mmac

I've been noticing a lot of junk mountain bikes with 80cc gasoline engines strapped to them being driven around and showing up on Craigslist lately.

They sound like an old lawnmower, and I usually see them trying to carry some fat **** near the local grocery store. I've even seen one putting along the bike path I take to school.

Here's two examples from craigslist. I've often seen these pitched as 100% legal without any sort of license, and I've marked several to get taken down.

https://eauclaire.craigslist.org/bik/1431764363.html
https://eauclaire.craigslist.org/bik/1425483442.html

Do you guys see these being used or sold around you? It seems to me that they're pretty illegal on the street, and people seem to use them for random trips. Is it worth calling the cops if I see on on the bike path?

Luddite

I am pretty sure those @%#$% gas bike engines are illegal up here. I hate it when they are on the streets designated for bikes, belching out stinky smoke. I usually give them hell.

Chilled

There is one knucklehead in my neck of the woods on one of these things. Who cares, eventually they will get smoked by a car or a bus. Watch for the oil slick the next day!!

KLW2

I've only seen one around here but in Europe they are everywhere..people use them as daily transportation in place of a car or larger motor bike/cycle and the pedals help them accelerate from a stop as well as a backup for running out of gas. Many like the Solex have a motor with a roller that engages the front tire to drive the bike. To disengage, just pull a lever and it lifts the motor/roller assembly. Not too noisy and a really good form of transport....they advertise 200 mpg.

GodsBassist

Depends on the state. I think most states have a technical 50cc limit for unregistered bikes before they consider it a 'motor vehicle'. Your limit and/or enforcement may vary.

Edit: I guess the 50cc limit I was thinking of is the difference in most places between a moped and a motorcycle. Seems like mopeds require a DL only.

Found an ok list of state laws that people can contribute to wiki style.
https://www.moped2.org/mstates.htm

Wanderer

Illegal in Illnois, but we see them from time to time.

Funny, but the cops seem to look the other way................

lil brown bat

It may or may not be legal, but is it really that much skin off your nose if someone wants to ride one? Does it really cause that many problems for you? If not, you might consider just shrugging it off -- the world is full of things to be annoyed over.

tcs

I recently rode my ex-wife's motor-assisted bike. It was very noisy and vibrated like a paint shaker; for me it was a good bike ride ruined.

Laws concerning these vehicles are highly variable in different parts of the USA.

Fun fact: Suzuki, Honda, Ducati, MZ (DKW), Indian, Royal Enfield, Triumph and several other well known motorcycle companies got their start by adding helper engines to bicycles.

tcs

DataJunkie

There is one I used to encounter on a MUP in denver. Very loud, slow, and stinky.
The dude riding it yelled at me a few times.
Perhaps it had to do with his top speed of around 10mph and me doing 20mph+ to pass him. *shrugs*

dynodonn 

There are several gas motor bike conversions in my area, and some are really nice looking while others look like they are bound for the scrapyard. Though every single one of the bikes I've observed, one would be hard pressed to keep the backside of one of these bikes in sight for very long, even if I was traveling at 20+mph.

DataJunkie

..and?

bautieri

I noticed a couple of those ads on the local craigslist here as well. It was several months ago and only for a week or so. They were selling for something like 80 bucks for a bolt on DIY kit. It amused me for a few moments as I tried to picture what a cluster fark it must be to keep everything perfectly aligned.

Legality wise, it probably fits into the same category as those pocket bikes and motorized scooters. A very grey area here in PA.

whatsmyname

I see them and can't help thinking they're neither fish nor fowl: not light and cheap like bikes, not powerful and fast enough like motorbikes. And they have scooter speed but bike rim brakes. WTF BBQ

echotraveler

NAY sayers are jelous! Motored bikes are super cool heres the one i had... got stolen! i was very sad!

theres very very neet motored bicycles, and a lot of crappy built ones...mine was rad! it did 28mph max speed and the bike with all weighed at 100 pounds.

dynodonn 

The 10mph top speed motor bike is a rarity in my area, and the ones I've seen, would leave me in the dust.

