Moped Trip website

A World Record

At the suggestion of a moped enthusiast who contacted me via email, I submitted this trip to Guinness World Records to see if it qualified as the longest moped trip ever undertaken. Here is the first email that I received in reply:

From: Customer Relations - Guinness World Records <CRM@guinnessworldrecords.com>
To: Walter Muma
Sent: Friday, December 06, 2002 5:40 AM
Subject: Guinness World Record

Claim ID: 36278
06 December 2002

Dear Mr Muma

Thank you for sending us the details of your recent record proposal for 'Longest moped journey - Cape to Cape'. I am afraid to say that we are unable to accept this as a Guinness World Record.

We regret that this does not break our current record: longest moped journey Cape to Cape  Adam Paul completed a journey from Cape Horn, Argentina to the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, travelling a distance of 36,640miles, riding a Honda C90, from 10 April 1996-5 March 1998.

I appreciate that this may be disappointing to you, but I hope that this does not deter you from trying again.  We are always keen to hear from people who wish to set a Guinness World Record.  If you should need any advice regarding breaking an existing record or setting a new Guinness World Record please contact us again through our website or directly quoting the above membership number.

Once again thank you for contacting Guinness World Records.  We wish you every success with any future record-breaking endeavors.

Yours sincerely,

Amanda Sprague
Records Research Services

This is, however, incorrect!

It was later brought to my attention that the "moped" that Adam Paul rode, a Honda C90, is not a moped at all, but rather a small motorcycle.
Please see the article Adam Paul Cape-to-Cape (on this website) for more details about that trip.

I therefore resubmitted my claim for longest moped journey ever undertaken to Guinness World Records in May 2004, asking them to reconsider.

Here is the response I received in October 2004:
 

To: Walter Muma
Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2004 8:49 AM
Subject: Guinness World Records

Claim ID: 36278

Dear Mr Muma

Thank you for your latest correspondence regarding your recent record attempt for 'Longest moped journey - Cape to Cape', which we rejected. We have noted your comments as regards reconsidering our decision.

While we agree that Adam Paul's motorcycle was arguably not a moped, the situation is not as clear-cut as you have proposed in your definition. For example, in the UK a moped is, by law, any motorcycle with an engine capacity below 50cc. Pedals are not strictly required.

In the light of this type of uncertainty, and the physical impossibility of us publishing separate records for the longest rides on motorcycles of every possible type and engine capacity, we have for the last few years only considered overall records in this category. Thus we leave it up to the rider to choose the machine most suited to breaking the current record, and have not for some time considered records for the longest journeys on a particular type or size of motorcycle.

As a result, the record category for the longest journey by moped has been 'rested' (or frozen). We will not consider any new claims in this category, and it will not be published again in the future.


Therefore our initial position still stands and this is our final decision.

Unfortunately, given that we receive well in excess of 60,000 enquiries and claims per year, we regret that we will not be able to enter into any further correspondence regarding this particular case.

Once again, can we thank you for your interest in Guinness World Records.

Yours sincerely,

Amanda Sprague
Records Research Services

 

Okay...
Since they are not tracking journeys on true mopeds, then I will  :)

 

In the absence of "official" recognition, I therefore make the declaration myself:

The moped trip described on this website is the longest journey ever undertaken on an unmodified true moped, until 2007.

A longer journey was made from April 16, 2006 to December 8, 2007 by Denieulle Benoit in Europe, on a true moped. He traveled 27,270 km until his moped was stolen in Prague.
And in 2009 he travelled 33,068km in 226 days.

His website, where his trip is fully documented, is here: Tour de l’Europe et de l’Asie en Mobylette. A Google Map of his trip here.

Another long moped trip was made in 2006. A couple of guys rode mopeds from California to Tierra del Fuego in 2006. Their trip is described in their blog here: Creatures of the Loin. They claim that their trip was the longest moped trip ever made. Well, even if it was, not any more.

There are some difficulties with their claim to the longest moped trip ever made:

  • The mileage is not documented in any way on the blog. Numbers for the length of the trip have been quoted/estimated from 13,000 miles to 20,000 miles. The actual documented length of the trip is not yet known for sure.
  • The mopeds they used were apparently modified in some way. In a trailer for a documentary they are filming the mopeds are shown flying past at a speed much higher than usual for mopeds. This brings up the question ... what is a true moped? Generally accepted definitions include: 49.9cc engine size, top speed of 50 kph (30 mph), and are able to be pedal-driven. And some contend they must be unmodified from the factory.

By the way, in their blog (which is mostly a childish rant about bad things that happen to them along the way) I am referred to as "that jerk in Canada".
Grow up, guys!

However, all that aside, it was a stupendous journey!

 

The Moped Riders Association has recently (Oct 2004) awarded me
the title of "Distinguished Rider" in recognition of this journey.

 

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