Legality of Riding a Motorized Bike in PA?

N

Nitrohorse

New Member
Has anyone had an issue in Pennsylvania with riding an MB on the road?
I've searched the PennDot website and it's pretty vague. As far as I can tell, an MB is classified as a moped and requires registration and a license plate.
The confusion lies in the fact that a MB cannot be titled, and you cannot register a vehicle that doesn't have a title.
In PA, it's the equavelent of a dog chasing it's tail when it comes answers on riding these bikes on the street.
 
Check out the Laws and Legislation section of this forum. There have been several discussions and no, there hasn't been any resolution yet. Scribbles is in the process of trying to get his ride registered. He has been turned away a couple of times but he is persistent! Stay tuned... he may get it yet.
 
There is a similar arrangement in Ohio...nobody gives the same answers as the last person you talked to. "It has to be a moped." "Uh, I am not sure, here another number to call." "You have to register it." ""How can I do that?" "Uh, You can't since it doesn't have a VIN...have a nice day."

I just ride. No cop problems yet, two years and over a thousand miles so far.
 
I'm in CT, but I'm with bikeguy joe. Just ride. There are so many gray areas everywhere regarding the legality of these things that no one knows for sure what the law really is. Besides, is you see a cop approaching you, just hit the kill button and start peddaling.
 
I "ghost pedal" any time I see any vehicle in the distance.

If you ride public roads, get a mirror (a good one).
 
Nitrohorse said:
Has anyone had an issue in Pennsylvania with riding an MB on the road?
I've searched the PennDot website and it's pretty vague. As far as I can tell, an MB is classified as a moped and requires registration and a license plate.
The confusion lies in the fact that a MB cannot be titled, and you cannot register a vehicle that doesn't have a title.
In PA, it's the equavelent of a dog chasing it's tail when it comes answers on riding these bikes on the street.
Click to expand...

Here is the answer I got from a state trooper -- if it is 50 CC or under and under 1.5 brake horsepower, it does NOT have to be registered in Pennsylvania. If it is over those requirements, it does.
 
I'm going to ride the bike and keep a low profile. I have a 4 cycle engine and it's damn quiet, so hopefully that along with me following the rules of the road should be stealthy enough to avoid being stopped..
 
play the odds of getting caught. pa along with most of the other states are anal retentive. its a bicycle just leave me alone and let me have some fun before i die.
 
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