Illinois resisdents please enter

(625 ILCS 5/1-140.15 new)
Sec. 1-140.15. Low-speed gas bicycle. A 2 or 3-wheeled
device with fully operable pedals and a gasoline motor of less
than one horsepower, whose maximum speed on a paved level
surface, when powered solely by such a motor while ridden by an
operator who weighs 170 pounds, is less than 20 miles per hour.

Essentially what it's saying is: a low speed gas MB is any bike with a gas motor and pedals(without pedals everything is considered a motorcycle, pedals are a must to skirt the below 150cc motorcycle licensing laws.), with a motor rated below one horse power(if you're involved in an accident with major injury/property damage/death trust me they will check what motor you have and manufactures specs so putting a 48cc magneto cover on your 80cc bike only gets you so far), and the bikes maximum speed when powered just by the motor is less than 20 mph when ridden by a 170 pound rider on a paved level surface.(not sure if they would expect you to go much slower than 20 if you were a 6'2" 240#'s like me but really top speed isn't affected a whole lot by weight, that's more of a gearing/rpm thing.)

To qualify as a gas powered low speed bike a bike must fit all 3 criteria:

1.)pedals
2.)less than one horsepower
3.)Cannot be capable of exceeding 20 mph on a level paved surface with a 170 pound rider
 
Barnfresh,

Here is the Illinois Statute, directly copied.


Public Act 096-0125
*
SB0236 Enrolled LRB096 03293 AJT 13311 b

****AN ACT concerning transportation.
*
****Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
*
****Section 5. The Illinois Vehicle Code is amended by adding
Sections 1-140.10, 1-140.15, and 11-1516 and by changing
Section 1-146 as follows:
*
****(625 ILCS 5/1-140.10 new)
****Sec. 1-140.10. Low-speed electric bicycle. The term
"low-speed electric bicycle" has the same meaning ascribed to
it by Section 38 of the Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C.
Sec. 2085).
*
****(625 ILCS 5/1-140.15 new)
****Sec. 1-140.15. Low-speed gas bicycle. A 2 or 3-wheeled
device with fully operable pedals and a gasoline motor of less
than one horsepower, whose maximum speed on a paved level
surface, when powered solely by such a motor while ridden by an
operator who weighs 170 pounds, is less than 20 miles per hour.


As you can see, the maximum speed is unrealistic, but better than illegal.

Here is the entire link:

Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of Public Act 096-0125


Hope this helps.

.flg.
 
Would that it were so, but let's be real, the imminent danger to any continued legality and public acceptance of motor assisted bicycles will not come from under-powering of MABs, but that mission creep will continue to push them toward becoming little more than fake motorcycles and transparently viewed as a way of skirting the law. Look around, it's already happening.

IMHO, it's also a shame that organizations, groups and domains don't take an official position, it would be refreshing to see them ignore the perceived risks and bite the bullet looking instead to earnestly furthering the long term legal status of MABs as legitimate alternatives. Commonsense is universal. Likewise, why acquiesce to the lowest common denominator and not look to broaden the demographic when fitness is something the whole of the US could use a lot more of.

There are 60 million people who use bicycles in the US according to USBL. One will be hard put to find the number of people who use MABs but my guess would be somewhere around low single digit percentage of that. It might be fair to assume many of those 60M would think any assist on a bicycle a novelty, but not all, particularly considering an aging population might well consider assist a way to stay active. But labeling something a novelty would be simply a semantical way of framing a discussion. For example, making bicycles look like motorcycles at the expense of of inhibiting their function as bicycles could easily be labeled nothing more than supreme novelty. If we were to even tacitly include the rational that MABs might have a role as a serious transportation alternative, they would need move on past the toy status that largely exists or be perpetually relegated to something close to that of ATVs.

So legally defined moped/motor assist bike regs place max speed at 20 in IL (and AZ ). It is 25 mph in my state, I can live with that and find it quite reasonable. The average person will pedal a bicycle 10 mph for sustained periods, so doubling it with little human power input is an enormous advantage. In fact, just being able to maintain the non-assist average pedal speed with no pedaling input could be viewed as a gift. Try doing that pedaling a standard moped.
 
