what amazes me, and the reason this thread gets so out of control and beaten to death, are the people that think there's some magic loophole in the law that makes them invincible, and that they're smarter than the lawmakers, the cops, and the judges.
i started this thread to give people the basics (and the not so basics) on the law after i, personally, recieved a ticket and learned what was necessary. during the course of this thread i've been to court, and been stopped a coupla times, and have talked to many, many cops, some friendly, some not.
on this very thread, we've had comments from a law enforcement officer, who clarified a few things, and there's been plenty of good advice by other forum members to make it easy to register our bikes, ride our bikes, and keep our bikes legal.
then there's the other people.
now, i'm all for being an anarchist, punk rock rebel who flips off cops and spits on the system, but then i remember that i live in california, a state where traffic enforcement is the number one priority, as well as a huge generator of revenue for this beautiful, capitalist, fascist state. a state where, as i type this, it's 70 degrees in the middle of winter, and some of those more lenient states (as well as those places that ban our bikes outright) are under 10 feet of snow.
i'm baffled by so many of you who would risk tickets and impoundment just because you think you can outsmart the system. a system which charges a whopping 19 bucks and makes a few minor demands on you to comply.
if you get busted and pull out your ace in the hole and tell the cop, "i don't have an automatic transmission, therefore, you can't give me a ticket for riding a motorized bicycle."
you think he's gonna just scratch his head and say "i'm sorry sir. you're so much smarter than me. i'm gonna let you go free. i just want some donuts..."
no. he's gonna ask you in that tone they reserve for people they don't like, "if it's not a motorized bicycle, then what is it?"
and since you won't have an answer for that, he'll give you a ticket, impound your bike, and maybe even take you to jail if you have a warrant or suspended license.
meanwhile, i'll just ride by and wave, and think, "man, that guys a real rebel on his toy moped. he ain't takin' no **** from the man..."