Illinois

hey otchy: I ride in Decatur as a few of us do! Iam going to plan some rides in the summer 2010 to maybe Springfield,Bloomington,Champaign,and also Pana in July for a bike show.stay in touch and recruit more riders!
 
january can't come soon enough...the new law will be a great step forward,but it does have issues. for one thing :does the Il vec code def. of horsepower apply to a "bicycle device"? Two , are they using the SAE def of horsepower? third I don't think that the terms of there 170 lbs. test would stand up to a challenge. all other devices/vec's allowed on the roadway CAN excede the posted limits ,it's the driver/operator who is responsible to abide by the law. any change to any of the major systems of a small two stroke can change the horsepower generated greatly both pro and con.does the law then limit modification of a factory engine or exaust?
we have already made a concession to ride in the bike lane and too the 20mph limit,we want the use of these "devices" for basic transport,for economic reasons and as a hobby to most. not as some kind of doge or scam as some outsider's seem to see it.
Also even though a 16 year old can't yet vote they soon will and even though I really don't see kid's being the greater part of the Il. ridership.for now but in a few years this first gen of kids will be of voting age and then we may have a better set of laws. but the fight to retain or right's starts now!
I feel we should look at ways to self regulate , beat the "man" to the punch. lett the ridership issue a "device"operaters license, then if they seek to regulate in the future we have a body in place.both to advocate for our right's but also to create a safe, smart system we can live with.

as for the spring rally ,all is going well there are about 20 some guys intrested as of now .My idea of the moment is a full weekend at a campgrounds near monroe (still talking with them trying to get a deal) I was planing a figure eight route of both the local backroads and the trail just to keep it intresting will post more as i figure it out.
 
prussian shop dogs, when you get more info on your plans for the rally, let me know and I will be there! now its my turn to visit you guy's!
 
Here is were you can get a copy of the new 2010 ill state police training gide for the new laws. Page 17 says it all.
 
thats a great find...! as it explains that the license req. has been lifted. to me that issue was not clear in a casual reading of the law. i plan to carry a copy for the next season.

anyone following rally info here I will be posting a brief outline on a new thread shortly.
 
Does anyone really believe that the police will be radar timing our bicycles? Are they even a big enough target to get a radar reading from? Certainly NOT if there are larger vehicles around us, as the radar would pick them up and not our bicycles. I'm pleased that there is at least a law in our favor. I would be VERY surprised if one of us got a ticket for going over 20mph or having an engine that makes more than 1 HP....

Warnercvlt1
 
Nougat said:
warner, depends on the municipality. Chicago cops in the Loop aren't going to care a whit. Cops in the suburbs and rural areas might, if they've got an axe to grind. It is possible to get a speed reading on something as small as a bicycle with a rider, as long as there's a little something for the radar to bounce off of. Still, I'd think it would be more likely that a cop would sneak up from behind and pace to check speed rather than use radar.
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Yeah...maybe. I still think it goes back to the rider having to do something stupid to get hassled, though. Two years ago, when I rode my bike to work (20 miles each way), most of my route was down IL 72 (Higgings Rd.) through a town called Hoffman Estates, which is notorious for having cops that like to pull people over. Back then, the bike was not only illegal at the state level, but Hoffman Estates had (and probably still has) an ordinance against them. Well, I was cruising along at 35 mph on the shoulder of the road on 72 between 58 (Golf Rd) and Roselle road, when a cop in his car passed me....probably going about 40 (which is the speed limit there, I think). Since he came from behind, I never saw him coming so didn't shut the engine off or anything....I don't even think I was pedaling at the time. He just kept on going....didn't hassle me at all. I do wear a helmet, gloves, and bright colored jacket or shirt. I also have a fairly quiet, rack-mount engine that is almost totally hidden from view with bags on the sides and a thick black "pet screen" covering from the rear so the bike doesn't draw a lot of attention, really.