Last edited:
happyvalley said:
So legally defined moped/motor assist bike regs place max speed at 20 in IL (and AZ ). It is 25 mph in my state, I can live with that and find it quite reasonable.
Click to expand...
Actually, AZ is 19.9MPH. I could live with that but I don't want to live with 48cc-20MPH max and actually doing something about it.
66cc and 30MPH is my goal, with some safety additions for operation above 20MPH.
Even if you don't live in Arizona, please show your support and PLEASE SIGN MY PETITION.
If nothing else it will make all the 66cc bikes here legal so it's not always a roll of the dice if you get caught with one.
 
KCvale said:
Actually, AZ is 19.9MPH. I could live with that but I don't want to live with 48cc-20MPH max and actually doing something about it.
66cc and 30MPH is my goal, with some safety additions for operation above 20MPH.
Even if you don't live in Arizona, please show your support and PLEASE SIGN MY PETITION.
If nothing else it will make all the 66cc bikes here legal so it's not always a roll of the dice if you get caught with one.
Click to expand...

I agree and support you in your efforts. I think the law would serve the people better if it stated 66cc and 30MPH. After all, I can PEDAL a bike over 19.9MPH! Also, we have to battle on the roads with the drivers of other vehicles which often do not give proper respect and space to bikes, making a law that restricts a MB speed below that of traffic on city streets puts the mb rider in a dangerous situation IMHO....
 
KCvale said:
Actually, AZ is 19.9MPH. I could live with that but I don't want to live with 48cc-20MPH max and actually doing something about it.
66cc and 30MPH is my goal, with some safety additions for operation above 20MPH.
Even if you don't live in Arizona, please show your support and PLEASE SIGN MY PETITION.
If nothing else it will make all the 66cc bikes here legal so it's not always a roll of the dice if you get caught with one.
Click to expand...


In Illinois I'm happy with the below 30 MPH and under 50cc rule and don't mind having to go get my bike registered and insured. The main thing we all need to remember is driving anything with a motor on a public road needs some sort of system of checks and balances. I'm all for keeping the government out of my day to day life, but once you start allowing some loopholes to laws(meaning the whole moped thing really is an underpowered motorcycle thing) you do need a set of rules stating how far those loopholes will get you. I don't want someone who causes a lot of accidents driving a MB around my town putting lives at risk anymore than I would want someone who gets in a lot of automobile accidents driving a car around my town.
 
(Thanks NightCruiser)

Hey IL guys, this motor might work for you if you can't get your laws changed to at least 50cc so you can use 48cc 2HP 2-smokers or 50cc 3HP 4-strokers.

Franco Morini KickButt Engines

image002.jpg


Morini 28cc Two Stroke Air Cooled $ 525.00
*Two Cycle Engine, Light Weight Alloy With Nikel Plated liner, 1.10hp at crank @ 6000RPM's

It has a carb and exhaust but you would need to get the rest of the kit type parts (throttle, clutch, drive train, etc.) yourself and find a way to mount it.

I didn't say it would cheap or easy, just as close to legal as you could get.
 
Kahlas said:
In Illinois I'm happy with the below 30 MPH and under 50cc rule and don't mind having to go get my bike registered and insured. The main thing we all need to remember is driving anything with a motor on a public road needs some sort of system of checks and balances. I'm all for keeping the government out of my day to day life, but once you start allowing some loopholes to laws(meaning the whole moped thing really is an underpowered motorcycle thing) you do need a set of rules stating how far those loopholes will get you. I don't want someone who causes a lot of accidents driving a MB around my town putting lives at risk anymore than I would want someone who gets in a lot of automobile accidents driving a car around my town.
Click to expand...

Yup and if more had a similar outlook there would far less problems.
 
Maybe I can add something here: When the new motorized bicycle law was passed, I contacted the Illinois Department in Springfield that issues titles. You can not registered a motorized bicycle in Illinois because to do so you would have to have a manufacturer's VIN number and a title, regardless of how you equip your MB. Bicycles do not have VIN numbers. The new law defines a MB as a bicycle that has an electric or gas motor of no more than 1hp (about 25cc), travels no more than 20mph. Therefore, probably most MB built built from kits using 49cc engines, would not strictly qualify under the law, and it would not be possible in Illinois to register them and get a plate - can't be done in Illinois. The best advice would be to obey the 20mph speed limit, and carry a copy of the law, and if asked tell the cop your motor is 1 hp. Don't display the displacement. If your MB doesn't strictly meet the definition of the new law in Illinois, then strictly speaking, it is illegal in Illinois. The new law was first designed for motor-assisted electric bicycles, but at the last minute gas engines were added - I got this info from the Illinois sponsor of the new law. Hope this helps.
 
