Hello! This is by first time on MotorBicycling.com!
I live in Idaho and I am currently a Senior attending High School. For my senior project I made my first ever Motorized Bicycle!
( nothing special though, just a simple Chinese 2 stroke 49 cc engine. I figured I'd start out cheap with my first project )
I want to make sure that my Bicycle is as legal as possible, but some of the laws regarding Motorized Bicycles in Idaho seem a bit unclear. Here is what I have already done with my bicycle.
- I have made sure that my engine displacement ( cc's ) is 49, so no greater than 50.
- I have front and rear reflectors
- I have a front light ( which is bright enough for the daytime )
- I have a rear light ( which is bright enough for the daytime )
- I am willing to install blinker lights on my bicycle, and I probably will sometime in the future.
- I am willing to order a horn and mirrors.
- I always ride with my Drivers License
- I always ride with a helmet
* I have also tested my Motorized Bicycle to see that it can go no greater than 30 miles per hour with a GPS, and I topped out at 30 MPH *
However, recently the Idaho Legislature made a change to a Statute ( Section 49 - 114 ) which applies to Mopeds. ( The Idaho legislature categorizes Motorized Bicycles as mopeds apparently. ) In Line (9) which they recently added at the beginning of this month, it says , " (9) "Moped" means a limited-speed motor-driven cycle having wheels less than twenty (20) inches in diameter "
My Bicycle has 26 inch tires, and one would assume that this new law would make my bike " Illegal ". Yet, 20 inch tires are about the size of the BMX bike I had when I was 12, and I have looked all over the internet for a bike frame that would be compatible with 20 inch tires and fit the engine inside of the frame, but I have found nothing. And on top of it this would make every Motorized Bicycle with tires bigger than 20 inches in Idaho illegal right?
I tried contacting my Local Authorities, and the Deputy there said that really as long as I don't have an engine bigger that 50 cc and I am not doing any crazy stunts on it, he wouldn't pull me over for having wheels 6 inches too big. ( I don't live in Boise so I am sure that the police are not as picky where I live )
I also have looked on the Idaho DMV website and it says that technically mopeds ( which a motorized bicycle falls under ) are required to have liability insurance. I don't know how I can yet vehicle liability insurance on something that is not considered a vehicle, but even if I could get it insured, I don't want to pay around 100 dollars a year to ride this bike every once and a while to a friends house, especially when I got the engine kit for less!
I am a very safe rider, I am easy going on the throttle, and I don't ride in the Bicycle lanes. ( despite me feeling like I am going to get ran over, and all the bicyclists ride on the sidewalk. ) I also usually don't ride at night.
So ultimately my question is, are there any motor bicyclists in Idaho that know if I need to follow this 20 inch tire rule, and get liability insurance?
BikerBen
I live in Idaho and I am currently a Senior attending High School. For my senior project I made my first ever Motorized Bicycle!
( nothing special though, just a simple Chinese 2 stroke 49 cc engine. I figured I'd start out cheap with my first project )I want to make sure that my Bicycle is as legal as possible, but some of the laws regarding Motorized Bicycles in Idaho seem a bit unclear. Here is what I have already done with my bicycle.
- I have made sure that my engine displacement ( cc's ) is 49, so no greater than 50.
- I have front and rear reflectors
- I have a front light ( which is bright enough for the daytime )
- I have a rear light ( which is bright enough for the daytime )
- I am willing to install blinker lights on my bicycle, and I probably will sometime in the future.
- I am willing to order a horn and mirrors.
- I always ride with my Drivers License
- I always ride with a helmet
* I have also tested my Motorized Bicycle to see that it can go no greater than 30 miles per hour with a GPS, and I topped out at 30 MPH *
However, recently the Idaho Legislature made a change to a Statute ( Section 49 - 114 ) which applies to Mopeds. ( The Idaho legislature categorizes Motorized Bicycles as mopeds apparently. ) In Line (9) which they recently added at the beginning of this month, it says , " (9) "Moped" means a limited-speed motor-driven cycle having wheels less than twenty (20) inches in diameter "
My Bicycle has 26 inch tires, and one would assume that this new law would make my bike " Illegal ". Yet, 20 inch tires are about the size of the BMX bike I had when I was 12, and I have looked all over the internet for a bike frame that would be compatible with 20 inch tires and fit the engine inside of the frame, but I have found nothing. And on top of it this would make every Motorized Bicycle with tires bigger than 20 inches in Idaho illegal right?
I tried contacting my Local Authorities, and the Deputy there said that really as long as I don't have an engine bigger that 50 cc and I am not doing any crazy stunts on it, he wouldn't pull me over for having wheels 6 inches too big. ( I don't live in Boise so I am sure that the police are not as picky where I live )
I also have looked on the Idaho DMV website and it says that technically mopeds ( which a motorized bicycle falls under ) are required to have liability insurance. I don't know how I can yet vehicle liability insurance on something that is not considered a vehicle, but even if I could get it insured, I don't want to pay around 100 dollars a year to ride this bike every once and a while to a friends house, especially when I got the engine kit for less!
I am a very safe rider, I am easy going on the throttle, and I don't ride in the Bicycle lanes. ( despite me feeling like I am going to get ran over, and all the bicyclists ride on the sidewalk. ) I also usually don't ride at night.
So ultimately my question is, are there any motor bicyclists in Idaho that know if I need to follow this 20 inch tire rule, and get liability insurance?
BikerBen