Personally, if I happen to have a motor driven bike, and was passed up by a cyclist doing 20+mph, I would not be yelling, but heading back to the house/workshop and doing some serious revamping.

errolprowse

HAHAHAHAH you guys have no idea what you are talking about.
mine goes 33 miles per hour and gets 250 miles to the gallon. mines 100% legal in california and doesnt require insurance or anything. I LOVE MY MOTORED BIKE!!!! i still use my pedal bike because i have to stay in shape or whatever but motor bikes are awesome.

MOST ENGINES ARE CRAP!!!! most strap those crappy chinese made engines on and they are horrible. look into golden eagle bicycle engine and you will see quality bikes. i have the robin/suburau 35cc and it beats most other motored bikes in so many ways. so far i have over 5000 miles on it and it still runs strong. other bikes break down quite fast and are very scary/unreliable.

electric ones are super crap, i would hate to charge a battery all night to use it for 20/30 miles, thats just ********.



this is a link to the quality engine on my bike, its like 630 bucks but it works for years and is much more reliable than anything else ive had.
https://www.bikeengines.com/

DataJunkie

That is the only one I have encountered in my area.
The rider appears to only use it on bike paths. If a motor driven bike was being driven around 30 mph on a bike path I doubt anyone would be thrilled. Double the speed limit and all that.

errolprowse

mine stops faster than you can imagine. you need to ride one thats properly tuned with good components and you wouldnt even think of saying that


oh and another thing that people do is use mountain bike tires on a motor bike on the street?!?! i tell other motor bike riders how extremely dangerous this is and how it doesnt have any grip compared to a slick tire but they never listen. if you get a slick tire or gas mileage goes up, your handling ability is much more stable and safer.



DONT JUDGE SOMETHING YOU HAVE NO EXPERIENCE WITH!!!

DataJunkie

errolprowse

i live in california and theres signs forbidding it everywhere. motorized bicycles are considered the same as a moped and you can take up a whole car lane legally with a motor bike. other drivers hate it but if you are assertive enough you can do it. oh and if there is a bike trail that i need to go on, i just go nice and slow, like 15 miles per hour so it doesnt look like i have a motor. plus mines not loud at all


even though mine can go 33 miles per hour out of the box, i can still go on 35 mile per hour roads, i went to the police station and sayed its fine. i also went to the dmv and they said the same thing


please dont buy a cheap engine, you can get hurt with those chinese 2 stroke pieces of crap

Nobodyetal

This thread is becoming entertaining.

I feel like I see one around Tucson every few days. I think Spookytooth is actually located in Tucson so maybe that's part of it.

I'm halfway between "bah, that's not a REAL bike" and "well, it's better than an SUV"
But I certainly don't flag the Craigslist posts.

Your mileage (and theirs, apparently) may vary.

DataJunkie

I would rather own a scooter if I wanted to go that slow.
However, a motorcycle is more up my alley.

moralleper

In Washington State the motor cannot exceed 1HP. If it does then the user is suppose to register it and not be in the bike lane. I was dusted by an old man on a hybrid the other day up a hill. When I caught up to him at the next light I noticed he had a little electric motor on the back wheel.

errolprowse

ahahhahah mine is 1/3 a horse power and can go 33 miles per hour. just keep it under 1hp, if you had more it would be way to unsafe. look on the motored bike forums out there, some guys go like 60 miles per hour. screw that, i like going about 27 miles per hour so i can have some good stopping power.


i wear a scooter helmet, you dont have to, but if you fell at that speed you would be a goner

errolprowse

what motorcycle has 250 miles per gallon of gasoline???
plus, you have to pay insurance if you get a motorcycle
i like motored bikes because its the absolute cheapest, i think its cheaper than riding a bicycle because the food you have to buy. i can go about a mile for almost a penny, think about how much it costs to go a mile on a bicycle and how much you have to eat to fuel yourself.

bicycle 10 miles= bread/ water (just to be cheap) =2.00
motor bike 10 miles=10 cents of gas= .10

you have to do a oil change with a four stroke about every 100-150 miles though, but the engine uses a couple table spoons of oil so it comes out to under a dollar.