How many of have been hit by a car on a bike...

[JunkyardDog]

There shouldn't really be any more risk of getting hit while riding a motorized bike than while riding a pedal bike. The only difference between the two is that on a motorized bike you don't have to pedal. That is why I ride one. A motorized bike should not be ridden any differently than a pedal bike. There is one exception I can think of. I have sometimes ridden a pedal bike on the sidewalk if the road is too dangerous because of speeding reckless drivers that get too close. That is not legal, but I have never been hassled by the cops because of it. But it is not an option on a motorized bike. Even though they are considered the same as a pedal bike in my state, you would get busted for riding a motorized bike on the sidewalk by the first cop that saw you. And there is also the likelihood that someone will call the cops on their cell phone and report you. If there is a cop in the area, they might get there in time to catch you. And doing something like that is just giving more ammunition to the motorized bike haters out there to help get motorized bikes outlawed. My state defines a motorized bike as a "motor assisted bike", and they should never be ridden faster than any other bike, at least not within the city limits. I have seen motorized bikes being ridden over 30 mph, and they didn't have anything but a rear coaster brake. Those aren't really even safe on a pedal bike.

 

[Frogslayer]

Your logic it's flawed because non motorized bikes can go faster than 30...

 

[RB55]

There shouldn't really be any more risk of getting hit while riding a motorized bike than while riding a pedal bike. The only difference between the two is that on a motorized bike you don't have to pedal. That is why I ride one. A motorized bike should not be ridden any differently than a pedal bike. There is one exception I can think of. I have sometimes ridden a pedal bike on the sidewalk if the road is too dangerous because of speeding reckless drivers that get too close. That is not legal, but I have never been hassled by the cops because of it. But it is not an option on a motorized bike. Even though they are considered the same as a pedal bike in my state, you would get busted for riding a motorized bike on the sidewalk by the first cop that saw you. And there is also the likelihood that someone will call the cops on their cell phone and report you. If there is a cop in the area, they might get there in time to catch you. And doing something like that is just giving more ammunition to the motorized bike haters out there to help get motorized bikes outlawed. My state defines a motorized bike as a "motor assisted bike", and they should never be ridden faster than any other bike, at least not within the city limits. I have seen motorized bikes being ridden over 30 mph, and they didn't have anything but a rear coaster brake. Those aren't really even safe on a pedal bike.

I especially agree with the brakes part. It's really ironic how some people spend $1000 on top of the line hydraulic bicycle disc brakes on a bike they only ride for regular commuting. Heck, you could put a crappy 20 year old rear coaster brake on a bike used for that purpose and you would be fine. Then I see people who build motorized bicycles, even with performance parts that allow them to reach upwards of 40 MPH, using kiddie rear coaster brakes or a single rear V-brake. It's extremely dangerous, but they sadly won't realized it until they end up in a bad crash...

I ride in a very hilly neighborhood with steep downhill sections and understood from the day I first rode it that not all bike brakes are equal. Most stock bicycle brakes (mostly V brakes of coaster brakes) are not designed to stop a bike with 40 pounds of added weight going more than 20mph. Even for me, swapping out the brake pads made a huge difference and I was able to go faster since I could brake better before a steep downhill corner. My advice:

