South Dakota seems pretty lenient

[passivepsycho]

I've been riding my bike around town for about two months now and as far as I can tell I'm the only one around with one. That will probably change soon enough because at least once a day somebody stops me and asks me all about it and I gladly tell them where to get one and what the first cop that stopped me said, which was that was as long as it's under 49cc (it's not) and couldn't go more than 35 mph (don't know no speedometer) it was a moped and didn't need to be licensed but the driver needed a plain old regular drivers license (don't have but bs'd my way out of that), he then asked me all about it and I thought he was going to ask me if he could take it for a spin but he didn't and we went our separate ways. Last week however there was a cop posted down at a four way stop waiting to catch people running the sign when I come zippin by. I stopped at the sign and made it look like it was a chore for me to get goin again with the pedals but he stopped me anyway and told me that I had to put lights and mirrors on it for it to be legal. Threatened to write me a handful of tickets blah blah blah, I stopped listening after he said I needed lights. I told him that I had lights on it but they kept vibrating off he said that was my problem handful of tickets, blah blah blah. So long story long in South Dakota you can pretty much do whatever as long as people can see you doin it. Most cops around now know who I am and just wave.

[Leverage]

SD pretty lenient,

Thats good to hear. I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on a bike and plan on commuting to work etc...and am concerned about people on the bike path getting mad. So your on the bike path and no problems? Sioux Falls or Rapid City?

[passivepsycho]

Haven't tried the bike path, there are signs all over that say no motorized travel but you could probably get away with it at night. I'm in Rapid City, and have never gotten anything but a scolding from a cop saying I needed to put lights on it. He still let me go on my way...lol.

[Nougat]

Officially, in SD, under 50cc and without requiring shifting is a moped, regardless of HP or top speed, and does not require titling or registration. You also need to have:

A valid driver's license.
A headlamp "of sufficient intensity to render clearly discernible a person or vehicle at a distance of not less than one hundred feet.
A "stop lamp" (brake light, not just a taillight) visible from a distance "not less than one hundred fifty feet."
If you are under 18, you must also wear a helmet.

Go here and search for "moped": South Dakota Codified Laws Text Search

[Leverage]

Sounds good. I'm now starting to lean towards electric...I really want to be on the bike path were it's more scenic. I just can't make up my mind...Do you have a picture of your ride?

[SANGESF]

If SD is like every other state, you can't ride your electric bike (electrically) on a bike path either. So if your only going electric to ride on a bike path, it's not gonna help ya.