Warner

Here's what it looks like:

MAB34.jpg


MAB21.jpg
 
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Illinois is one of the worst states in regards to "dumb" laws. I live in schaumburg, and as long as im not being a d-bag on my bike, I'm not being bothered. but if you roll through a speed trap on a 25 mph street going 30 mph on a motor bike, expect to get the run around. I like to hit the kill switch when needed, it avoids problems.
 
eat4ever12 said:
Illinois is one of the worst states in regards to "dumb" laws. I live in schaumburg, and as long as im not being a d-bag on my bike, I'm not being bothered. but if you roll through a speed trap on a 25 mph street going 30 mph on a motor bike, expect to get the run around. I like to hit the kill switch when needed, it avoids problems.
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I grew up in Schaumburg, and my parents still live there. I think Hoffman is worse. I wouldn't worry about it...like you said, unless you're acting like a fool you'll be fine. I feel empowered with this new law....which means I'll more than likely get pulled over at some point. Hehe....

Warner
 
elgin police have never stoped me just on their own,but ive got some real pain in the neck neighbors that enjoy calling the cops on me if im testing out my bike and tweaking it by driving up and down the street. when the cops show up they usually tell me they dont care and they dont want to do anything cause its certain people calling them and complaining,but they try to tell me that they can impound my bike,and write me up all kinds of tickets from no drivers license to no insurance and improper lighting.

they haven't yet... east dundee and algonquin have giving me the same threats,but also any local police i have come in contact with all agree i can use the bike path.so i use that as my north and south freeway :)
 
outlawbiker said:
elgin police have never stoped me just on their own,but ive got some real pain in the neck neighbors that enjoy calling the cops on me if im testing out my bike and tweaking it by driving up and down the street. when the cops show up they usually tell me they dont care and they dont want to do anything cause its certain people calling them and complaining,but they try to tell me that they can impound my bike,and write me up all kinds of tickets from no drivers license to no insurance and improper lighting.

they haven't yet... east dundee and algonquin have giving me the same threats,but also any local police i have come in contact with all agree i can use the bike path.so i use that as my north and south freeway :)
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Yeah...honestly, cops don't want to waste their time with a damn bicycle. The only way they'll hassle you is if someone hassles THEM about hassling you. Hehe. I'm friends with a couple of cops (one Elgin and one Streamwood) and both of them have told me that they can't think of any cop that would pull someone over on a motorized bicycle....they said both of their departments have better stuff to do. I'm sure it's your neighbors who are hassling them, so they hassle YOU. There acutally IS an ordinance against the MAB's....but I think it was really directed towards the go peds and stuff that kids ride around on. I have written the city council members and the mayor's office...both times I got vague replies, but it never went anywhere. I took that as a "don't bother us and we won't bother you" type of response. I'm gonna' ride the thing this year....and not worry about it. I DID print the two relevant pages from the new law and will carry that in my bags....

Warner
 
Nougat said:
Here's a link to a document updating police on regulations (PDF):

http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/police/lawupdate0910.pdf

Note that in the index of this document, low speed electric bicycles are listed, but not low speed gas bicycles - however, the law includes gas bicycles, and the text of that law is included in the body of this document.

This may explain what happened to me in Yorkville, where the police told me that the law only applied to electric bicycles, and that gas bikes needed plates and insurance and license (oh my). I bet they looked at this paper, looked at the index, found the listing for electric but not gas, and looked no further.
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I don't know how they could have missed it, really. It's in the second paragraph. This is from page 17 of the PDF document that you posted the link to. There is also more clarification on page 18 of the PDF:

625 ILCS 5/1-140.10 new, 625 ILCS 5/1-140.15 new, 625
ILCS 5/1-146, 625 ILCS 5/11-1516 new
“Low Speed Electric Bike”
Effective Date: 01/01/10
Public Act: 96-0125 Senate Bill: 0236
Synopsis:
Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Defines a low-speed electric bicycle as a 2 or 3-wheeled
device with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts (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. Excludes lowspeed
electric bicycles from the definition of "motor vehicle". Prohibits operation of a low-speed
electric bicycle at a speed greater than 20 miles per hour upon any highway, street, or roadway.
Prohibits operation of a low-speed electric bicycle on a sidewalk. Provides that, except as
otherwise provided, the provisions of the Article of the Code dealing with bicycles also apply to
low-speed electric bicycles.

Adds a definition for a "low-speed gas bicycle" and treats a low-speed gas bicycle the same as a
low-speed electric bicycle in a provision regulating the use of low-speed bicycles and a provision
excluding low-speed bicycles from the definition of a motor vehicle. Removes the requirement
that a person have a valid current Illinois driver's license to operate an electric bicycle.


Warner
 
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