Hello from Houston! (TX)

[Ryoskate]

Howdy! Been following up on motorized bicycles and this forum for about a year now but I never really registered. Should have, and now I did.

I've been somewhat active in the Rat Rod Bikes forums but the motorized scene is pretty dead there so I'll probably double post or move here in a bit.

I will be getting a cheap chinagirl which I'll completely take apart and QC from ground up, Maybe a puch head and some goodies to make a bit more power. I may work with DIY - CDI If I have the chance.

Really looking forward to seeing more science and engineering than superstition commonly seen in Facebook pages As well as Local Texas laws (which I believe is still a "greyzone") if there are anything new.

Anyways, enough talk, here's a picture of mi bicicleta.

 

[2door]

Welcome to the forum. Looks like you have a good start on your first motorized bicycle. Tell us about your plans for it. Thanks for joining and sharing your project with us.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Tom

 

[xseler]

Something's amiss with our current space/time continuum......me thinks.

 

[Goergedave]

Howdy! Been following up on motorized bicycles and this forum for about a year now but I never really registered. Should have, and now I did.

I've been somewhat active in the Rat Rod Bikes forums but the motorized scene is pretty dead there so I'll probably double post or move here in a bit.

I will be getting a cheap chinagirl which I'll completely take apart and QC from ground up, Maybe a puch head and some goodies to make a bit more power. I may work with DIY - CDI If I have the chance.

Really looking forward to seeing more science and engineering than superstition commonly seen in Facebook pages As well as Local Texas laws (which I believe is still a "greyzone") if there are anything new.

Anyways, enough talk, here's a picture of mi bicicleta.

I agree with the grey area. I can only tell you my experience. Living in Austin I did, a while back confirm with someone at the DMV or DPS(I forget which) that no license, registration or insurance was necessary for a 49CC motorized bicycle. Think they call it a motor assisted bicycle(not to be confused with a motor assisted scooter). However, not all officers throughout Texas knows this. AS far as the Texas Sheriff's Dept. is concerned I have a legal motorized bicycle. I have spoken to them in front of my residence(live on a dirt road outside of APD's jurisdiction and they(sheriff's dept) stroll by occasionally) and that was confirmed by him. I have since been "stopped" by 3 other officers with Sheriff SUV's at my local convenience store just to ask me what I was riding and for some specifics about it. Not once did they ask me for my license or why it wasn't tagged. I have however heard of Issues over at UT but I rarely venture downtown. I wasn't paying attention unfortunately and stopped mere maybe a foot from a parked vehicle as I was coming to a stop in a parking lot at the convenience store. It was a Sheriff. WHOOPS!!!! He just asked me where I got it from. I told him where the bike came from and the motor was added on(OBVIOUSLY). I had my Kryptonite series 2 U-lock and a very thick cable as well. Even before I went to lock it up he asked me you want me to watch it while you're inside? Sure, thank you.

Anyways I wasn't expecting to ramble. Sorry about that. WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!!!!

 

[Ryoskate]

I agree with the grey area. I can only tell you my experience. Living in Austin I did, a while back confirm with someone at the DMV or DPS(I forget which) that no license, registration or insurance was necessary for a 49CC motorized bicycle. Think they call it a motor assisted bicycle(not to be confused with a motor assisted scooter). However, not all officers throughout Texas knows this. AS far as the Texas Sheriff's Dept. is concerned I have a legal motorized bicycle. I have spoken to them in front of my residence(live on a dirt road outside of APD's jurisdiction and they(sheriff's dept) stroll by occasionally) and that was confirmed by him. I have since been "stopped" by 3 other officers with Sheriff SUV's at my local convenience store just to ask me what I was riding and for some specifics about it. Not once did they ask me for my license or why it wasn't tagged. I have however heard of Issues over at UT but I rarely venture downtown. I wasn't paying attention unfortunately and stopped mere maybe a foot from a parked vehicle as I was coming to a stop in a parking lot at the convenience store. It was a Sheriff. WHOOPS!!!! He just asked me where I got it from. I told him where the bike came from and the motor was added on(OBVIOUSLY). I had my Kryptonite series 2 U-lock and a very thick cable as well. Even before I went to lock it up he asked me you want me to watch it while you're inside? Sure, thank you.

Anyways I wasn't expecting to ramble. Sorry about that. WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!!!!

Thanks for the info and the greeting! Hopefully the authorities won't be over-sensitive where I live. ("There's a suspicious looking Asian kid on an illegal unregistered scooter!")
I'm convinced that as long as I'm following traffic rules and isn't doing anything stupid, I'll be fine.
I think I'll print out the sections and maybe highlight it in case I can't explain it well enough.

I'm planning on using this for commute to highschool on nice days, hopefully I won't end up like the guy at UT, which I have read about a while ago.

 

[Ryoskate]

Welcome to the forum. Looks like you have a good start on your first motorized bicycle. Tell us about your plans for it. Thanks for joining and sharing your project with us.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Tom

My plan is a Hot/Rat/Cafe-rod thing. I guess a Grand-Touring if you put it in car-terms. I will make a thread on the forum soon for more details.

Something's amiss with our current space/time continuum......me thinks.

E=mc^2