michigan motor bicycle law

GoldenMotor.com

paul

Well-Known Member
Dec 23, 2007
5,547
44
48
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Kalamazoo, MI
state of michigan rules are tougher then most states. you must registar the bike with the state and to do that you need a headlight turn signals and also brake lights. you get a 3 year moped sticker for $15.00. motor must be smaller then 50cc and have a top speed of less then 30mph. anything bigger then 50cc or faster then 30mph falls under motorcycle laws and registration. luckely the motors do not say what size the are and the only way to tell is to tear them down and measure the cylinder. no way to tell if the motor is a 48cc or and 80cc. let you concious be your guilde:D
 

Norman

LORD VADER Moderator
Jan 16, 2008
2,605
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pampa texas
Re: michigan

Cruiser
All my (cough, cough) bikes are 36cc all are stamped that way.;);)
Norman
Dremels and metal stamps are my friends:oops:
 

kirks putt putt

New Member
May 9, 2008
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laws are made to be bent, as far as the turn singles an head lites go,if the bike is a replica of once was made prior to the turn single laws all you need is to use your hand, an lites are only needed after dark.,,,, there was a person some time back that said bikes dont have to follow traffic rules,, WRONG all bikes of any kind must stop at all stop sines, lites ect. you can an will get a ticket if you dont.... been there done that..
 

UVsaturated

New Member
May 15, 2008
140
4
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Dayton, Ohio
I am down here in Ohio and fortunately most people here are too stupid to be progressive enough to ride a motor assisted bike. So I haven't heard a lot about licensing of motorized bikes.

I know that the ORC (Ohio Revised Code) defines it as under 50cc not more than 20 mph I think, but I will have to check.
 

Concretesledge

New Member
May 17, 2008
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So, i have a few DUI'S and my license is suspended, i asked a cop if i could drive one of the bikes, and he said NOPE.... i didnt ask about 36cc or 50cc i guess it doesnt matter..and i asked about pedal assist.. he said it doesnt matter..
 

UVsaturated

New Member
May 15, 2008
140
4
0
Dayton, Ohio
So, i have a few DUI'S and my license is suspended, i asked a cop if i could drive one of the bikes, and he said NOPE.... i didnt ask about 36cc or 50cc i guess it doesnt matter..and i asked about pedal assist.. he said it doesnt matter..
Actually that is nonsense. The ability to drive after you get a DUI/DWI only applies as applicable to whether or not you need a license to do so. If you don't need a license, which in many states you don't then it should be just as legal as riding a bicycle.

I hate how they try to regulate our ability to travel, isn't that one of our rights under the constitution?

I guess they figure walking is all we have the "right" to.
 

thatsdax

Member
Feb 22, 2008
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www.thatsdax.com
These are bicycles with motor assist. Not motorized with pedal assist. These are bicycles. It would seem to me that a person would be asking about the bicycle laws. Besides.. You hit the kill switch and pedal..Then what can they do? It is a bicycle. I always rotate my pedals when riding. That is a habit and a good one. IT tells everyone that I am in fact riding my bicycle. The Federal Statue for these being classified as bicycles is posted in this legal section. Copy it and print it. Again..These are motor assisted bicycles. They are less than a moped for sure. But..there are some states that have requirements for bicycles. Find out what they are. And.. If a cop does not know the law for MAB's. He will make one up. The Cop is judge and jury on the street. So..Ride cool and rotate those pedals. You never know who is looking.. Enjoy the ride..
 

Concretesledge

New Member
May 17, 2008
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yes but according the fed regs... the state can regulate which vehicles" are mopeds, and it says on that site, here


A moped is a two- or three-wheeled vehicle with a motor which has no more than 50cc piston displacement producing two brake horsepower or less. The moped must have a power drive system that does not require shifting gears and cannot have a top speed exceeding 30 mph on level surfaces.


so it is considered a moped dax, yeah its total bull$#$# because if a person at the age of 15, thats never even had a license can drive it, than i should be able to , but just because i got a suspended license they want to take that away from me..
 

thatsdax

Member
Feb 22, 2008
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www.thatsdax.com
I am no lawyer, but that definition is vague at best. I mean.. I see moped, 2 and 3 wheels, and gears. 30mph max. I see nothing in there about a pedal bicycle. And you can bet, there is a huge difference. Look.. A moped when bought comes with a headlight, tail light, some even have blinkers. But for sure a headlight and tail light. A bicycle does not. A motor assisted bicycle is not a moped. Period. That definition you provided is just not clear at all when it comes to bicycles. What does the local law say about bicycles? Are you saying that the moped law as stated there is applicable to bicycles? Yikes !! Sounds like your area and local law is in no way promoting the conservation of fuel. If that is what you are saying , then it would seem that the law there is promoting the use of Cars and trucks and nothing else. Wow !! That is my take. And..If that is the case, then..That does suck !! Oil will hit 200usd a barrel soon. Gas will go to 6usd a gallon.. And your state wants you to pay for that and use all the gas you can. Pay up !!! There are a host of Electrics and gas powered motor assisted bicycles coming out. I am sorry you live in an area that still lives in the past when gas was 23 cents a gallon and cars got 7 mpg. Who cared? Well..That was back then.. 30 years ago. Those days are gone forever. We need to do something to save fuel, money, and get around. We need to be able to travel. Period. I hope someday your locals will see the light as other states. Like AZ. or just keep motor assisted bicycles un regulated, as most other states currently are.
 

