I didn't know Wally World had them for <$100. Guy down the street is starting a cottage industry of scarfing up bicycles and exciting 14 year olds all over the neighborhood. I'm still concerned; kids with no experience can keep up with traffic in the village, no helmet or lights required; too fast for sidewalks.
Want to get a ticket for driving a motor vehicle without insurance, registration, or plate by a hard ass cop?
In reply to Appleseed :
Depends on the state. Around here, all the drunks ride scooters less than 50cc. I don't think any license or insurance is required. Law treats it like a bicycle, or used to.
49cc means no license or insurance required. But some states are looking at regulating more stringently.
Yeah even MD is mostly fine on the DUI mobiles as long as they're under 50cc
I'd love to have one, and looked into it a while back. At the time in Texas there just wasn't a legal way to ride one on the street. Even under 50cc, they didn't quite qualify as mopeds and couldn't be insured or registered. The "EPA certificate" that comes with some of the engines is for lawn & garden engine use, not motor vehicles.
That leaves one at the discretion of the local police. Most of them have bigger fish to fry, but ... Might as well have been a go kart.
I'd like a street-legal 4-cycle version in the 80cc range on a cruiser frame.
I have one in a box somewhere. Mine was a hateful little engine. Mostly because it seldom got used.
It was a fun conversation piece. Even the cops would give me a thumbs up. The bike is waiting on a new engine. That is in a box somewhere also.
spitfirebill said:49cc means no license or insurance required. But some states are looking at regulating more stringently.
Not in Oregon. License and insurance are required.
We call those things bum bikes around here. Screaming through neighborhoods with bags of bottles and cans in tow, often going the wrong way in bike lanes and darting into traffic.
In this town the cops will bust you for using them on a bike path AND on the streets.
I'd take a Whizzer.
that's a moped in NJ
In New Jersey, a motorized bicycle, or MOPED, is defined by law as a pedal bicycle with a helper motor that has a maximum piston displacement of less than 50 cubic centimeters, or no more than 1.5 brake horsepower, and is capable of a maximum speed of no more than 25 miles per hour on a flat surface.
New York you don't need a motorcycle license, but you do need a car license.
I've thought about it, but always decide against it.
My brother built one. The chains are crap. He upgraded better chain.
It was fun to ride.
Some shiny happy person in my area assembless and sells those things. Not sure if it was him or a customer who almost hit me on the sidewalk last week. When I hear a noisy engine approaching from behind, I usually don't expect it to be on the sidewalk. I hope the cops get him. I should probably make a complaint. :(
I built one in college - so 13 years ago? Was a great time. Cantilever brakes aren't really adequate...
We have a couple of these conversions around the paddock when we do Lemons races. They are a lot of fun.
Two of my staff members built one and ride theirs all over tarnation. One of them even takes his on a race track with pit bikes and it's hilarious. I have not tried riding them but they swear by it. I once tried to keep up with one in a residential neighborhood with my truck and couldn't. If I were to build one, I think I would do it on one of those fat tired mountain bikes.
Yeah, looks awesome to me. Especially if you want to do some bike commuting or errands. Don't have a shower at work? Just use the gas motor to get there and use your legs to get home.
re: rules and issues with cops - I think i'd be like most other things. If you break the 'don't be a dick rule' they can make it an issue. If not, you're probably fine.
also, seems like a budget motor setup for a cycle cart.
I have an old huffy mountain bike that I was going to make into a clunker. This has all sorts of fun written on it.
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