laws on motor assited bicyles

[bamabikeguy]

Heres a new one....Minneapolis

Minneapolis 10/7/06

http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2006/10/06/69286

Crackdown on mo-ped laws....College campus
Loophole-police definition "like any other motorized vehicle"
Bike shop owner "outdated, defined as having pedals, and those kind haven't been sold in 15 years".

Thus
MoBikes- can be propeled with engine off, as bicycle
MoPeds- have to be walked with engine off, like a wheelbarrow.

 

[TWalker]

Re: Heres a new one....Minneapolis

Thus
MoBikes- can be propeled with engine off, as bicycle
MoPeds- have to be walked with engine off, like a wheelbarrow.

Thats the beauty of a motorized bike. Say you have a mountain bike with motor and riding around town and you are questioning its legality or the judgement/knowledge of motorized bikes laws of the policeman you see coming at you. I have found myself pulling in my clutch and start pedaling or just pedaling along with the motor.

The police in question might not even notice it has a motor on it and pass right by rather than stop you or question its legality. He has likely never seen one before but if he/she sees you pedaling and riding safely your not likely to be stopped.

In other words: many case scenarios you can pass as a bicycle from a distance and not garner too much attention.

You can't do this on a regular moped.

 

[bamabikeguy]

Right on that, ergo mo-ped doesn't apply to definition. BECAUSE:::

Follow this one now: LIABILITY

Mo-Ped purchased as one unit.
Mo-Bike- Has to be voluntarily assembled.

The nano-second you tap to drill the first hole for modification, you have VOIDED ANY WARRANTY ON THE BICYCLE, and voluntarily assumed liabiltiy for damages caused by accident. Insurance (and this part is bogus I think), can't insure for theft, won't bother with the paperwork involved because the monetary damages would be minute...

Case history: some fat lady took a demo ride on C.'s bike, banged into a wall, all liability was ????. GEICO? No way.....

Also, supposedly there was $5 billion dollars set aside in the LAST energy bill passed (2004? 05?) We need to find that, can't be very long, see if all is dedicated to paving projects OR is some available to non-profit groups to use as a project to study "further uses".

I "heard" the money is so "available" that guys in the frigid north got some to race snowmobiles (using spiked tires) on frozen lakes, to "study" a "further use", i.e. crossing frozen lakes.

We get all this neat and pat, put under a new topic called "MoBike Law- Federal supercedes all", you find yourself in a trooper's car being questioned, swing his computer around, find our site click on the "approved by the forum laws applied to MoBikes", click on it and say "Look, Officer Fife, read it for yourself"..

 

[TWalker]

mmmm. ...can't follow that.

If my state law says: "moped" means a two-wheeled or three-wheeled vehicle with an automatic transmission and a motor having a piston displacement of less than fifty cubic centimeters, which is capable of propelling the vehicle at a maximum speed of not more than thirty miles per hour on level ground at sea level."

I'm pretty sure the cop doesn't give a rats behind whether I voided the bicycle manufacturers warranty or if I assembled it myself. He'll write me a ticket for whatever and tell me to talk to the judge. I for one don't have time to go to court.

Of course if I decided to contest it and take it to court I could make some arguments such as that, probably a waste of time. But if the law states what it states I will comply to the best of my ability. I am a lucky one though I live in a state where I have to comply with little in order to ride a "moped" .

I consider my bike a moped to be on the safe side because I figure a cop would as well.

I've never been stopped or questioned but when the time comes I would like to point to the moped laws and say I am complying with these officer. Instead of trying convince him that this is not a moped but a vehicle with pedals and a motor. After all Im already using a motor 70-80cc which would in actuality be classified as a motorcycle.


Does that make sense?

 

[ranzchic]

In California, all gas powered bicycle are considered mopeds, even if they have the same specification as electric bicycles(anything that can't go more than 20mph unassisted, under 1000 watts of power output). Only difference being that electric bicycles are excempt from the usualy registration/lincense/insyrance because it uses ana lectric motor. I emeailed my assembly members and state senators, and even my congresswoman. She said its a good idea and supports my suggestion that gas powered bicycles with the same specifications as electric bicycles should not be required to have the usual stuff, but alas, she can't change it since she's can't change the law in the state. She did assure me that she will look more into it and will support it in Congress if its on the floor.

