What we have called “motorcycles” should actually be called “enginecycles”. Also, the engine on enginecycles is a four-cycle engine.
Don’t tell that to e-bike fans. They’re very vocal and easily triggered.
And don’t dare suggesting helmets or licenses. They will crucify you.
Ebike fan here. Can confirm. My pitchfork is already out.
Some motorcycles have starter motors, these are hybrids now.
Well first off, whether or not an internal combustion engine is called a motor or an engine differs by region for English-speakers and in fact in my language there’s only “mootor”, for both electric and combustion engines.
Secondly, the engine on an enginecycle could also be a two-cycle engine, that’s common in small engined dirtbikes and moped particularly.
Thirdly, this may depend on your local legislation, but where I live, a low-power e-bike would be a moped and a high-power e-bike would be a motorcycle. In terms of the license requirements anyway. If it’s limited to 25 km/h and requires pedaling, then it’s an assisted bicycle and requires no license and no helmet (provided you’re over 16).
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The Honda Goldwing is a six cylinder outdoor Campervan Winnebago.
Does it smell like a steak and seat 35?
Unexplained fires are a matter for the courts!
It seats ten midgets comfortably.
What if I need to transport thirteen and do not care of their comfort?
Side bags. Always a solution!
Really unfortunate this classification system has happened. What you’re thinking of is an electric moped, but it’s all getting lumped together. Check this out.
The differentiator is max speed in Canada. Regardless of how they are built. If you can exceed a certain speed, license required.
I think that’s a good system. I have a pedal assisted bike and it feels like it’d be ridiculous to need to license it (it does have a “full throttle” mode, but I don’t think it can even make it up to 20mph).
There’s definitely two stroke/cycle motorcycles out there. They’re less popular nowadays due to emissions but have lasted quite a bit longer than 2 stroke cars or trucks have…
I have a really old two smoke dirt bike, it’s noisy and smelly and tries to kill me almost every time I ride it.
they ended in 2021.
ice cycles. I really am not fond of ice on so many levels.
My friend said something similar to me a long time ago. I said, General Motors…?
some of the cooler enginecycles comes with two-cycle engines
ITT: y’all be taking my random before-bed shit thought way too seriously.
Upvote for the main thought, but
- A gasoline engine is a type of motor. You are making a distinction without a difference. A motor is just something that produces mechanical motion. Motor. Motion. Motivate. All come from the same root as “move”
- An “engine” can be the whole apparatus that does the work, not merely the thing that provides the power, and could be powered by a water, beast, or even manually such as the cotton [en]gin[e]. A lot of that usage comes from pre WW2, but it survives in things like “train engine” (the vehicle that pushes or pulls a train) and “game engine” (the program architecture that manages the processing power provided by the computer to convert user interactions, game assets, etc. into something that we recognize as a game).
- It’s not a four-cycle engine. It is a four-stroke engine: each piston makes four strokes each complete engine cycle.
Multiple decades on this earth, decent schooling, undergraduate degree in history, and yet today is the day I discover why the cotton gin is called that. Wild. Thank you for sharing.
It’s not a four-cycle engine. It is a four-stroke engine: each piston makes four strokes each complete engine cycle.
“A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine”
Touché
I didn’t know what to say but you nabbed it.
Also reminds me of the motor effect: electromagnetism causing motion. Perhaps that’s why the name ‘electric motor’ became so dominant…
Wow, you absolutely destroyed that kid
Take that, me!
I… I…
sometimes I underestimate the power of my own pedantry…
To your point, “engine” at one time referred specifically to an electrically driven device, and “motor” referred to something combustion driven.
Etymologically, engine means “mechanical device” and motor originates in Latin meaning “mover”.
I do agree with OP that a 2 wheel contrivance with any kind of motor/engine is a motorcycle (motorized cycle) from a regulatory perspective, though I’d never call one a motorcycle.
Really? Because I don’t remember pedaling my Honda 750.
Try pumping the gear shift lever and rear brake. It’ll probably do something. Not sure what.
I don’t remember pedaling my eBike, either. With a big enough motor, they’re all but completely vestigal.
It’s true that there are different classes of ebikes. Class 3 ebikes with enough power can be basically motorcycles disguised as bikes. Mine is a class 1 and very much a bicycle. If the distinction can be made that some ebikes do not require pedaling and are therefore motorcycles, by extension it is equally valid to say that ALL ebikes must have pedals so all ebikes are bikes. The truth is really somewhere in-between. Not sure how important that is to a shower thought though.
eBikes require pedaling. I don’t know what you had, but it wasn’t an eBike.
not exactly, a bunch of those Chinese DUI scooters have pedals, but they don’t do anything.
DUI?
Depends on the juridictions. Some countries make pedaling mandatory (mine does), other don’t.
eBikes requiring pedaling is mostly just a software limitation - not a hardware one. I can’t quite see how it stops being an eBike after you disable this limitation.
Can we use the same logic for motorscooters?
Enginecycles? If you specifically refer to internal combustion engine (ICE) then it’d make sense to call them icecycles. It sounds weird, maybe icicles?
But seriously EU has a definition of what an ebike is, it’s not just a bicycle with motor, there’s max allowed power, max assistance level, and importantly it should only assist when pedalling. Anything beyond that, yes, is classified as a motorbike.
OP thinking he cracked the code to ride a motorcycle on the sidewalk.
Isn’t it the electric equivalent of a moped?
You’re right but the word “moped” has lost meaning in most countries.
Here in the UK I suspect the majority of people asked wouldn’t appreciate it originally had pedals and would point to a vespa image if asked.
I have an electric vespa-shaped vehicle (goes about 80kmh) that as you can see i really struggle to name as “electric scooter” most people think of one of those stand on things so I’ve landed on calling it an “electric moped”. It works as equally in no way can someone accuse me of trying to make it sound cool :)
No. Because you have to pedal.
Mopeds used to have pedals as well. The term comes from Swedish words motor and pedaler
Cool. TIL.
You don’t on class 3.