1. Coaster brakes are simply are not effective. Not worth your time upgrading. Get better brakes ASAP.
2. V-brakes will work IF used properly. By that I mean tuning them, using high quality pads, and the changing pads often. With an MB frequent and aggressive braking like I do wears out my V-brake pads (very high quality) after about 500 miles.
3. You NEED to have and use a front brake. This is actually motorcycle advice as well. Back bicycle brakes are dangerous at high speed since they easily lock the wheel due to the braking transferring most (about 85%) of the load to the front wheel, thus leading to the back wheel sliding out and a nasty crash. This why some cars have front caliper brakes and rear drum brakes. Trust me, you will not go over the handlebars if you brake properly with the front brake and you can brake much faster than if you use the rear brake alone. However, there is a real possibility of sliding out with a locked back wheel from excessive rear wheel braking.
4. Dual-pull brake levers are a great addition to your MB but require proper tuning. They cost about $12 (I found a motorcycle-grade one on Amazon with a brake light switch for $16). Of course having an independent rear and back brake lever is optimal but it is simply not possible on these MBs since we have to use the left lever for the clutch (on a motorcycle the rear brake is a foot pedal). Using a dual-pull brake lever will allow you to get much more braking power than just using the front or rear brake. However, you must adjust the amount of braking power gets delivered to the front and rear brakes so the front brake gets about 80% of the braking power. I didn't know how much this helped until I adjusted it after some research. It allows you to stop much faster since your back wheel won't skid out. If you just use a 50/50 split then your back wheel will slide out all the time which gets annoying and decreases your braking potential.
5. You should always have a front and rear brake. Even if one of them is a coaster brake or V-brake, its simply risky to put 100% of your trust in a single brake. If you suddenly need to brake hard and it fails, you and your bike are now essentially a bowling ball with no way to stop aside friction. Now most modern brakes are extremely reliable due to strict standards and years of development, but there is always the possibility of failure no matter how good it is.

Just my advice, feel free to contradict me or add to this.

 

[darwin]

I ride on the sidewalks if the major street has no dedicated bike lane. Here the major arterials are mostly 6 lanes wide and the curb lane is narrow, not enough room for a car and a bike side by side. If a full size pickup is using it with wide mirrors your going down. I'll take a chance on getting a ticket, at least I'm still in one piece.

 

[RB55]

Your logic it's flawed because non motorized bikes can go faster than 30...

Well not usually unless it's downhill...motorized bikes and normal bikes are however very different vehicles, I agree. Essentially it's like comparing a bicycle to a moped since a MB is, in its simplest form, a moped.

 

[Steve Best]

Dang RB55, that long post of yours was a darned good one. I hope a lot of new riders read it!

 

[Sidewinder Jerry]

I've always ridden my motorized bicycle in the street or bicycle lane; never on a sidewalk. I've also always ridden a pedal only bicycle on the streets or in a bicycle lane never on a sidewalk.

Bicycles are defined as vehicles in all states in the USA. Sidewalks are for pedestrians. A knowledgeable cyclist is far safer in vehicular traffic than riding on a sidewalk. Cyclist endanger pedestrians and are at risk of being struck by motor vehicles when they choose to ride on sidewalks. The most common places cyclist are struck on sidewalks is at drive inlets and when cyclist choose to ride in crosswalks instead of walking their bike through the crosswalk. This is why in many places it's illegal to ride a bicycle on a sidewalk.

 

[JunkyardDog]

"Essentially it's like comparing a bicycle to a moped since a MB is, in its simplest form, a moped" In my state a moped must be registered, insured, and have a license plate. You must also have a drivers license to ride it. A motorized bicycle was never intended to replace a moped.

 

[Sidewinder Jerry]

"Essentially it's like comparing a bicycle to a moped since a MB is, in its simplest form, a moped" In my state a moped must be registered, insured, and have a license plate. You must also have a drivers license to ride it. A motorized bicycle was never intended to replace a moped.

That may be true in your state Arizona. However other states do view motorized bicycles as self built mopeds. The laws and intentions vary from state to state on motorized bicycles.

 

[Sidewinder Jerry]

I ride on the sidewalks if the major street has no dedicated bike lane. Here the major arterials are mostly 6 lanes wide and the curb lane is narrow, not enough room for a car and a bike side by side. If a full size pickup is using it with wide mirrors your going down. I'll take a chance on getting a ticket, at least I'm still in one piece.

Is the roadway you're talking about a limited access road; meaning a minimum speed limit? If not and local law views your MB as a bicycle instead of a moped; you're required to use the far right lane on a multi through lane road unless you're going to make a left turn. If the far right lane isn't wide enough for lane sharing then you're allowed to use the whole far right lane. Therefore the safest place for you in a narrow far right lane would be in the center of the lane. Get helmet mirrors, use hand signals, have a speedometer and most of all obey all traffic laws.