Illinois Laws

These are judgement calls, really. For instance; no bicycle should be ridden on the sidewalk. So having your engine off might or might not help you. It should be avoided.

I haven't found any legal requirement for a headlight in the daytime. But it's a good idea.

An awful lot depends on the rider. If law enforcement perceives you as a danger to little old ladies, children, yourself, other traffic, etc., then they're going to give you the hardest time they can manage.

If they perceive you as a polite and reasonable part of traffic, then you're likely to find them friendly.

So if you ride it like your mother would, then you should do fine. If you ride it like a gonzo freak, then you're likely to have headaches.

Best of luck and have fun.

It not what you ride its how you ride !
Keep a real low profile ,know the laws concerend and remember you repesent all of us when on your bike!
First there is no link between horsepower and cc's ,i run a 66 cc a have had many cops ask what the motor wz and didnt care.
Second : twenty is plenty
Thrid: Stay of sidewalks, trails, and anywere else you don't belong
Yes to lights within 45 min of dusk
Print out and carry : public act 096-0125 and related laws
Lastly welcome to the forum ,with a little looking around ,every question you have can be answered

Well retro ,one explaines ,that horsepower is work done over time and cubic volume messures displacment! The two have absoulty nothing to do with each other .
If you read the law closely they have tried to make up a horsepower "like" statement ,that cant be meet under real world conditions! If you wana judge these two strokes under the clasic SAE deff of shaft horsepower ,you will have trouble even getting them to test at all givening zero HP ...so now you know more on the subject then most cops!
And in reality they can bust you for whatever they want and a judge can find you guilty of whatever they want ,thats just the way it is in IL (the most draconian state) of the USA.
Lastly the motor bike law in IL. Makes no mention of. Cc's


****(625 ILCS 5/1-140.15)
****Sec. 1-140.15. Low-speed gas bicycle. A 2 or 3-wheeled device with fully operable pedals and a gasoline motor of less than one horsepower, whose maximum speed on a paved level surface, when powered solely by such a motor while ridden by an operator who weighs 170 pounds, is less than 20 miles per hour.
(Source: P.A. 96-125, eff. 1-1-10.)
The manufacture of a motor can claim whatever horsepower they want (remember the lawn mower debate from a few years ago)

As an Illinois rider, in a very busy area, riding on a sidewalk/bike path in my opinion is acceptable. I would rather slow down and turn the motor off to pass someone, than get hit by a car because EVERYONE is in a hurry and doesn't pay any attention. I don't ride it like an idiot, I pass people very carefully and a very reasonable speed. The only people that would complain are people that I scare the crap out of because I don't slow down to respect their right to be there vs mine to not. And this does not happen.

People in cars, in a rush, make TERRIBLE choices, and I don't want to be the red stain on the ground because of it. I've only been riding for 3 months now, and I have already almost been hit more than a handful of times because drivers just don't look for us. Illegal or not, I will continue to use sidewalks and bike paths until I'm told otherwise by a police officer, whom in my opinion won't even look twice. As said before, it's the way you ride it that will get you in trouble.

As for the CC's go, a cop is never going to ask you that, nor care. They wouldn't be able to prove anything. You would have to straight up be under investigation for something incredibly terrible for them to go far enough to figure out how many CC's or HP's your bike has.

The above reply pretty much says what needs to be said.

By the way, this is purely for my morning/afternoon commute that I use paths/sidewalks. During rush hour for lack of better words, people are STUPID. Outside of the stupid decision making hours I use the roads as they are less congested and full of more calm drivers.

Well 10sec , you seem to have justified it to yourself ? But the fact is your doing someting that is ilegal (with intent) ! And no matter how you personaly feel about it ,your actions will reflect on all of us !
You seem to be happy to lower the bar till you feel safe (i totaly understand that people drive baddly) ,but thats not whats alowed by the state... Maybe your just getting into the motorized bicycle hobby ,some of us have been fighting for our rights with IL for close to a decade now, to secure your right to ride at all !
Everyone who loves this hobby and want to ride in public ,OWES there fellow riders respect and needs to follow the laws as closely as possible .
We all deal with crappie drivers and rush hour congestion ,be smarter ,take a diff route or leave early ,whatever it takes .
We should all think of how our actions reflect on those who know little or nothing about what we do, and ride with that in mind.

I completely understand your point and respect everyone's cooperation with following the rules to keep us on the right side of the law. However, I give you example #1. 2 lane road, no shoulder, and a 55mph speed limit during rush hour. OR, an average of 15-20mph, turning off the motor and coasting past other riders/walkers in the event I even see one for a short 1/2 mile stretch. I respect the fact that I'm riding where I'm not supposed to, thus keeping myself and others whom may do the same in a trouble free zone. I rarely see more than 3-4 different people in my to/from commute, and those few people are regulars to the point in which we share the "nod" every day.

FYI, Latest news - Illinois Law STILLgrey...

http://www.sj-r.com/top-stories/x45...etermine-which-rules-apply-to-motorized-bikes

What a load of BS . After all we have been thru in this state just to ride un harassed . And they print a photo of a guy rideing down the middle of the street!
Please remember that EVERY time you get on your bike you represent us all! ,even if we dont want you too!
I think we should all comment and ask for reprint with retractions...

Look, I can understand getting angry with those who get on an motorized bicycle and ride like a gonzo freak. They'll bring unjustified hostility on all of us. And we already get plenty of that. But I don't see anyone in this thread who's claiming the right to ride any way they darn well please.

But I'll agree, too, that riding one of these on the sidewalk will likely have the effect of painting a bullseye on all of our backs. Maybe it can be done with such exaggerated politeness that the police will mostly look the other way. But it's risky.

And maybe folks who feel that they 'must' will have second thoughts about that. But maybe not if they feel that they're being attacked and berated over it. It's only human.

Here's what I do. I get off the main streets with lines and lines of auto traffic whenever I possibly can. If that means going fairly far out of my way to go down residential streets or strip mall parking lots, I'll still do it. The 'fulness' of the ride is worth some delay. I'll also ride on the half dirt/half gravel (plus debris) shoulder of the road. Should I have to do that? No. But it's still better that way. In those places where there simply is no alternative, then I'll ride amongst the cars. I take the lane and go about as fast as I dare. That's about twenty or so. If there are stretches where I can't get through quickly, then I'll consider occasionally getting over to the edge and waiting for a line of cars to get on by. There's one spot on my commute where I do get off the road and wait for a gap in traffic before going through a 'bottleneck'. It mostly works good.

I hope the OP is still with us. It's really not all that hard to make yourself one of the least of law enforcements worries.

Let me throw in my 2 cents. Well, with today's rate of inflation, it's more like $1. My commute into town consists of 1/2 mile on a county road (light traffic), 1/2 mile on a U.S. highway (moderate traffic), on which I ride the SHOULDER ONLY. This highway becomes Main Street. At the city limits, I cut over to the first side street. This is a residential street that goes all the way through town. I ride as close to the curb as safely possible. I obey all stop signs and stoplights. So far I have never had any problems. Bottom line here is, ride like you have some sense and you will be okay. The LEO's have more important things to worry about. If you're being sensible I don't think you have anything to worry about.