The word moped was introduced in Swedish by the journalist Harald Nielsen in 1952 as a combination of motor and pedal. The word caught on in German and English almost immediately, and by the late 1950s the moped was the vehicle of choice for many of Britain’s more style-conscious youths.
Exact definitions of what is a moped have changed through the decades and now almost any motorcycle with an engine capacity of under 50cc might bear the name. Who is allowed to ride one and how fast they can legally go varies from country to country. In Indonesia the maximum legal speed in 100km per hour, in Russia no licence is required and in Greece you can ride from the age of 13. In Vietnam the moped remains the main mode of transportation, and the market is growing globally. Five years from now, 138 million mopeds are expected to be on the road. Cinema lovers and moped lovers can combine their pleasures by viewing Rendition. Mopeds buzz through the squares and alleyways of Marrakech throughout the film.
