Bicycle with an auxiliary motor

Power-assisted bicycle ( FmH ) is a legally defined term in Germany, which describes a motorcycle, which in terms of usability features of a bicycle has . National law has different provisions for the FmH - depending on the design-related maximum speed - with regard to technical equipment, helmet requirements , driver's license or moped test certificate . The Federal Ministry of Transport has provided for the legal classification of bicycles ( pedelec ) or small motorcycles (S-Pedelec) for the upswing of bicycles with electric drives that has been taking place over the last few years .

history

Motorbike

ILO built-in motor (98 cm³)

The first legally defined beginnings of the bicycle with an auxiliary motor can be found in Section 27 of the Law on Motor Vehicle Traffic of July 21, 1923, which established that small motorcycles were free of registration and driving licenses. In 1923 small motorcycles were limited to 1  HP net power, in 1928 their displacement was limited to 200 cm³.

In 1929, out of the necessity of the Great Depression , the development of small motorcycles was born; the heavy motorcycles were not for sale in times of crisis. In 1930 ILO as well as Fichtel and Sachs developed built- in and add-on engines, initially with 60, later 74 and 98 cm³ cubic capacity, which made 2.25 hp. Over 70 different providers emerged around this time. A major advantage, which contributed significantly to the spread, was the exemption from taxes and driving licenses until 1938. The nose-piston two-stroke engines made up almost 30 percent of all motorcycle production in Germany until the mid-1930s and 45 percent in 1948 and 1949. Around 750,000 copies of the 98 cc Fichtel and Sachs engine alone were produced by 1949.

Bicycle with an auxiliary motor

A bicycle with a Lohmann engine as an add-on engine to a normal bicycle.

A bicycle with an auxiliary motor, which was designed for motorization. Here NSU Quickly (1953).

On January 1, 1953, the bicycle with auxiliary motor (FmH) was legally defined in West Germany , which weighed a maximum of 33 kg empty and was not allowed to have a displacement of more than 50 cm³. Furthermore, the crank radius and a minimum size of the wheels were specified. This type could be driven without a license. These were normal bicycles with an add-on engine as well as bicycle-like vehicles, which, however, were designed for motorization. Such two-wheelers, later referred to as mopeds , were first built in Germany by Rex-Motorenwerke in 1951 . At the beginning of 1953, ILO brought out an add-on engine FP 50 , which could be supplied in large quantities, purchased from bicycle manufacturers and used for the short-term development of our own mopeds. Other small engine manufacturers such as Mota , Victoria , Sachs , Lutz , Heinkel and NSU quickly took up the new trend. Mopeds spread within a very short time within the framework of the FmH's license-free class. The importance of the add-on motor for retrofitting normal bicycles decreased accordingly.

The Kreidler K 50, which had been in production since 1951 , like the K 51, had an unladen weight of more than 33 kg and therefore never belonged to the class of bicycles with an auxiliary motor, but Kreidler also produced a vehicle of this class with the J 50 model.

For mopeds with pedals, the term was on January 23, 1953 moped introduced with Kickstarter, the designation was Mokick established. On August 24, 1953, the class of small motorcycles requiring a driving license was created, which also included a bicycle with an auxiliary motor, weighing a maximum of 33 kg;

In 1960 a speed limit of 40 km / h was introduced for the FmH, only the displacement limit was provided for small motorcycles. In 1965, the class of mopeds without a license was created below the FmH. In 1980 the term FmH was transferred to the class of small motorcycles, the terms moped and mokick remained.

In the GDR , the class of bicycles with auxiliary engines was also defined by law. The MAW auxiliary engine , which was built from 1954 to 1959, found the most widespread use; at the beginning of the 1970s, another vehicle in this class was produced with the Simson SL1 moped .

Types

In the early days, motorcycles were equipped with an internal combustion engine that originally drove the front wheel. The engine was sold as an add-on engine and could be mounted on ordinary bicycles. The Werner from 1897 with a belt drive on the front wheel is the first motorcycle . The NSU Motosulm (1931-1935) had chain drive on the front wheel. Solex adopted this concept very successfully with the Vélosolex from 1946 to 1988 with a friction roller drive. However, the standard design is rear-wheel drive.

The installation variant of the engine in the frame - above, below (e.g. Lohmann engine ) or in front of the pedal crank bearing - represented common concepts. The Saxonette from 1937 with the engine attached to the rear axle is a design that was known until 2011 as Light moped was produced.

Today's FmH are predominantly mopeds, which largely correspond in construction and appearance to the motor scooter . These only have a modified seat and an internal combustion engine that has been throttled to 25 km / h in Germany. This will fill a market niche for people who do not have a driving license.

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  A bicycle with a MAW auxiliary engine in Magdeburg in 1990.

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  Vélosolex with front-wheel drive (1946–2012)

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  Belt-driven Rex (1948–1964)

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  Piaggio Ciao (1968-2006)

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  Kreidler Flory (1969–1982)

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  Peugeot 103 / Vogue (1971–)

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  Hercules Prima 5S (1974-2005)

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  Piaggio Zip (1992-)

Legal position

Bicycles with an auxiliary engine are not subject to registration , vehicle tax or general inspection . In any case, an insurance license plate and an operating permit are required for operation on public roads .