Here is some interesting info: In Illinois it is unlawful to remove the muffler on a motorcycle and replace it with a noisy muffler. The police here do not enforce this law, probably because too many cops own loud motorcycles. So just because there is a law doesn't mean it will be enforced. In California, the police will confiscate a motorcycle that has a loud muffler so no one removes the muffler. Regarding vin numbers and titles, it is not possible for a person to create his own vin number or title. If such were allowed,
it would lead to a large stolen vehicle problem.
 
In preparation for my adventure into MB's, I went to the trouble of asking both the city police and the state police what they understood the laws to be regarding MB's. Nobody frickin' knew. The city guys told me to ask the state guys but they didn't know either.

My suspicion is that how your local Law Man reacts to your MB is going to be based on what he or she thinks is right. And since we're talking about the law, they're probably going to be wrong.

As for the registration and such discussion, I'm going to put on a ski mask and ask the DMV people what they think I should do. Doesn't bother me to put a plate on it, but I'll bet they won't know what to charge for the tag.

Stay on the alleys and back roads. It's safer there anyways. ;)
 
I live in Lincoln, and have passed the cops a lot, as long as I keep the 20 or less speed limit, they don't bother me. But I did call the station and found out before hand that they are legal. You can't register something that was not titled in the first place, It is a bicycle after all.
 
Again it is not possible to get plates for a motorized bicycle in Illinois because it is considered a bicycle, which does not come with a VIN number. This has been gone over before.
 
Fugi93 said:
Here is what the cops say in my hometown in Illinois.

"A scooter with pedals': Beach Cruiser gets 200 miles per gallon"

'A scooter with pedals': Beach Cruiser gets 200 miles per gallon - MyWebTimes.com
Click to expand...

Your police captain seems to be saying exactly what I had been trying to say.....

"Checking the legality of such a motorized bicycle on roadways took some effort by Ottawa Police Capt. Mike Kessinger, but after an Internet search of various local and state statutes and vehicle codes, he found the low speed motorized bike must be driven by a person older than 16 years of age, and the rider must adhere to all city and Illinois bicycle regulations."

Thanks a bunch for posting this.
 
nightcruiser said:
Your police captain seems to be saying exactly what I had been trying to say.....

"Checking the legality of such a motorized bicycle on roadways took some effort by Ottawa Police Capt. Mike Kessinger, but after an Internet search of various local and state statutes and vehicle codes, he found the low speed motorized bike must be driven by a person older than 16 years of age, and the rider must adhere to all city and Illinois bicycle regulations."

Thanks a bunch for posting this.
Click to expand...

Just goes to show you that the cops are unfamilar with the law as well. It has been in force since Jan. 1, 2010 and the captain didn't know about it until the newspaper did a piece on MB's, some 22 months after the law was passed. I always carry a copy of the law and this newspaper article on me.
 
Kahlas said:
In Illinois I'm happy with the below 30 MPH and under 50cc rule and don't mind having to go get my bike registered and insured. The main thing we all need to remember is driving anything with a motor on a public road needs some sort of system of checks and balances. I'm all for keeping the government out of my day to day life, but once you start allowing some loopholes to laws(meaning the whole moped thing really is an underpowered motorcycle thing) you do need a set of rules stating how far those loopholes will get you. I don't want someone who causes a lot of accidents driving a MB around my town putting lives at risk anymore than I would want someone who gets in a lot of automobile accidents driving a car around my town.
Click to expand...

:-||

Kahlas --- I and many others have repeatedly printed the exact IL statutes. NOWHERE does any IL statute I have seen reference 50cc or 30 mph regarding Motor Assisted Bicycles. Why do you insist on repeating bad information?

The info you keep harping on does not apply to ordinary bicycles that are then modified by adding a tiny motor of under 1 HP. The type of bike you keep describing is a manufactured motor scooter of limited size. They are registered because they are built for sale and are regulated and licensed. They require a driver's license as well.

None of that applies to a motor assisted bicycle, including needing a IL driver's license. You simply CANNOT register any ordinary bicycle with added motor. Any IL Driver's License facility can verify for you that there is no bicycle registration in Illinois.

Please show me some valid statute or stop misleading people.

:-||
 
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