how legal?

mechanickid

mechanickid

New Member
ok so i have had a lot of people telling me different things when they see or hear about my 80cc china bike. some say its a moped and i have to get a licensee, some say its a motorcycle if it goes over 30 and has more than 50cc... some say you have to have a drivers licensee. some say its okay because im 16... everyone wants to tell me what it is.
so whats the deal? i live in nh and they the dmv doesn't seem to have a category for pedal assist bikes. how do you guys know its okay to ride?? i need some proof, for other people who dont want me to ride it, not me.

and if it has gears its no longer a moped... if it is a moped

thanks so much for your help guys.
 
Well I live in west texas and the way it works here is I tell the dmv its 49cc it does'nt say anywhere on the engine what size it is so if you register do it that way. If you have a regular license then your good if you don't then you need a moped license. it is tech a moped since you can pedal or use the motor
 
By the way there is no such thing as an 80cc china engine. My son is in the army serving at fort bliss in Texas he told me he cant have a coverted bike there because of the laws. I guess I have to set him up with an electric bike. :ride2:
 
I've been told that there is no 80cc engine in truth thier all smaller then that I don't why they bill as being that when there not. You can ask other's on this board and they will say the same thing. When I frist started looking into puting a motor on my bike I was looking for an engine and saw the 80cc motor's however I been told by members of this board that there is no such thing as an 80cc china motor. :bike2:
 
Yes, their is no 80cc...it's closer to 67.5cc

I ran into a gentleman here in Tucson while riding my motorized bicycle. He was from NH and said he had a motorized bike that he got registered in NH.

It was like a year ago so my memory is not all that great.

1)He told them that it was a 48cc

2)He told them that it was home built

3)Used bike serial # make, model, ect.

4)Had to have Head light & tail & break light

Thats about all I can remember

Here is a link for moped law.....New Hampshire Moped Laws
 
there are several people here from NH I'm not sure if they have registered or not.

I want to say that the laws are similar to Mass. Look up your states DMV website it will give you the nuts and bolts of what you need to do.

When you go to register:
tell them it is a moped.
tell them it is 48cc or 49cc- never more than 50cc (tell the doubters the same thing- say you got duped and thought you were buying a bigger bike than you were...)
Use your serial number as VIN. There are 2 natural breaks in the serial number in the first break add 2 zeros in the second put 3, make sure your number comes out to 17, remove zeros as needed. When asked about the zeros remain calm and say "That was what was on the bottom bracket."
For head, tail brakes etc- they don't inspect usually... But get one of those cheap $25 head, brake tails and directional signals on eBay. When you get it you will be disappointed in everything there is about it but remember you are making an attempt at legality...
Mirrors are a good thing.
Go into your DMV with the paperwork all filled out.
Pay your fee and ride it.

Afterward you can work on getting a better headlight setup. Norman has a headlight that works off the white wire. Other people have worked on other setups.

Best ting would be to find those NH moped laws print them, make copies and give to people who question you.
 
I live in Michigan. I am going to try and make my bike creation legal too. I don't have a serial number on my bike... Should I make one up? It was an old beat up Huffy mountain bike. I found that Ebay light setup for under $10. Bought it, but it has been 2 weeks and it has failed to show up. Our DMV/SOS charges us $15 for a 3 year sticker. Have some work yet to do. Making the copies of the legal info sounds good in case I get a bored cop on my back.
 
Serial number is usually on bottom bracket.

It is not "basically" a moped, it is not a moped at all. You cannot ride a moped by pedaling (ok technically you can but have you tried).

It is a motor assisted bicycle (or pedal assisted motorized bicycle) and that's how you want to approach this. The key info here is that it doesn't work w/o the pedals i.e. you help the motor and it helps you. You don't padal assist a moped or scooter and that is what sets these apart. DMV/DOT's typically do not know what they are talking about and just want to generate revenue i.e. take your $.

Call your State Patrol, Vehicle Inspection if you have one, and ask about motor assisted bicycles under 50cc.

When you ask about moped laws you get moped law answers not motorized bicycle law answers.

It may end up that they classify them the same but most don't.
 
tyrslider said:
Serial number is usually on bottom bracket.

It is not "basically" a moped, it is not a moped at all. You cannot ride a moped by pedaling (ok technically you can but have you tried).

It is a motor assisted bicycle (or pedal assisted motorized bicycle) and that's how you want to approach this. The key info here is that it doesn't work w/o the pedals i.e. you help the motor and it helps you. You don't padal assist a moped or scooter and that is what sets these apart. DMV/DOT's typically do not know what they are talking about and just want to generate revenue i.e. take your $.

Call your State Patrol, Vehicle Inspection if you have one, and ask about motor assisted bicycles under 50cc.

When you ask about moped laws you get moped law answers not motorized bicycle law answers.

It may end up that they classify them the same but most don't.
Click to expand...

The essential question here was how to be legal in NH. Does anyone have a link to the pertinent NH law regarding MB? I took a look at the website and it is the most a$$backward and un- navigable site I've ever seen...

