Hi, BronzeBird
The temptation is to call a MB a moped because of the similarities. The problem is that bicycles have no certificate of origin, certificate of title or VIN because they have not been through the federal DOT certification for crashworthiness, pollution, etc.
This means a bicycle CANNOT be licensed in Oregon (and probably most states).
A moped, however, goes through that whole process and gets a title and a VIN so it can be licensed, insured, registered, taxed, etc.
So, as far as I can tell, there is simply no way to comply with the moped laws in Oregon if you're actually riding a MB.
I'd guess that most cops don't know all this and it's going to be VERY hard to convince one that you know more about the vehicle code than s/he does...
I carry the Oregon Pocket Bike Guide to the Oregon laws even though it doesn't actually apply (nothing does!)
Here's a link to the Oregon guide:
http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/docs/pocketbikeguide.pdf
FWIW, I'll show it to the cop and tell him I'm doing my best to comply but I'll be darned if I can figure out which category I fall into.
I wear a helmet, have a light, go slow and stay to the right all the time. I follow all the laws for bikes and I turn off the engine when I'm downtown and just pedal.
So far, in 2 months of riding around Southern Oregon, I've never been stopped.
Frankly, after fretting over this for a few weeks, I just gave up and started enjoying the ride. I ghost pedal when I see a cop and most people ignore me.
It bothers me to feel that we "NEED" permission from our government to be creative, inventive and come up with cool solutions to our problems (such as the price of gas). I'm not interested in letting 'the man' decide what I can do any more than he already does. If the Oregon legislature takes a shot at MB laws in the 2009 session, I'm afraid they might screw it up as, IMHO, they normally do with everything they touch.
They don't really care about ENCOURAGING people to come up with novel solutions to problems. They care about exercising their power to prove the need for their positions and their overall superiority. They also care A LOT about taxing everything in sight because there is never enough money for government.
And, lest you think I'm some wacko, right wing nut case, I've been a lawyer for 25 years and worked in the Oregon State Senate in the 1989 session with my brother who was a State Senator at that time. I have seen the process up close and personal and it's not pretty...
Good luck!
Steve G.
Grants Pass, Oregon
Good luck!