmental cost of taking ownership” and “carbon cost of operation per person per mile/kilometer”
environmental cost of taking ownership:
when you buy an old moped, you are not generating any additional manufacturing impact. the moped already exists, and has far less energy and resources invested in it than a car.
second, you are probably saving the moped from going to the dump.
third, you’re utilizing the moped rather than purchasing a new scooter to use.
environmental cost per person per mile/kilometer:
let’s face it: most people don’t carpool. if you compare one person on a moped riding one mile vs one person in an SUV driving one mile you will see that the moped wins hands down.
the numbers start going in the opposite direction when compared with, for example, four people in a prius vs one person on a moped, or even a bus full of passengers that gets 10mpg vs one person on a moped.
the reality is that the majority of people don’t carpool or ride a bus.”
also, being a mechanic at the shop and moped enthusiast, i’ve never heard that 2-stroke engines produce emissions upwards of 30-50 4-strokes and frankly, i find that science misleading (per year? per day? per lifetime?) and hard to believe. anyway, thanks for the press. i encourage anyone interested to come by the shop and check us out.
1138 manhattan ave
brooklyn, ny
August 22nd, 2009 at 1:00 pm
hey! a secret article…
about the emissions buzz, here’s one thing to consider (taken from someone who worded it better than i could):
“the two real metrics would be “environmental cost of taking ownership” and “carbon cost of operation per person per mile/kilometer”
environmental cost of taking ownership:
when you buy an old moped, you are not generating any additional manufacturing impact. the moped already exists, and has far less energy and resources invested in it than a car.
second, you are probably saving the moped from going to the dump.
third, you’re utilizing the moped rather than purchasing a new scooter to use.
environmental cost per person per mile/kilometer:
let’s face it: most people don’t carpool. if you compare one person on a moped riding one mile vs one person in an SUV driving one mile you will see that the moped wins hands down.
the numbers start going in the opposite direction when compared with, for example, four people in a prius vs one person on a moped, or even a bus full of passengers that gets 10mpg vs one person on a moped.
the reality is that the majority of people don’t carpool or ride a bus.”
also, being a mechanic at the shop and moped enthusiast, i’ve never heard that 2-stroke engines produce emissions upwards of 30-50 4-strokes and frankly, i find that science misleading (per year? per day? per lifetime?) and hard to believe. anyway, thanks for the press. i encourage anyone interested to come by the shop and check us out.
1138 manhattan ave
brooklyn, ny
further discussion worth considering:
http://www.mopedarmy.com/wiki/Emissions
August 22nd, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Thanks for clearing things up, cool nathan. There is a lot to consider about mopeds, I hope people check out the links you’ve provided.
Cheers,
Nicko
August 22nd, 2009 at 1:28 pm
How funny…I just saw a band of moped guys in Richmond’s fan last night run in with Johny. And this morning I read this on my RSS. I guess it was none other than the Hell Satans.
August 22nd, 2009 at 6:59 pm
@coolnathan
While the “carbon cost per person per mile” is an admirable story, it really isn’t the only thing. It’s also how dirty it is per mile. Considering only the carbon burned overlooks the other emissions – with two strokes, particulate matter is especially nasty. Also with two-stroke a significant portion of fuel mixture escapes unburned which has a greater carbon impact than combusting it.
I think the more important quotes on the scooter propoganda site are these two:
“Two stroke engines are DIRTY.”
“your exhaust is EXTREMELY dirty”
With regard to particulate matter emissions, you produce a huge amount, more than all cars and SUVs. The only thing worse for PM emissions are heavy diesel vehicles like semis and buses.
And finally – you are dirtier than a Hummer, on a per gallon basis. The scoot wins on carbon burned since they get 50mpg to a Hummers 8. But in overall emissions impact, the scoot loses.
If you want a first hand look at this, go to an urban area that has a heavy reliance on two-stroke engines (suggestions Bangkok or Manilla). The air is heavy with the particulate emissions, which are absent from modern 4 stroke vehicles with emissions controls.
Lastly, a quote from the EPA (albeit in relation to snowmobiles, which use the same type of engine):
The distinction between two-stroke and four-stroke engines is important for emissions because two-stroke engines tend to emit much greater amounts of unburned hydrocarbons (HC) and particulate matter (PM) than four-stroke engines of similar size and power. Two-stroke engines also have greater fuel consumption than four-stroke engines, but they also tend to have higher
power output per-unit displacement, lighter weight, and better cold-starting performance.
(http://www.epa.gov/EPA-AIR/2001/October/Day-05/a23591b.htm)
August 23rd, 2009 at 1:40 am
BG,
Thanks for the information on two-strokes. As a moped owner, I’m concerned about the environmental impact of these machines, and wonder if there’s a way of reducing the particulate matter emissions on my bike somehow.
I just wonder why you resorted to sarcasm in your post. “Awesome,” “They’re so cool,” etc. Your research was great, but the bitterness of your tone was distracting and pretty unnecessary. You’re more informed than they are about the science, so why bother with the additional attitude.
August 27th, 2009 at 9:12 am