In terms of legality etc sometimes it is easiest to tell the peeps at the DMV that the motorized bike is a moped, and while we might see it as an insult to our rides and intelligence, it is easier to explain to an idiot that a bike with a motor that looks like a moped is a moped... Especially if that idiot is controlling whether or not you get a sticker that lets you ride without po po harassment. Here in Mass the law classifies my MB the same as a moped and a scooter under 50cc- I need to register and pay $40 and get a sticker and ride with it prominently

I'm thankful for that misunderstanding by my state gov. I can ride without interference because the state gives my ride a place in the law. Sure the state gov wants revenue $$$, but if that's what I've got to pay to ride without the po po bugging me then so be it. I don't want to ride looking over my should for blue lights or being worried that I'm going to get pulled over.

I know that there are a fe people here from NH can they tell us what NH law is regarding MB?

I'm planning a Spring Moped/Scooter and MB ride from my town to NH via old RT 1, I want to know what to expect when I get to NH. I'll call in advance to find out more but. IF I can find out now easier that would be awesome.
 
Here is how it works in my area. Motor Assisted bicycles are not regulated. Mopeds and Scooters are. A moped or Scooter needs an annual sticker and you must be over 16 with a valid drivers license to drive one. No Insurance or registration required. No motorcycle M endorsement required either.

Motor Assisted bicycles are not regulated locally where I live so Federal Law kicks in by default. Federal law says less than 50cc and does not exceed 20 or 30 mph "I do not remember which" under power on level ground it is still a bicycle. That is my understanding of the federal law.

Now.. Some Places Actually have laws for Motor assisted bicycles and the seem to try to lump them in with mopeds for some reason. Which they are not. A bicycle with motor assist is much much less than a moped and really is more a bicycle still than anything.

But.. I am no lawyer and I can not give any legal advice. What are axioms to me are not axioms to others or even local police. A general postulate is that if you call your local law and ask for the laws on motor assisted pedal bicycle, and they can find nothing on it, then the postulate is that they are un regulated and by default federal law kicks in. Again.. I am no lawyer.. So.. If you need to , consult a lawyer. See what they say... Or.. Ride and see what happens.. And when Asked, say it is a 48cc. And it is true.. There are no motors that are 80cc. The largest is 69cc. So far anyway.. Sizes are 43, 45, 47, 48, 60, 63, 67, and 69 being the largest. Depends on the factory. I have seen on guy selling an 80cc and he provided bore and stroke and when doing the math I get 79cc. But again.. I have never seen this. I would have to buy his motor and then measure the bore and stroke and see if it is true. And..If so.. His would be the first.. I can tell you, I have done this and have never measured more than 69cc. Ever.. So.. I quit buying and trying. And for those that sell using this information, they are either lying or they do not know what they are selling.. Both are bad news... Enjoy the ride...
 
From what I found New Hampshire classifies a moped as a cycle w/ less than 2hp that is capable of reaching speads not more than 30mph over a distance of a mile. Therefore including mb's.

I wasn't trying to seem bothered or upset I was trying to make an important distinction, That appears in the state of nh to not matter.

Most states make the distinction because of the differences between mopeds and motorized bicycles. The latter retaining many of the attributes of a bicycle and the former not.

So my apologies for seeming harsh; it was not my feeling or intention
 
tyrslider said:
I wasn't trying to seem bothered or upset I was trying to make an important distinction, That appears in the state of nh to not matter.

So my apologies for seeming harsh; it was not my feeling or intention
Click to expand...

I'm sorry if you found my response to be a little harsh, not my intention, but you have to remember we're on the east coast and there fore we're dealing with short days and cold weather, it's makes us cranky...

LOL

that also goes for the DMVs up here- those peeps need some full spectrum lights round about january...
 
thatsdax said:
...Motor Assisted bicycles are not regulated locally where I live so Federal Law kicks in by default. Federal law says less than 50cc and does not exceed 20 or 30 mph "I do not remember which" under power on level ground it is still a bicycle. That is my understanding of the federal law.


...But.. I am no lawyer and I can not give any legal advice. What are axioms to me are not axioms to others or even local police. ...
Click to expand...

Dax, you are not the only one, but anyone who points to federal law should stop telling people there is a federal law that governs when, how or where a motorized bicycle can be used. The only federal law anyone has ever pointed out to me regulates manufacturing requirements and has nothing to do with where it is legal to operate, what is needed to operate, or what license, if any, is needed. that is also the only federal my research has revealed. Let me say it again- the federal law does not state that any motorized bicycle is legal to operate on any road anywhere in the U.S. It does not concern road legality at all.

At this point, road legality is purely a state or local issue. I am a lawyer.
 
Tinker4 said:
By the way there is no such thing as an 80cc china engine. My son is in the army serving at fort bliss in Texas he told me he cant have a coverted bike there because of the laws. I guess I have to set him up with an electric bike. :ride2:
Click to expand...

I myself being in the Army think that you speak of driving rules on post (base). You can not ride pedal assist bikes on post as you can not register them on-post. However the state of Texas does not require registration if the engine is 49cc or below.

You can however utilize electric bikes as long as they don't exceed 20MPH and you properly follow traffic laws and wear the proper safety equipment put out by the Army (Helmet, gloves, reflective vest, foot wear above the ankles).

But, ultimately you can ride an electric bike on post and no one will question it. I think they don't allow any gas engine pedal assist bikes due to noise ordinance.

Hope this helps!


SPC Thomson Ft. Hood, Tx.
 
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