Gas powered Bicycles

The Salina Journal is reporting that police in Salina, Kansas are cracking down on motorized bicycles:

Cole Rodenbeek says he and some friends who ride their bicycles to work are being eco-friendly and trying to save money on their daily commute to work.

But Salina police say he and his friends are breaking the law. It’s the motors on the bikes the Salinans ride that have drawn law officers’ attention.

Equipped with 49 cubic centimeter motors that get as much as 175 miles to the gallon of gas, their bikes can cruise at 20 miles an hour along the street or faster downhill.

Recently, one of the riders was stopped by a patrol officer and given a ticket for riding an unregistered vehicle on a city street. The fine in Salina Municipal Court for driving an unregistered vehicle is $50, and court costs are $50.

Officers aren’t against saving fuel. But the law says that any vehicle driven on a street has to be registered and have a license tag, said Lt. Russ Lamer, traffic unit commander.

A motorized bicycle doesn’t have a vehicle identification number, so it can’t be registered, Lamer said. The same holds true for golf carts, which also are illegal to operate on Salina streets, he said. Mopeds have VINs, so they can be registered.

8-1592a. Application of 8-1586 to 8-1592 (bicycle-specific statutes) to motorized bicycles. The provisions of K.S.A. 8-1586 to 8-1592, inclusive, shall be applicable to motorized bicycles, and every person operating a motorized bicycle shall be subject to the provisions thereof. 8-1592b. Electric-assisted bicycles; traffic law application; no registration or driver’s license required. Vehicle registration and driver’s license shall not be required for operation of an electric-assisted bicycle. Traffic regulations applicable to bicycles shall apply to electric-assisted bicycles, except tricycles with no brake horsepower. 8-1439a. “Motorized bicycle” defined. “Motorized bicycle” means every device having two tandem wheels or three wheels which may be propelled by either human power or helper motor, or by both, and which has: (a) A motor which produces not more than 3.5 brake horsepower; (b) a cylinder capacity of not more than 130 cubic centimeters; (c) an automatic transmission; and (d) the capability of a maximum design speed of no more than 30 miles per hour except a low power cycle. 8-1489. “Electric-assisted bicycle” defined. “Electric-assisted bicycle” means a bicycle with two or three wheels, a saddle, fully operative pedals for human propulsion, and an electric motor. The electric-assisted bicycle’s electric motor must have a power output of no more than 1, 000 watts, be incapable of propelling the device at a speed of more than 20 miles per hour on level ground and incapable of further increasing the speed of the device when human power alone is used to propel the device beyond 20 miles per hour.

Here’s what the Kansas Highway Patrol says about motorized bicycles (and Mopeds):

“Motorized bicycle” means every device having two tandem wheels or three wheels, which may be propelled by either human power, helper motor, or by both and which has:

• A motor which produces not more than 3.5 brake horsepower;
• A cylinder capacity of not more than 130 cubic centimeters;
• An automatic transmission; and
• The capability of a maximum design speed of no more than 30 miles per hour except a low power cycle.
• * The operator must possess a valid driver’s license for any class of motor vehicle, or a driver’s license specifically for the operation of a motorized bicycle per KSA 8-235. [read more]

A motorized bicycle manufactured in 1980 or after must have a seventeen (17) digit VIN conforming to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration requirements. There must also be a decal or plate attached with a statement that the motorized bicycle meets the Federal Safety Standards. If the motorized bicycle does not meet these requirements, it more than likely will be considered a “toy vehicle” which will not be titled or registered in Kansas and cannot be operated on public roadways within Kansas.

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