Idaho Moped Law

[jburr36]

This state is funny with the statutes though greedy. If one puts an engine on a skateboard (california has so many who do that) it has to be titled and registered and meet all FMVSS requirements and the rider needs a valid driver's license to operate it on any public road if you wish to go by the literal interpretation of the statutes. All that because the skateboard has 4 wheels.

My moped will be limited to 30 mph so the classification of a moped for it won't change therefore I am in the right forum.

 

[jburr36]

So you admit to using a shift kit when the Moped definition clearly forbids one. Some piece of work you are. You have been trying to claim you are getting completely legal yet are in direct violation of the very Idaho definition of a moped.

Reread the moped definition.
"Moped" means a limited-speed motor-driven cycle having:
(a) Both motorized and pedal propulsion that is not capable of propelling the vehicle at a speed in excess of thirty (30) miles per hour on level ground, whether two (2) or three (3) wheels are in contact with the ground during operation. If an internal combustion engine is used, the displacement shall not exceed fifty (50) cubic centimeters and the moped shall have a power drive system that functions directly or automatically without clutching or shifting by the operator after the drive system is engaged;

Do you have a standard hand operated clutch? If so then according to you you are in violation of the law too. ROTFL. As I stated, the police didn't have anything regarding gears or clutching on their guidelines. So what. Also technically I disengage the drive system each time I change a gear.

LOL. People and their glass houses.

 

[DuctTapedGoat]

Well GR, do you have a centrifugal clutch, or the stock dry clutch? Unless it's centrifugal, it's not the legal one.

To correct my post :

A motorized bicycle that is registered as a motorcycle can still retain it's pedals. If it's on a bicycle frame the state may view it as a motorcycle, but it'd still be a motorized bicycle. Just a BA motorized bike.

You're getting in a major tissy, calm down.

 

[jburr36]

So you admit to using a shift kit when the Moped definition clearly forbids one. Some piece of work you are. You have been trying to claim you are getting completely legal yet are in direct violation of the very Idaho definition of a moped.

You have completely lost any respect I may have ever held for you. You're just a hypocrite.

Reread the moped definition.
"Moped" means a limited-speed motor-driven cycle having:
(a) Both motorized and pedal propulsion that is not capable of propelling the vehicle at a speed in excess of thirty (30) miles per hour on level ground, whether two (2) or three (3) wheels are in contact with the ground during operation. If an internal combustion engine is used, the displacement shall not exceed fifty (50) cubic centimeters and the moped shall have a power drive system that functions directly or automatically without clutching or shifting by the operator after the drive system is engaged;

Eh, Greedy... I just did some checking on the shift kit with the police. I told them how the shift kit is attached and works as well as the how the engine drive transmission works. They asked me if shifting is REQUIRED to operate my moped normally and I said no. I can start off in 4th gear while pedal assisting up to speed or I can start off in 1st without pedal assisting up a hill and not have to shift gears and since it's a cent clutch it's considered an automatic drive system. So technically I can only change gears while stopped or when the drive system is disengaged. BUT AND GET THIS....THIS IS KEY... my output shaft from the gearbox on the engine has a freewheel on it and it is connected to the shift kit jackshaft by a chain. According to the cop I spoke with technically every time I throttle off the engine it is automatically disengaged FROM THE DRIVE SYSTEM WITHOUT ANY ACTION FROM THE OPERATOR because of that freewheel since when I release the throttle the engine returns to idle and the cent clutch automatically disengages the engine from the drive sytem even when I am coasting. So technically according to the cop I can shift gears after I release the throttle because the drive system i automatically disengaged at that point.

We agreed that I would be shifting the gears before the drive system is automatically engaged every time I release the throttle and not after because of that wonderful little freewheel on the output shaft of the gearbox.

I have a twist grip shifter next to the throttle grip positioned in a way that I have no choice but to release the throttle every time I shift a gear. I am 100% legal regarding the mechanical requirements of my bike, pal.

ROTFL!!

P.S. There is no need to insult and berate others that disagree with you. That only makes you look bad in the end whether you are right or wrong.

 

[Mwilso27]

So here it is in Idaho you do not need to title register or insure your Moped as long as you do not exceed 30mph, 2 break (most 50cc are rated at 1.6) and no bigger than 50cc. You do however need a license to operate it so if you don't have a license go to Montana you're safe there.