 

[Cookie]

LAW

As the current supreme court takes and applies European law to the constitution my be we can use European law for the bikes....
Cyclemotors

Wall Auto Wheel

The cyclemotor, or motorised bicycle, dates back to the dawn of motor cycling in the last years of the 19th century, but the boom period for these machines was undoubtedly the 1950s. The cyclemotors of this period usually consisted of a small engine (under 50cc) that could be attached to a normal bicycle. The positions used by different manufacturers were many and various: above the front wheel; above, alongside or inside the rear wheel; or between the pedals are typical examples. The final drive was often a roller rubbing on the bicycle tyre but other, more positive, transmissions were used. The NACC caters for enthusiasts of cyclemotors from all periods from the 1890s to the 1960s, but it is the 1950s that the majority of our members is interested in.

Some Notable Makes of Cyclemotor
CYCLEMASTER
Probably the most well known of the cyclemotors, the Cyclemaster was a complete powered wheel that was substituted for a bicycle's normal rear wheel. The earliest models had a 25.7cc engine; this was increased to 32cc for later versions. Nearly a quarter of a million of these machines were built in the UK between 1950 and the early 1960s; several other countries also produced their own versions of the Cyclemaster.

MINI-MOTOR
Another popular type, built under licence in England by Trojan to an Italian design. The 49.9cc Mini-Motor was mounted above the cycle's rear wheel and drove it by friction roller.

POWER PAK
Mounted in the same position as the Mini-Motor and also using a roller drive, there were two models of Power Pak: the Standard and the Synchromatic, which had the sophistication of a twist-grip operated clutch.

 

[Cookie]

moped

Mopeds
(There is a lot more information about mopeds available in the NACC archive.)


1961 Paloma moped
The moped is still a familiar machine on our roads today and needs little explanation. The first mopeds originated in main-land Europe during the mid-1950s and soon ousted their predecessors, the autocycles and cyclemotors, from the market-place. UK Legal definitions of the moped have changed over the years and nowadays encompass almost any under 50cc motor cycle. However, the NACC caters for the traditional type of moped with pedals.

Moped Manufacturers
Introduced to Britain from Europe during the mid-1950s, machines such as the NSU Quickly and Mobylette were quick to catch on. British makers such as Norman, Phillips and Raleigh were soon building their own mopeds to compete. There were very many different makes of moped produced during the 1950s and '60s although many of them used the same engines such as Sachs, JLO and Rex. Surviving examples of some of the more obscure manufacturers' products are quite rare nowadays.

 

[Cookie]

insurance

The nano-second you tap to drill the first hole for modification, you have VOIDED ANY WARRANTY ON THE BICYCLE, and voluntarily assumed liabiltiy for damages caused by accident. Insurance (and this part is bogus I think), can't insure for theft, won't bother with the paperwork involved because the monetary damages would be minute...

First off I do not drill any holes in any of the bikes I make I do not like to weaken the fram as it will take a lot of abuse and vibration unless you use a dampening goop like I do.

My bike is still under warrenty and I take it in for it's tunup every 6 mts.

You are right about the insurance you can not insure a bike but when I got hit by that SUV they paid me 3,000 for my bike (I used the whizzer price as the replacement ). The advantage is in this state as in a lot of others you are protectd under the biker laws so unless you get realllllly blond the car is at fault it is the share the road laws .

As far as any other type of insurance if you are going to be building and selling these bikes it would be smart like any buisness to have liability insurance like any biz. Zuric is pretty good for biz insurance.

Cookie

 

[Cookie]

Law

I found a site with all the sates laws and some countries.....CO

Colorado Moped Laws
Moped Definition
A motorized bicycle is a vehicle with two or three wheels that has an automatic transmission, a cylinder capacity less than 50c.c., and cannot excede 30mph on a level surface. Vehicles not fitting the definition of a moped are classified as motorcycles

Moped Registration
Every moped needs to be registered with its stamped identification number. They need to be registered with the State Department of Revenue for a fee of $5.00, and the registration lasts for three years. The decal received upon registration must be placed in a conspicuous place on the frame of the moped. No license plate is required for mopeds.

Moped Licensing Information
Operator's of moped's must possess a valid minor or standard driver's license. Mopeds are allowed to be operated in any bike lanes if the operator has a valid driver's license.

Other Moped Laws
Any moped operated on a public road where moped travel is permitted must abide by all normal traffic rules. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

Proof of Insurance
Forward facing light visible from 500 feet away
Rear facing reflector or lamp. A reflector must be visible from as far as 300 feet away. A lamp must be visible from 500 feet away
Must have a horn or audio device that can be heard from 100 feet away
An affixed brake that would skid if used on a dry surface
Mopeds are always subject to local laws and ordinances where they are being operated

 

[Cookie]

PS

If the local constible askes the motor is a 48cc