Does it need pedals to be legal ?

[V 35]

Seems to me, us Massachusetts guys are restricted to 48 cc and a Centrifugal
clutch. Makes me wonder, Do you need Pedals ? Not running pedals makes
sense on a pull start. Since you can't bump start them, who needs pedals ?

Cutting away the hanger bearing would allow for a low mounted engine,
a desirable safety feature. Recent cold rains have shortened my Skyhawk's handling tests, but I wish the engine was down low.

In the beginning, these were supposed to be ' Green ' vehicles, exempt from Govt. meddling. Now I'm not so sure.

 

[SimpleSimon]

If it doesn't have pedals, it isn't a bicycle, motorized or not. In the absence of pedals, almost every state will view it as (at best) a moped, or a motorcycle. Almost certainly an illegal moped, since bicycles are typically not built to the same material and strength standards as mopeds

 

[Esteban]

If it doesn't have pedals, it isn't a bicycle, motorized or not. In the absence of pedals, almost every state will view it as (at best) a moped, or a motorcycle. Almost certainly an illegal moped, since bicycles are typically not built to the same material and strength standards as mopeds

YEP !

 

[ccpomea]

In Massachusetts not having pedals doesnt matter. Pedals or not, anything under 50cc that cannot go faster than 30mph is a Moped, motorized bike's included.

These are the requirements per the Mass RMV

Moped Definition and Requirements

According to Massachusetts law, a moped is a "motorized bicycle." In order to be classified as a moped, the vehicle must:

Have a cylinder capacity of no more than 50 cubic centimeters.
Have an automatic transmission.
Be capable of a maximum speed of no more than 30 miles per hour.
Comply with all applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards.

 

[SimpleSimon]

That last line there

Comply with all applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards.

- that's the kicker. Applicable "federal motor vehicle safety standards" include minimum specifications for strength and dimensions of materials used in construction, minimum lighting/signaling requirements, etcetera.

Bicycle frames typically fail to meet those standards.

 

[ccpomea]

That last line there
- that's the kicker. Applicable "federal motor vehicle safety standards" include minimum specifications for strength and dimensions of materials used in construction, minimum lighting/signaling requirements, etcetera.

Bicycle frames typically fail to meet those standards.

I was concerned by that section too before I went to the registry, but right now "applicable" is the keyword. They seem to be figuring that there are no federal motor vehicle safety standards applicable to bicycle's.

 

[DuctTapedGoat]

In Idaho, you need pedals, it's really the biggest loophole that keeps us under the radar and technically legal.

As far as the most recent post, Idaho I know at least considers anything operated for transportation a vehicle, be it bicycle, car, anything. Where the definition comes in is cars have Operators and bicycles have Riders, so when looking at Idaho law, you have to basically scour it and grab onto anything that says Rider.

 

[wbuttry]

hiway patrol told me cause i asked the same question to them any bicycle that was equipped for pedals and rear sprockets motorized or not to be rode on public streets of mo must and will remain stock or you will be fined with motor vehicle tampering cause you removed the pedal assembly which was manafactured to have to be legal to make it move the motor is a after market upgrade he said it is like a car cause you put a bigger better motor in it you arent gonna remove the headlights cause then you are defeating another purpose of the manafacture safety standaeds

 

[DuctTapedGoat]

hiway patrol told me cause i asked the same question to them any bicycle that was equipped for pedals and rear sprockets motorized or not to be rode on public streets of mo must and will remain stock or you will be fined with motor vehicle tampering cause you removed the pedal assembly which was manafactured to have to be legal to make it move the motor is a after market upgrade he said it is like a car cause you put a bigger better motor in it you arent gonna remove the headlights cause then you are defeating another purpose of the manafacture safety standaeds

When you put a motor on a bike and take off the pedals it essentially becomes an enduro - which is NOT illegal to operate on the street. You'll want a larger engine, fine tune everything, make sure you have a headlamp and blinkers and taillights. The only thing is that if you don't register and insure it, you would be OPERATING it illegally.

That whole motor vehicle tampering thing is bogus. If I wanted to, I could take the pedals off my standard bike and just walk around sitting down on it. That is not an illegal bike. The purpose of the motorized bicycle (as it is reflected in many states laws) is that it is a MOTOR ASSISTED bicycle. If you take out the pedal assistance, you have a motorcycle, which you can ride on the streets as an enduro like I was saying earlier.

There is nobody saying anything about 100% electric bikes. You could take pedals off an eBike and zip around - and because you have no engine displacement, there's nothing you need to worry about. Cops just see the whole gas motor thing as a way around the law and it upsets some of them. Has NOTHING to do with safety or any actual laws that exist in reality. (unless you city mandates that your MxB be registered, but that's a totally different can of worms.)

 

[sangesf]

100% electric bikes without pedals in most states is a moped or scooter.
I think it's just plain stupid with the whole pedal thing.
I mean, really, does it really make a "bicycle" more dangerous, because it doesn't have pedals? I think not, unless the pedal mechanism is your brakes.