• FmH h over 25 km / and to 45 km / h : Traffic legally valid in Germany , the motor-assisted bicycle with a maximum design speed of over 25 km / h as a moped, in which the category AM is required. In terms of registration, this bicycle with an auxiliary motor falls into vehicle class L1e ; Colloquially it is referred to as a moped .

Mopeds free

• FmH up to 25 km / h : According to § 4 FeV, a moped is a single-track bicycle with an auxiliary motor (even without cranks) with which a design-related maximum speed of no more than 25 km / h is reached. To drive a moped, only a minimum age of 15 years and a moped test certificate according to § 5 FeV is required. Anyone who has a driving license , regardless of the class, or was born before April 1, 1965, does not need a test certificate. As with the light moped, the moped is a national special regulation that is not found in other countries and does not correspond to any EU standard. Mopeds and light mopeds must use the lane, although the local signs - especially cycle paths - sometimes indicate exceptions for mopeds. Outside built-up areas, mopeds are generally allowed to use the cycle paths.
• Light mopeds up to 20 km / h : Drivers of light mopeds are exempt from wearing a helmet and the electrical equipment of the vehicle only has to meet the regulations for bicycles. With regard to insurance and driving license issues, the same provisions apply as for the moped. The legal basis in Germany is the Light Moped Exception Ordinance (StVRAusnV) of March 26, 1993. Light mopeds are legally more narrowly defined than mopeds and must meet a number of other criteria.

For the legal situation in Austria and Switzerland see: Motorfahrrad

Others

• For FmHs that came into circulation for the first time up to 1952 or 1957, exceptions apply with regard to permissible cubic capacity and maximum speed.
• FmHs within the meaning of the provisions of the GDR continue to be considered FmH if they were first put into circulation by February 28, 1992. (However, only with regard to driving license issues, so today it is necessary to carry an operating license with you for bicycles with auxiliary engines from the GDR).
• Pedelecs are not classed as FmH, but as bicycles if the pedal assistance reaches a maximum of 25 km / h and the motor output does not exceed 250  watts . This regulation also applies to pedelecs with an electromotive starting or pushing aid up to 6 km / h.
• Small electric vehicles or electric mobility aids such as Segway Personal Transporters are not considered as FmH, but as small electric vehicles according to the Small Electric Vehicles Ordinance , until June 15, 2019 they were considered mobility aids according to the Mobility Aid Ordinance .

literature

• The motor as an organ of the bicycle . In: Automobiltechnische Zeitschrift . 2/1950, pp. 44-48 and 10/1951, pp. 273-275. (with an overview table of the technical data of the auxiliary engines produced at that time)
• Small motors for the bicycle drive in: Motor Vehicle Technology 5/1953, pp. 150–153 (with an overview table of the technical data of the auxiliary motors produced at that time)
• Manfred Nabinger: German bicycle auxiliary engines of the forties and fifties. Podszun-Verlag 2008, ISBN 978-386133-494-1 .
• Johann Kleine Vennekate: Small machines really big. Motorcycles Saxonette mopeds. 1930-1955. Schrader publishing house. 1st edition 1996. ISBN 3-613-87150-5 .

Web links

• Text of the light moped exception regulation
• The moped celebrates its 50th birthday

Individual evidence

1. ↑ § 6 (1) FeV
2. ↑ bmvi.de ( Memento from July 25, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Classification of electric bicycles (accessed on July 17, 2014)
3. ↑ See Ordinance on Motor Vehicle Traffic of March 16, 1928 (RGBl. P. 91)
4. ↑ Johann Kleine Vennekate: p. 8
5. ↑ Johann Small Venne Kate S. 5 and 9
6. ↑ Johann Small Venne Kate S. 89
7. ↑ Frank O. Hrachowy: Kreidler. History - types - technology. Verlag Johann Kleine, Vennekate 2009, ISBN 978-3-935517-45-4 , p. 27
8. ↑ Changes in motorcycle construction . In: Automobiltechnische Zeitschrift . 10/1953, pp. 276-283; 11/1953, pp. 316-317 and 12/1953, pp. 340-341.
9. ↑ The Kreidler J 50 model weighed 33 kg when empty. See [1]
10. ↑ Frank O. Hrachowy: Kreidler. History - types - technology. Verlag Johann Kleine, Vennekate 2009, ISBN 978-3-935517-45-4 , pp. 25-26
11. ↑ See § 18 (2) No. 2 of the StVZO of August 24, 1953
12. ↑ The 33 kg regulation was repealed in 1957.
13. ↑ § 2 Road use by vehicles (4) [2]
14. ^ Ordinances on exceptions to road traffic regulations. ( Federal Law Gazette 1993 I p. 395 ). [3]
15. ↑ Definition of a light moped
16. ↑ FeV § 76 transitional law (8) sentence 2 [4]
17. ↑ FeV § 76 transitional law (8) sentence 1 [5]
18. ↑ Directive 2002/24 / EC (PDF) of the European Parliament and of the Council of March 18, 2002.
19. ↑ Article 5 of the law amending the road haulage law and other laws of June 17, 2013 ( Federal Law Gazette I p. 1558 )

Please note the information on legal issues!