Do Motorized Bikes Fall Under Being A Pocket Bike? (California)

That says only on the highway. And, there is no way a motorized bicycle would be allowed on the highway. Also, as I recall from other CA folks, they all have registered, licensed, and gotten the proper safety gear for themselves and bike. Err, the other requirement is CARB and EPA approved road used engines. I am not sure how that works either. I wish a CA motorized bike guy who has all his or her stuff together will post and help clarify everything for folks that want to get into motorized biking in CA.
 
Yes, but keep in mind that a highway is the same as a public road; I think you might be confusing it with freeway.
I know that registration is something that the other folks in California have done, but according to that code, registration isn't required. Maybe it's an optional thing?
I definitely agree with you on that last bit though, oftentimes it seems like people here just post some relevant laws but they don't explain them...
 
Here's a great color brochure straight from the California Highway Patrol that you can print out and take along with a photo of your Motorized Bicycle/Moped (one and the same in California) to show the judge. It clearly shows the difference between a (legal) Motorized Bicycle and an (illegal) Pocket Bike, which should prove that you were improperly cited. Best case senerio the charge is dropped and the judge orders you to get your MB properly registered and get yourself a licence or permit. Good luck and hope this helps. ~BF
https://www.chp.ca.gov/programs-ser...clist-safety/motorcycles-and-similar-vehicles
 
CVC 406 in reference to what defines a motorized bicycle includes the words "automatic transmission". Does anyone know the legal definition of "automatic transmission". I have searched for hours and have been unable to find a definition. My bike has a small 2 stroke motor that directly turns the rear wheel via a chain. It does not have any type of "transmission" as such and therefore would not fall under the legal description of a motorized bicycle. Any thoughts on this?
 
BeachCruiserWithAMotor said:
CVC 406 in reference to what defines a motorized bicycle includes the words "automatic transmission". Does anyone know the legal definition of "automatic transmission". I have searched for hours and have been unable to find a definition. My bike has a small 2 stroke motor that directly turns the rear wheel via a chain. It does not have any type of "transmission" as such and therefore would not fall under the legal description of a motorized bicycle. Any thoughts on this?
Click to expand...
According to what I know about the definition, it would be an automatic transmission if there is only one gear. That would be why a regular moped would be legally considered a motorized bike.

I completely forgot about doing a follow-up here about what happened, so I'll do that now. For the ticket, I showed up to court and both the bailiff and the judge seemed to think there wasn't a problem, but it was just dropped since the officer didn't show. As far as whether it's actually legal or not, I talked to several different sources; all with varying answers. California Highway Patrol said it was fine, the DMV didn't have a clue (go figure), but the Morgan Hill police had some answers. According to a traffic officer I talked to, who the first officer there I talked to referred to as the "traffic guru" of the station, the material they train the officers with explicitly mentions a motorized bike and the officer said that they really just want them off the streets. I'm not sure whether this was just the one officer who would do this or whether it would be expected from others as well, but he told me that if it wasn't for the legal definition, he could get me for smog and if not for that, he mentioned noise. I've seen some people in San Jose motoring around, so your best bet is probably just to check in with your local police station.
Then again, it's also worth mentioning that I was trying to use a motorized bike as a form of transportation without needing a license. You can get a moped/motorcycle registration form if you have a license and I've heard of people just registering the bike and being fine. You might want to look into the required equipment for a motorized bike like lights, mirrors, and whatever else would be required since I know there's a code for that, but I don't remember which one though it might not even matter.
 
Glad to hear your case was dropped CTE, that's great news. As far as the auto trans goes MBs/Mopeds can have more than 1 gear it just has to change automatically without manual input from the operator. A continous variable transmission (CVT) would be one example, where the ratio is constantly changing with the engine and wheel speed. Another would be the auto 2 speed Puch Moped where it shifts from lo/hi and back based on engine load and speed. As far as the clutch goes i would argue the law does not specify it be automatic so having a manually operated clutch to get going or stopping without the engine dying, like a china girl, should be fine.
 
BeachCruiserWithAMotor said:
CVC 406 in reference to what defines a motorized bicycle includes the words "automatic transmission". Does anyone know the legal definition of "automatic transmission". I have searched for hours and have been unable to find a definition. My bike has a small 2 stroke motor that directly turns the rear wheel via a chain. It does not have any type of "transmission" as such and therefore would not fall under the legal description of a motorized bicycle. Any thoughts on this?
Click to expand...
From the description of your setup it doesn't sound like you are doing any manual shifting so your bike is a motorized bicycle / moped. Send in to the DMV for an ID card and plate and you'll be good to go!
 
Does anyone know officially what is needed on a MB after registration in terms of mirrors, signals, lights, etc. THANKS!
 

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