UVsaturated

New Member
May 15, 2008
140
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Dayton, Ohio
So like many posters have said before just limit your project to under 50cc and top speed of 20 mph. Of course you cannot tell the size of any engine unless you actually know what it is or it is stamped somewhere on the nameplate, etc - which no cop is going to do, and if it looks small you might be able to get away with that in court if you provide some evidence. Limiting speed is as easy as a throttle stop or just not exceeding 20 mph.

Either way the laws seem to be designed to discourage people from riding them on streets, sharing them with cars, probably because kids would take advantage of it and this raises issues with safety if it cannot be regulated, which is also why they require minors to wear a helmet.

I think if any of you had a reasonable bike that fit the state guidelines and had the state codeified law printed as proof to show a cop, and you get a citation, then merely go to court and stand firm for your case. I bet you the cop will not even show up for the case if he isnt fully sure of the law and they will quickly drop it.

If enough people catch on to this and start riding them, it will become more acceptable and tolerated by drivers and the police alike as long as people dont become careless with it.
 

jnanasakti

New Member
May 21, 2008
10
0
0
Re: michigan

Cruiser
All my (cough, cough) bikes are 36cc all are stamped that way.;);)
Norman
Dremels and metal stamps are my friends:oops:
(cough, cough) that's great that they're stamped (cough, cough); any chance you have a picture of what the stamp looks like?
 

DannyDodge

New Member
May 22, 2008
10
0
0
36
Detroit,Michigan
www.motownmuscle.com
how do i go about getting the bike legal?

just go into SS and tell them i need a moped slip? last time i did that you had to put in who makes the bike, a vin number, all that jazz...

would i just make up a vin and put my name for the manufactor? or put schwinn?
 

Bikeguy Joe

Godfather of Motorized Bicycles
Jan 8, 2008
11,837
252
63
up north now
Use the VIN (vehicle identification number) from the bicycle.
Manufacturer is Schwinn.
Engine size 48cc.
The maximum operational speed 20 mph.
The maximum horsepower output @ 3500 rpm is 1.2.
Register it as a "motor assitsted bicycle"
 

Boomer

New Member
Jun 19, 2008
12
0
0
state of michigan rules are tougher then most states. you must registar the bike with the state and to do that you need a headlight turn signals and also brake lights. you get a 3 year moped sticker for $15.00. motor must be smaller then 50cc and have a top speed of less then 30mph. anything bigger then 50cc or faster then 30mph falls under motorcycle laws and registration. luckely the motors do not say what size the are and the only way to tell is to tear them down and measure the cylinder. no way to tell if the motor is a 48cc or and 80cc. let you concious be your guilde:D
I just went through all this, in fact a lady I have coffee with from time to time works at the Michigan SOS Office here in Van Buren County, in fact she and her husband are thing seriously about building a kit bike. She told me they are considered "Pedal Assist" therefor meet the regulations of a bicycle. She said the way they look at it at their office is if it doesn't have pedals on it, it would have to meet the regulations of a moped or motorcycle. It's like she said "My God their selling 80cc kit's on Ebay with no markings on them, how they gonna know" (my kinda woman)...lol Before talking to her I talked to two people at the Mich SOS 800 number and these people were LOST! The first person didn't have a clue to what I was talking about so he handed me over to their technical staff (lol)...this gets even better. This woman tells me "oh yeah...you need a headlight, taillight, turn signals and a (get ready for this) a WIPER" Ya...you heard it! I said "a wiper?". She says "that's right...a wiper". I said I've been on this Planet 66 years now and I have yet to see a wiper on a motorized two wheel vehicle" (Ok...now here comes the punch line) She says "Oh yeah...all the new ones have them" Only in the State of Mighigan can you walk into the Secretary of States Office high on drugs, buzzed on Bloody Mary's, half naked and get a State job with with a fat pension and all the bennies. In summation...I plan on getting a speedometer to deal with our one local cop, all he does is write speeding tickets and hides every where, stamp the engine block and move the pedals from time to time. It's called "Pedal Assist", no pedals = moped and motorcycle.
 

bigdreamz2000

New Member
Oct 8, 2008
35
0
0
Michigan
Here is the scoop. I got an e-mail back from the top of the SOS:

Thank you for using the Department of State's web site.A moped is a two- or three-wheeled vehicle with a motor which has no more than 50cc piston displacement producing two brake horsepower or less. The moped must have a power drive system that does not require shifting gears and cannot have a top speed exceeding 30 mph on level surfaces. Electric Bicycles A bicycle equipped with either an electric or gasoline motor meets both the definition of Motor Vehicle, MCL 257.33, and Moped, MCL 257.32b, and is subject to state laws and local ordinances applicable to motor vehicles rather than those governing the use of bicycles. Some retailers and operators of electric bicycles are under the misconception that a federal law exempts these vehicles from applicable motor vehicle laws. They will cite Public Law 107-319, which makes low speed electric bicycles consumer products rather than motor vehicles solely for the purpose of manufacturing requirements and safety standards. Contrary to the misconception of these retailers and operators, Public Law 107-319 has no effect on state laws or local ordinances governing the use of vehicles on public streets and highways. The federal law is very clear on this distinction. If you have other questions, feel free to contact us at 888 SOSMICH (888-767-6424). Sincerely, Rose Heyer, Departmental TechnicianDepartment of State Information Center