Concept

Motorized bicycle

Summary
A motorized bicycle is a bicycle with an attached motor or engine and transmission used either to power the vehicle unassisted, or to assist with pedalling. Since it sometimes retains both pedals and a discrete connected drive for rider-powered propulsion, the motorized bicycle is in technical terms a true bicycle, albeit a power-assisted one. Typically they are incapable of speeds above , however in recent years larger motors have been built, allowing bikes to reach speeds of upwards of 72 km/h (45 mph). Powered by a variety of engine types and designs, the motorized bicycle formed the prototype for what would later become the motor driven cycle. The term motorized bicycle refers to just a bicycle combining pedal power and internal combustion engine power. However, the term could be used as an umbrella category to refer to bicycles using sources besides pedal power. Electric bicycles technically could be in the category of motorized bicycles but instead of using internal combustion engines as a combination it is driven by electric motors which power from pedals and batteries. Mopeds are also almost motorized bicycles since they function the same way as these vehicles but with engines less than . The term motorized bicycle should not be confused with motorcycle since this type of vehicle uses a combination of pedal power and engine power whereas motorcycles are purely either internal combustion engine or electric motor powered. Motorized bicycles have utilized all variety of engines, from internal-combustion (IC) two-stroke and four-stroke gasoline engines to electric, diesel, or even steam propulsion. Most motorized bicycles are based or derived from standard general-purpose bicycle frame designs and technologies, although exceptions abound. In addition, modifications to a standard bicycle frame to support motorization may be extensive. The earliest motorized bicycles were ordinary utility bicycles fitted with an add-on motor and transmission to assist normal pedal propulsion, and it is this form that principally distinguishes the motorized bicycle from a moped or motorcycle.
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