D
DougC
Guest
Apparently in Illinois, they are not regulated; the only matter is that they fall under the power/speed restrictions of mopeds.
In Illinois, a motorized bicycle does not qualify as a moped and cannot be registered as one--I spcifically asked if I could register a bicycle as a moped and they told me (twice) that I could not.
Therefore, there is no registration or insurance required.
If it has an engine that would fall under the moped restrictions, then there is no question of needing a license at all either--because in Illinois, mopeds do not require any specific license endorsement to operate; you only must hold any other valid Illinois drivers' license. (-I dunno what they do for someone who has no license at all yet and only wants a moped, but anyway-) The email in which the DMV told me this did not say if motorized bicycles were prohibited or not.
I emailed the local county police and noted that the IL DMV had already said that they did not require registration, insurance or licensing, and asked if motorized bicycle riders would be ticketed for anything other than unsafe operation, and the county police's only response was that "the Illinois secretary of state is the authority on what vehicles may be used on Illinois roads". The email in which the county police told me this did not say if motorized bicycles were prohibited or not.
The definition of "bicycle" used in the current IL motor vehicle code says "... Every device propelled by human power upon which any person may ride, having two tandem wheels except scooters and similar devices. ...". It does not state that a bicycle is propelled exclusively by human power. In other sections it is stated that a "scooter" is considered to be a motor cycle with between 50 and 150cc's displacement, so a <49cc motorized bicycle doesn't qualify as a scooter. There is no section of the current code (on the IL general assembly website) that has any mention of any vehicle that would equate to a motorized bicycle, with either an internal-combustion engine or an electric motor.
Given that the DMV nor the county police seems to be able to dig up any law that says they're not, my guess is that motorized bicycles (using "moped-legal" engines) are legal for street use in IL, simply because they aren't regulated under the current motor vehicle code. They are still classified as bicycles despite having engines, and bicycles are street-legal.
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I will also note that according to the IL DMV, they ONLY title and register "motor vehicles". Just because a "thing" has an engine doesn't make it technically a "motor vehicle". To obtain a title, a "motor vehicle" must have a standardized 17-digit VIN issued by the federal government, and must have either an existing title already, or it must have a "manufacturer's certificate of origin". To be registered for street use, the manufacturer's certificate of origin must state that the vehicle is roadworthy according to federal standards for that vehicle type.
If a "thing" has a motor but no VIN, then it is a "consumer product" and not recognized by the IL Sec of State at all. It is also not street-legal (such as pocket bikes) but the kicker here is that bicycles are street legal,,, and there's no indication that putting an engine onto a bicycle causes it to be classified as anything other than a bicycle.
You cannot claim to be the manufacturer and make up your own VIN--they are assigned by the federal gov't, and falsifying one is a crime in itself.
There is a section in the IL motor vehicle code that mentions that (paraphrasing) "...if a vehicle does not have a VIN, the IL DMV will issue it one..."--but this is ONLY for antique and vintage vehicles. They will NOT issue a VIN to a new vehicle, as it should already have a VIN--this is only a measure to allow grandfathering vintage and antique vehicles.
There is also a part where it says that the DMV may also drop the requirement for a certificate of origin when obtaining a first title on an antique or vintage vehicle, if you can present evidence that the vehicle was considered roadworthy when it was manufactured. Once again--they will NOT drop this requirement for new vehicles--it is only a measure to allow grandfathering vintage and antique vehicles.
....Bicycles of course do not come with 17-digit federal VIN's, and they would not pass roadworthiness standards (at the least, for their wheels/tires/headlight/rear light/brake-actuated light). The IL DMV does not consider them to be equivalent to mopeds at all.
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In Illinois, a motorized bicycle does not qualify as a moped and cannot be registered as one--I spcifically asked if I could register a bicycle as a moped and they told me (twice) that I could not.
Therefore, there is no registration or insurance required.
If it has an engine that would fall under the moped restrictions, then there is no question of needing a license at all either--because in Illinois, mopeds do not require any specific license endorsement to operate; you only must hold any other valid Illinois drivers' license. (-I dunno what they do for someone who has no license at all yet and only wants a moped, but anyway-) The email in which the DMV told me this did not say if motorized bicycles were prohibited or not.
I emailed the local county police and noted that the IL DMV had already said that they did not require registration, insurance or licensing, and asked if motorized bicycle riders would be ticketed for anything other than unsafe operation, and the county police's only response was that "the Illinois secretary of state is the authority on what vehicles may be used on Illinois roads". The email in which the county police told me this did not say if motorized bicycles were prohibited or not.
The definition of "bicycle" used in the current IL motor vehicle code says "... Every device propelled by human power upon which any person may ride, having two tandem wheels except scooters and similar devices. ...". It does not state that a bicycle is propelled exclusively by human power. In other sections it is stated that a "scooter" is considered to be a motor cycle with between 50 and 150cc's displacement, so a <49cc motorized bicycle doesn't qualify as a scooter. There is no section of the current code (on the IL general assembly website) that has any mention of any vehicle that would equate to a motorized bicycle, with either an internal-combustion engine or an electric motor.
Given that the DMV nor the county police seems to be able to dig up any law that says they're not, my guess is that motorized bicycles (using "moped-legal" engines) are legal for street use in IL, simply because they aren't regulated under the current motor vehicle code. They are still classified as bicycles despite having engines, and bicycles are street-legal.
-----------------
I will also note that according to the IL DMV, they ONLY title and register "motor vehicles". Just because a "thing" has an engine doesn't make it technically a "motor vehicle". To obtain a title, a "motor vehicle" must have a standardized 17-digit VIN issued by the federal government, and must have either an existing title already, or it must have a "manufacturer's certificate of origin". To be registered for street use, the manufacturer's certificate of origin must state that the vehicle is roadworthy according to federal standards for that vehicle type.
If a "thing" has a motor but no VIN, then it is a "consumer product" and not recognized by the IL Sec of State at all. It is also not street-legal (such as pocket bikes) but the kicker here is that bicycles are street legal,,, and there's no indication that putting an engine onto a bicycle causes it to be classified as anything other than a bicycle.
You cannot claim to be the manufacturer and make up your own VIN--they are assigned by the federal gov't, and falsifying one is a crime in itself.
There is a section in the IL motor vehicle code that mentions that (paraphrasing) "...if a vehicle does not have a VIN, the IL DMV will issue it one..."--but this is ONLY for antique and vintage vehicles. They will NOT issue a VIN to a new vehicle, as it should already have a VIN--this is only a measure to allow grandfathering vintage and antique vehicles.
There is also a part where it says that the DMV may also drop the requirement for a certificate of origin when obtaining a first title on an antique or vintage vehicle, if you can present evidence that the vehicle was considered roadworthy when it was manufactured. Once again--they will NOT drop this requirement for new vehicles--it is only a measure to allow grandfathering vintage and antique vehicles.
....Bicycles of course do not come with 17-digit federal VIN's, and they would not pass roadworthiness standards (at the least, for their wheels/tires/headlight/rear light/brake-actuated light). The IL DMV does not consider them to be equivalent to mopeds at all.
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