Has anyone registered as... a Motorcycle?

[Science Abuse]

The legal jist in Ohio is, if I have more than 50cc, I don't have a moped, I have a "motorcycle".
Of course I'm just discovering this after completing my 80cc build.
There's also the stipulation that the bike must -not be able- to exceed 20mph. Meaning its not enough to simply enforce speed limits, I must have a governor on my "moped" to prevent exceeding 20 mph... or it's a "motorcycle". Funny, most cars can do 100mph and we're still allowed to have them

So, alright OBMV, let's do this, I want to get this thing titled so I can ride it. Motorcycle it is.
I have brakes, lights, brake lights, turn signals, mirrors, and a savage top speed of about 30mph.

Has anyone explored this in practice?

 

[Venice Motor Bikes]

Just say that it's a 49cc & put a lot of slack in the throttle cable so that the bike only goes 20 MPH... (problem solved)

 

[Sidewinder Jerry]

For the bureaucratic problems you're going to encounter, it'd be much simpler to buy a motor driven cycle.

Lights, mirrors etc and all that's good to have anyways. Simply stay under 20 mph; you'll have far less problems that way.

 

[Science Abuse]

For the bureaucratic problems you're going to encounter, it'd be much simpler to buy a motor driven cycle.

While that's definitely on the table, I've already got this one. It would be nice to ride it wirhout worrying about The Man, but I guess that's life.

 

[Sidewinder Jerry]

While that's definitely on the table, I've already got this one. It would be nice to ride it wirhout worrying about The Man, but I guess that's life.

The simple solution would then be to stay under 20 mph and obey all traffic laws. It's doubtful a cop is going to pull you over when you're doing 20 mph or less just to check your engine cc size. A bicycle computer is cheap way to have a speedometer.

 

[Science Abuse]

The simple solution would then be to stay under 20 mph and obey all traffic laws. It's doubtful a cop is going to pull you over when you're doing 20 mph or less just to check your engine cc size. A bicycle computer is cheap way to have a speedometer.

Already living by those rules.
But this is Ohio, we're famous for pulling people over for dubious reasons. Ohio requires my motorized conveyance to have tags, and I have none. It's a bullseye on my back.

 

[Sidewinder Jerry]

Already living by those rules.
But this is Ohio, we're famous for pulling people over for dubious reasons. Ohio requires my motorized conveyance to have tags, and I have none. It's a bullseye on my back.

That explains your legal situation a lot better. They do sell 49 cc stickers. You could also adjust the drive ratio to where the bike can't do over 20 mph in order to get your tag.

 

[MEASURE TWICE]

On some 4 stroke engines there are two different hp on the same displacement by having the intake cam lobe a little bigger. The greater amount of fuel air mixture bumps up a 8hp to a 9.9hp. Two stroke engine doesn't have valves using cams though. My bike I licensed but of Off Highway Vehicle, meaning it is dirt bike where allowed and I do have spark arrester muffler as required. I've had a Ranger about ask that, but mostly just the bike a DIY build throws them for a loop.

 

[Stinger45]

The legal jist in Ohio is, if I have more than 50cc, I don't have a moped, I have a "motorcycle".
Of course I'm just discovering this after completing my 80cc build.
There's also the stipulation that the bike must -not be able- to exceed 20mph. Meaning its not enough to simply enforce speed limits, I must have a governor on my "moped" to prevent exceeding 20 mph... or it's a "motorcycle". Funny, most cars can do 100mph and we're still allowed to have them

So, alright OBMV, let's do this, I want to get this thing titled so I can ride it. Motorcycle it is.
I have brakes, lights, brake lights, turn signals, mirrors, and a savage top speed of about 30mph.

Has anyone explored this in practice?

Just some anecdotal experience from Oregon. Years ago, I ordered a Chinese 200cc dual sport motorcycle. It had everything to be completely legal to register and title. The DMV, however, required a letter of authenticity and DEQ to do the paperwork. Ok, I could see that, but I went back and forth with the DMV for at least 4 months, meeting all of their requirements, and even quoting the Oregon title and registration laws back to them to remind them that I had met ALL of the requirements contained therein. Finally, and under a different supervisor, the lady said "I don't see any reason that we cannot register this motorcycle". I was blown away with relief, but it was very disconcerting that it was just a "whim" of one rational person that allowed the registration of my motorcycle. So the bottom line is "good luck" with something that is less substantial such as a home-built moped than an actual compliant motorcycle that was backed by documentation and a lot of determination on my part. BTW, I have a home-built 80cc moped in my garage, but I can see that it could be far more trouble to ride than it is worth. I also have an 800cc V-Twin, and I think I will be riding that instead!