Ventura CA really cracking down on MBs.

Let's face it. The majority of people that want to ride a gas powered bike are the ones who lost their license.

Bicycle with a motor makes you still have a valid license tho :(
 
You don't own it if the state can take it from you without a warrant or seize it for not paying a fine/fee/tax. The state owns it. :whistle:

The "automatic transmission" requirement is not well defined in the California vehicle code. (abridged quote) But you only pay it one time and then your bike is "free" as long as you own it.
 
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That may be true. But I don't believe a motorized bicycle should require a license to operate. There are plenty of laws about the operation of them, and those should be enforced (no motoring on sidewalks, no terrorizing pedestrians, no operation in areas forbidden to motor vehicles, no operation on the freeway of a motor bicycle, no traveling against traffic direction).

BTW I am a commercial truck driver with valid license.

Let's face it. The majority of people that want to ride a gas powered bike are the ones who lost their license.

Bicycle with a motor makes you still have a valid license tho :(
 
I, for one, am in favor of having a drivers license to ride an MB. That keeps the little kiddies out of the mess. Of course they still ride them, but easier to get busted when a youngster with no DL.

And don't tell me, well, ok if you're over 18 no license required. Do you expect the police to stop everyone and check?

If you ride a MB, you should have to have a license, in any state. Plain and simple.
 
Yuck. You WANT more regulation, taxation, and confiscation? Hope more well armed lambs want free riding of MB vehicles, like some people already enjoy. :)

I specifically built and ride this motor bicycle because in TX I do not have to pay fees or taxes (not talking about gasoline, I'm talking about ownership/registry) , registration, or inspection, or succumb to the state's outrageous mandatory minimum insurance rates. I can ride my poor bike to my poor job and come to my poor home with a little money at the end of the week.
 
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I thought that in Calif the max speed allowed was 20mph ??

and if we are all being truly honest here
an automatic should be able to come to a stop without pulling in anyTHING to disengage
so a HT with a clutch would not be legal

Calif does not have a CC limit -- we have a HP limit = 2 HP

and it appears
but really is NOT RIGHT
each little City can make up their own MB laws so as to add to Calif laws
this hopefully will be challenged someday in a court of law -- appealed to a higher court

ride that THING
 
I thought that in Calif the max speed allowed was 20mph ??

and if we are all being truly honest here
an automatic should be able to come to a stop without pulling in anyTHING to disengage
so a HT with a clutch would not be legal

Calif does not have a CC limit -- we have a HP limit = 2 HP

and it appears
but really is NOT RIGHT
each little City can make up their own MB laws so as to add to Calif laws
this hopefully will be challenged someday in a court of law -- appealed to a higher court

ride that THING

The speed limit is 30 mph for gas mopeds.

Many states say “ an automatic transmission or single speed transmission” or “ a transmission that does not have to be shifted“. California just says “an automatic transmission “. It does not say an “automatic clutch”. A transmission is for selecting gears. A clutch is for engaging or disengaging the engine.

Definitions of automatic transmission on the Web:

a transmission that automatically changes the gears according to the speed of the car
- wordnetweb

An automatic transmission (commonly "AT" or "Auto") is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually. ...
- wikipedia.org

A transmission that selects gears automatically based on the power required in various driving situations and conditions.
- mechanicnet.com

So by these definitions, even an automatic clutch would not suffice, since in order to have an “automatic transmission” you need more than one gear and it needs to shift automatically. California needs to add “ or single speed transmission”. A single speed transmission requires no shifting. If they really mean automatic clutch, they should say that. Right now, it is not clear. The California DMV does not provide a definition for "automatic transmission".

Has anyone ever been cited for not having an automatic transmission?
 
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Well...

if you have a one-speed transmission, the 'transmission' automatically shifts from 'first gear' to 'first gear' ... ;-)

***

I can't say I'm surprised. We had a discussion about idiot MB riders screwing things up for everyone, about 18 months ago. I was visiting the Carlsbad/Oceanside area, and while driving through downtown Oceanside (at about 9:00 in the evening... just after dark, anyway) had a MB rider pass me in the bike lane, going about 35 (cars were moving at about 25.) He whipped left in front of me, through the lane AND the turn lane & turned left into a side street front of an oncoming car, which had to hit the brake to avoid having an unwanted hood ornament. I turned left on the main drag inland a block later, get to a shopping area about a mile away, on the other side of I-5, and while driving though the parking lot, this (I believe) same moron came down the hill, blew through the stop sign, and I had to slam the brakes to avoid hitting him. It was a busy 4-way stop, there were about 4 or 5 cars working their way through the intersection from the bike's direction. I had the right -of-way and was in the intersection when the guy shot past the front of my car, two feet from the bumper. He could literally touched the hood as he shot by. I never saw him until he blew past the last car at the stop sign.

That's exactly the kind of behavior that'll get the whole world PO'ed at motorized bikes.
 
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re: Loquin post
"Where's the cops when you need them?"
That guy (the no lights speeding reckless mb rider) should be arrested and tested for insanity and intoxication.
 
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