One thing I can add to your list:  Information as to some states plate
practices.  I collect moped plates.

Since I'm from Illinois, I will detail Illinois' practices first:

There are 3 classifications of motorized two wheel vehicles in Illinois:

    Moped (1-49 cc)
    motorized bicycle (50-150 cc)
    motorcycle (over 150cc)

There is no special moped plate, they get a motorized bicycle plate
(first issued in 1968) which differs from the standard motorcycle plate
in the following ways:

1.  Moped/motorbike plates have had since 1969, a letter in front of 4
numbers.  (Since 1995 some of these numbers have been duplicated on car
plates, but that's another story.  And 1968 had the letter behind 4
numbers.)  Moped were not made a separate class until the moped boom of
the 1970's.  I worked for a retailer that sold mopeds and I still have
the dealer plate.  There is no separate dealer plate for mopeds or
motorbikes, the dealer gets a regular motorcycle dealer plate.  The last
general reissue of motorcycle, motorcycle and moped plates took place in
1985, but dealer plates are issued new each year, and expire on the 31st
December. The current regular moped/motorbike plates are renewed in
March of each year and have blue numbers and a blue "Illinois - Land of
Lincoln" on them.

2. Regular motorcycle plates are all numeric, ranging from 1 to 999 999
and 000 001 to 099 999.  Same color scheme as the moped/motorbike
plates.  Up thru 1967, motorized bicycles got these style plates, too.

3.  Moped/motorbike vanity plates, allowed with the 1985 issue have red
letters and numbers instead of blue!   The logo is the same blue, tho.
This is to distinguish them from the motorcycle vanity plates.

4.  Motorcycle vanity plates are the same blue on white as regular
motorcycle plates.

5.  There is a fifth type of motorcycle-sized plate, it is for a
motorcycle trailer.  The numbering series is 5 numbers and the letters T
over A.  The regular small trailers in Illinois carry a full size plate
and number from 1 to 999 999 T/A then 010 000 to 099 999 T/A, then 1 AA
T/A thru 9999 ZZ T/A.  Like their full sized bretheren, these expire in
June instead of March.

Other states:

I found a web page that seems to indicate that California requires
plates for mopeds that are different than motorcycles as of 1981, but I
have never seen such an animal.

Nevada seems to require no plate at all.

I lived in Arkansas for 11 years.  Supposedly mopeds were supposed to be
registered with regular motorcycle plates, but a lot of them were not
registered at all!  This may have changed since 1991, when I moved back
to Illinois.

Arizona had a motorized bicycle separate plate as far back as 1968 and
probably further.  Motorbikes had M over B on the plate, Motorcycles had
M over C.  Whether this included mopeds, I have not been able to
acertain.

I have an old non 4 x 7 moped sample plate from New Jersey, but have
never seen a real one, so I don't know how far back the separate plate
was used.

I think that Delaware has a separate moped 4 x 7 plate now, but did not
back before then.  I know they were using 6 x 8 4-digit motorcycle
plates at least as late as 1975, but I don't know for sure if Mopeds had
to be registered at all

Florida seems to have started issuing moped plates as part of the 1978
sereies, but these were permanent registrations.  I have a '78' base
plate, but haven't seen any new ones.

I know MN has had moped plates since at least 1981, I have one.

At one point, NH had moped plates, I have one that is about 3 1/2 by 6
inches., and colored like the 1975 car base plate, i.e. green on white
non reflective.

I know that at least in 1980 Ontario had moped plates, there are some
for sale on E-bay right today.

I also have a Manitoba moped plate in my collection exp FEB 28, 1981
(how odd, a US style date!)

I'm researching the web, so I haven't hit all the states web sites yet.

I think that if mopeds get a plate in Indiana, they get a motorcycle
plate.

(Part of the problem is that some of my research information is in
another building, my parent's house, to be exact.  I have two driver's
guides from Indiana there.)

Hope this helps
Charles Fregeau 


				



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