Jared S.
Yelp
I used to have a moped when I was about 26 years old and I loved that little thing! It was super slow (went about 25mph tops on flat ground, 31-32 going downhill) but kept me smiling the entire time. I didn't require insurance, only required a driver's license and moped license plates, and garnered the curious attention of more people than a new car.
Unfortunately, on one fateful day, while cruising down an empty road, a stranger completely blew a stop sign and wiped me out pretty good. Both my moped and I were pretty banged up but eventually, after about a month or so, I fully recovered. I was lucky but my moped on the other hand (a classic 1976 Sachs Commuter that was a pristine garage find), was pretty mangled and never saw the outside my folks garage again.
I write about my old Sachs because it's been about 6 years since I felt the joy of riding slow and steady on 2 motorized wheels, that is, up until yesterday. I saw a buddy post on social media about GoRevel, which is basically, the uber of electric mopeds. My mom was using my car for the day and since I had a couple of business meetings scheduled for the day, I decided to show up in style. I decided to get back on the horse, I mean, the moped, and signed up on the GoRevel app. It literally took only 10 minutes (5 of which was spend waiting for the confirmation email that says I've been approved), and I was on my way.
You fire up the app, find a moped near you, and you're on your way. I didn't realize at the time but like my old moped, they only go 25mph max as well (unless on a downhill). Two helmets are included, in case you have a passenger, and they do a great job of offering secure head protection while also providing a visor shield which helps against both bugs, wind debris, and the wind itself.
The rides only cost .25/mile (first mile free so you can adjust mirrors, helmet, etc) and .10/mile when passing the ride (stopping in a store, grabbing something from home, etc). During one leg of my trip, I traveled from Great Neck (using only local roads) to Fresh Meadows, which took less than 25 minutes and only spent about $8 (I paused for a bit). It was waay cheaper than an Uber, a bit more "dangerous" but a lot more fun.
If taking local roads, you will be going above the speed limit most of the time but be assured, people will often want to pass you. While it is wise to let them pass you, the GoRevel is a DOT approved vehicle so if you ride one of these or any other DOT approved vehicle, don't ever feel the need to ride in the far right side of the right line or the bike lane. Sure, riding in the right lane is fine but make sure you take the entire line, otherwise folks might move in and put you in a precarious position, unnecessarily.
As always, keep your head on a swivel and ride extremely defensively, as if you are invisible to everyone around you,