HERE'S THE CATCH:
There are no new two strokes produced anywhere in the world that meet the 2006 federal clean air act rules that for the first time included 50cc and below motors. Most if the 4 stroke small motors can't meet it either. However from the research I've done is the EPA goes after manufacturers and importers of the motors. The motor engine I bought was already in the US. So I didn't import the motor. You also cannot build these bikes and sell them to people for street use. The loophole that allows these motors in says that racing bikes don't need to comply with the clean air act and the fact that when not installed on anything they are considered parts and that is not regulated to the extent of a vehicle. Here's some good news the EPA probably won't go after a individual just trying to get to work don't sell them though. I personally never have seen anyone being pulled over by the EPA. I also checked with the Idaho environmental protection agency and they do in fact enforce the federal clean air act for the most part but not small engines and the motor vehicle law doesn't specify 2 or 4 stroke as long as it is under 50cc. As for the lights and safety required Idaho law in this case is stricter than federal law. While unregulated at the federal level Mopeds in Idaho are required to comply with the fmvss for motor driven cycle. In the federal regulations there are two classifications of motor driven cycles one for speeds less than 30mph and one for greater than 30mph. You need a light in the front only if you operate at night and a rear reflector no rear lights are required at any time. No turn signals are required. I am still not sure whether a mirror or horn is required but I don't think it would be a bad idea to have.

 

[BikerBen]

Hello! I know this thread is old but I just thought that I would post this here for all to see.

In the Idaho Statutes, under Title 49 Chapter 1, it says, "
(9) "Moped" means a limited-speed motor-driven cycle having wheels less than twenty (20) inches in diameter and:
(a) Motorized propulsion that is not capable of propelling the vehicle at a speed in excess of thirty (30) miles per hour on level ground, whether two (2) or three (3) wheels are in contact with the ground during operation. If an internal combustion engine is used, the displacement shall not exceed fifty (50) cubic centimeters and the moped shall have a power drive system that functions directly or automatically without clutching or shifting by the operator after the drive system is engaged; or
(b) Two (2) wheels or three (3) wheels with no pedals, which is powered solely by electrical energy, has an automatic transmission, a motor which produces less than two (2) gross brake horsepower, is capable of propelling the device at a maximum speed of not more than thirty (30) miles per hour on level ground and, as originally manufactured, meets federal motor vehicle safety standards for motor-driven cycles. A moped is not required to be titled and no motorcycle endorsement is required for its operator.
A moped does not include an electric-assisted bicycle. "

Here is the Link --> https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/title49/t49ch1/sect49-114/

They apparently added this at the beginning of the month. Wouldn't this technically make all of our bicycles illegal? Unless someone out there has managed to fit an engine on a bike small enough to have 20 inch tires, but have a wide enough frame lol .

Just for fun I contacted my Local Authorities about this, and he said he couldn't find this law, but when I read it to him he just said that personally he wouldn't pull me over for this.

 

[curtisfox]

That is basically for mopeds, so don't think you have to worry about wheels size. And it says no pedals, were as motor assist bike would have to have pedals, also has to be registered .
10) "Motorbike" means a vehicle as defined in section 67-7101, Idaho Code. Such vehicle shall be titled and may be approved for motorcycle registration pursuant to section 49-402, Idaho Code, upon certification by the owner of the installation and use of conversion components that make the motorbike compliant with federal motor vehicle safety standards. A motorbike does not include an electric-assisted bicycle.

 

[xXNightRiderXx]

Idaho code 49-114: Definitions -> M -> Moped clearly states that mopeds are not required to be titled and do not require a motorcycle endorsement. Under this discrimination, any vehicle that is not required to be titled is NOT a registerable vehicle.

DMV states that a valid license and endorsement is required. However, this is directly contrary to what state law declares. Just because DMV says something is law does not make it law.

I have just skimmed through BOTH Sections 301 and 302 of Title 49, the sections pertaining to licensing requirements and exemptions respectively, searching for any phrase involving "mopeds" and not one was in there. There is no law regarding the licensing of moped operators. There is no law regarding the requirement or exemption of licensing to operate a moped. Only a DMV stipulation. Honestly, I don't care if I get arrested, I'm just going to ride my bike. IF I get arrested, I will turn it into the precedent that is needed to clear this dishonest grey area up. I'm sorry, but if you're going to be requiring EVERYBODY to be licensed regardless of the vehicle they operate, you BETTER damn well make those laws clear, easy to understand, AND exhaustive! Otherwise you get guys like me who will do everything in their power to find and use those loopholes to their full advantage.