Moped owners on the Big Island would have to produce a valid safety inspection certificate when registering their machines, under a bill aimed at distinguishing motorcycles disguised as "mopeds."

Although annual safety checks are already required, the county doesn't always verify that documentation before issuing a moped registration, said Lee Lord, Vehicle and Registration Division manager.

"We're not the safety check authority," he said. "Police do that."

However, car, truck and motorcycle owners must prove they have a current inspection certificate before the county will renew the annual registration required to operate those vehicles.

The process is a little different for mopeds. The county issues one moped/bicycle registration that lasts the life of the vehicle. If the moped is resold, the registration must be changed to the new owner's name.

The bill from Mayor Billy Kenoi's administration would amend the county's traffic code by requiring Lord's staff to certify every moped has a current safety check before registering it.

Some vehicles are being sold as "mopeds" when they actually fit the definition of motorcycles, Finance Director Nancy Crawford wrote in a July 21 letter asking the County Council to pass the bill.

The council's Public Safety and Parks and Recreation Committee is scheduled to take up the proposal during its 11 a.m. meeting today in Hilo.

State law defines mopeds as having a maximum 50-cubic-centimeter engine that produces no more than 2 horsepower.

Top speed cannot exceed 35 mph on a level surface, and the vehicle must have an automatic transmission.

Some moped owners increase the engine size, horsepower and top speed of their machines. Those modifications turn the moped into a motorcycle under state law, but may not be obvious to a safety inspector looking at operating lights, good tires and other similar equipment.

Hilo moped dealer Gerry Hollins questioned who will do the safety inspections. The person who used to check his machines has stopped because of liability concerns.

"Now, we have no one on this side of the island that I'm aware of who's doing safety checks," said Hollins, owner of Mid-Pacific Motorsports LLC.

That's prompted Hollins to trim his inventory of mopeds at a time when sales are increasing.

Hawai'i County registered 768 mopeds last year, up from 110 in 2002, Lord said.

He suggested that high gas prices, the poor economy and population growth have all made mopeds more popular.