When does a motorized bicycle become a motorcycle?
- Thread starter locell
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You need to be 48cc or less in AZThe cc's of the engine.... Alot of riders here run 66cc that are stamped 49cc just for that reason
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Joe, what is the difference between a seat and a saddle? I always thought it was the same thing.
There is a thread somewhere where someone is trying to use the definition differences between a seat and a saddle to try to use it as an excuse to skirt around a law definition between a motor-driven cycle, motorcycle and a motorized bike.
It's a non-issue as I'm sure it wouldn't hold up in any court.. It's, in my opinion, just a silly attempt to bypass that particular state's law. (I don't remember which one, ATM).
It's a non-issue as I'm sure it wouldn't hold up in any court.. It's, in my opinion, just a silly attempt to bypass that particular state's law. (I don't remember which one, ATM).
Try to put a seat on a horse sometime.......you'll feel the difference. On a bicycle they feel the same
I think I'm gonna have to stamp my 212cc like that......no one will ever know.
In California, they go by how much smoke comes out the exhaust pipe......not the size of the engine.
Usually whether it's a motorcycle isn't the biggest consideration. More importantly, is it a motor vehicle? In Texas a moped, motorcycle, or automobile, are all considered the same, self propelled. If it's self propelled, it's a motor vehicle no matter what else you call it. Self propelled means that with the motor running, you can ride it off from a stop under it's own power.Hi -
If i built a motorized bike using this frame:
http://www.kingsmotorbikes.com/alum-bike-frame-gt-2-a.htm
would it be a motorized bicycle, a motorcycle or something else?
The deal is I wouldn't be motorizing an existing bicycle. Gas-Tank in frame and horizontal rear dropouts, that sounds like a motorcycle to me
Technically the frame is not intended for use in a pedal-powered situation, in fact it is "designed to be motorized"
Motorized bicycles are legal in my area, but the cops still harass you if you are on one. If I was riding one with the said frame, I could see the cop classifying it as something other than a motorized bicycle and writing me a bunch of tickets etc. This is something I'd like to avoid.
Motor bicycles are considered a gray area here, and in a lot of states, because you could argue in court that a china girl style MB isn't self propelled because you have to peddle it from stops.
Some states have MB spicific laws, and in that case those laws are what you must follow.
LOL, Ya dingus!On a bike?
The spelling.
OnT, where fuel is stored will in no way impact any law pertaining to the vehicle being a MB or MC if it, it self is legal. IMHO.
I never had to pedal my chinas from a stop.........just rev and let out the clutch, just like a motorcycle.
That's how mine works too...
The whole "self propelled" issue has been beaten to death on every forum I've seen...
It's funny...
1.) When someone's in trouble with the law, they try to use the intent of the law to get away with it.
2.) When someone tries to skirt around a law, they try to use the letter of the law for their purposes, until #1 happens..
OR
The opposite happens.
Seat, saddle, self propelled, not self propelled, 48cc, 49cc, 200cc, Grey area, red area, black area, intent, letter, etc... Its all a bunch of mallarky..
Either you're allowed to have a motorized bicycle on public roads or not.
Either you need a license to ride a motorized bicycle on public roads or you don't.
In the majority of cases, the states that require a license, do so for one reason and one reason only... To stop those who lost their licenses from riding a gas powered (and, in some cases, electric powered) bicycle. We all know it's a form of punishment.
The laws are changed to reflect most of the vehicles current, past or present used on roads.. Not every vehicle can be described as things changed.
When there is a gray area in the law, it's just that the law hasn't kept up with the times.
In NJ where I'm from originally, mopeds didn't require a license until the late 70's to early 80's as those who lost their licenses due to DUIs noticed that there was no license needed... THEN somewhere along the line, EVERY drunk driver was ridng mopeds on the roads, creating problems, accidents, etc.. (at least in the two counties I lived in..) And then the legislature changed the licensing requirement for just that reason.
My 2 cents.
The whole "self propelled" issue has been beaten to death on every forum I've seen...
It's funny...
1.) When someone's in trouble with the law, they try to use the intent of the law to get away with it.
2.) When someone tries to skirt around a law, they try to use the letter of the law for their purposes, until #1 happens..
OR
The opposite happens.
Seat, saddle, self propelled, not self propelled, 48cc, 49cc, 200cc, Grey area, red area, black area, intent, letter, etc... Its all a bunch of mallarky..
Either you're allowed to have a motorized bicycle on public roads or not.
Either you need a license to ride a motorized bicycle on public roads or you don't.
In the majority of cases, the states that require a license, do so for one reason and one reason only... To stop those who lost their licenses from riding a gas powered (and, in some cases, electric powered) bicycle. We all know it's a form of punishment.
The laws are changed to reflect most of the vehicles current, past or present used on roads.. Not every vehicle can be described as things changed.
When there is a gray area in the law, it's just that the law hasn't kept up with the times.
In NJ where I'm from originally, mopeds didn't require a license until the late 70's to early 80's as those who lost their licenses due to DUIs noticed that there was no license needed... THEN somewhere along the line, EVERY drunk driver was ridng mopeds on the roads, creating problems, accidents, etc.. (at least in the two counties I lived in..) And then the legislature changed the licensing requirement for just that reason.
My 2 cents.
You probably just don't know how to ride it right lol.I never had to pedal my chinas from a stop.........just rev and let out the clutch, just like a motorcycle.
Yup, that's how it seems to work.......a couple of wreckless idiots screw it up for the rest of mankind. End of story. Sad but true.
Good post, spot on. And to the point about mopeds in the 70's, I remember it well. The Arab oil embargo, formation of OPEC and price shocks at the pump had a lot to do with 'ped boom as well. Mopeds were basically unregulated for the most part in many places, initially anyway, then as abuses piled up that all changed. It effectively killed the moped boom in it's tracks because regulations were enacted that made it about the same as registering a real motorcycle. Anyone seeing any similarities here yet?
