The perfect excuse

[sklein25]

Carry a box of donuts with you. Offer the Police some when you get nabbed. I hear they like the honey glazed ones with sprinkles the best.
I'm sure they will let you go on your way then without a hitch.

Being from Toronto (Canada) myself, I feel that the best way to avoid problems with the law is to play it cool and not be a sh_t-disturber!!! Right now it's -10 degrees celsius around here and no one is out riding their regular pedal bikes (with the exception of the odd extremist/ trainer who is bundled up like there's no tomorrow). When spring arrives, you'll see lots of cyclists on the roads and that's when you'll see the motored bikers coming out to join everyone else on the streets. Even though the laws in our province (Ontario) permit power-assisted bicycles to share the roads and go where all regular bicycles can go, this does not include the gas-power assisted bikes.

So when the snow melts and the weather turns warm, I will have my 2-stroke engine kit completed and installed in my mountain bike. I will start riding around the neighbourhood without the engine running and see how many looks I get from people all around me. I'll keep an eye out for the police and will engage the engine for short spurts only to keep things more in my control and hush-hush. If I attract too much attention, too people will want to ask questions and then attract the attention of the police. Now should they pull me over, I may get lucky and get off with a warning. I'll be wearing a helmet, have proper lighting and a bell on my mountain bike (so they can't get me for that). But I may still be fined for riding an un-registered motorized vehicle on public roads (even though I have my motorcycle license).

So in conclusion, I think it best to ride with a motored bike at your own discretion. Ride according to the law on the road and obey all signs. If you happen to pass a spot with a police car present such as your local donut shop (Tim Horton's up here in Canada), then it is best to pull the clutch in quickly and flip the kill switch!!!!!! If the police decide to follow you and pull you over for questioning, just tell them you're test riding your bicycle and obeying the law with all your safety gear in place. If they ask about the engine, well I guess that's up to you to try and get yourself out of that jam! Tell them you were riding it in a private area away from any vehicles and that you are now just pedaling your way home???

Again, I just want to say. Don't try to make yourself stand out and be a reckless nuisance like most kids these days with their E-Bay ordered pocket bikes! Let them get in trouble for riding on streets with no helmets on and making lots of noise. Since your motorized bike is still pedal powered, you can still ride it as a regular bike and only use the engine at appropriate times and places.

Well that pretty much sums up my $0.02 worth. Anyone care to add????

 

[Live_to_Ride]

It's true!....don't stand out and you don't have a thing to worry about.

 

[sklein25]

It's true!....don't stand out and you don't have a thing to worry about.

Mind you, sometimes that's easier said than done! If you have an engine mounted in between your legs on your bike, people will tend to notice. Even if it's not running and you're only pedaling yourself around town at a reasonable speed. It gets even worse if you have other motored bike riders joining you and then you're all riding together with the engines screaming and disturbing everyone around you.
My advise is play it cool and try to stay under the radar of neighbours, other motorists, and on-lookers in your neighbourhood. Otherwise, the more noise you make, then the more attention you will draw towards you. And sometimes if that attention is from the law, then you just might get stopped and asked a whole bunch of questions that may or may not result in a fine????

Cheers.............
Steve

 

[bigrabbit]

I am australian guy through and through and i havent really looked into the laws, but i am presuming its tight on 50cc, and my does go fairly quick and makes more noise the faster you go, ah nine times out of ten i kill it when i see cops, but usually they have a quick glance and go on there merry way, i have seen them go right by when i was doing some fast speeds and it didnt worry them, i guess if you just be sensible and nothing stupid it wont bother most people, then again where i come from there are at least 15 of us out there although we see each other rarely, the town aint all that big maybe 45,000!

 

[angus]

Federal Law in in US?

Your limited by federal law to an engine under 50cc with a top speed of not more than 20mph.

I've been following the law here in CA; however, I was unaware of federal regulations; where would I read about that?

 

[azbill]

http://www.motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?t=4110

 

[fastboy9]

As we all know the best way to defend ourselves against a police officer is to play dead. It works against even the biggest, meanest, frothing at the mouth grizzly bear in the wild. I'm sure it will work against one of those pesky enforcement officers.

.
Haha brilliant! When they stop you just stay really still and dont make any noise, hopefully he will just lose interest and walk away.

 

[Large Filipino]

I pay my water bill in person every month. It's next to the police station. On two occasions I lock up my bike a cop would walk up and say That's cool,man. How'd you do that?
Then I tell them about the kit and they really get into it. Then I pay my bill and they watch me ride off to the park across the street and on the bike trail.
Cops don't seem to mind us older guys out here. I think it's when the whiners start complaining that they have to pedal and I don't is probably when I'll get some heat.
What's funny is I had two occasions with two different cops out there on two different times and in both cases they never asked me about riding the trails or what size engine that is. They just tell me it's cool.