Mini Bikes, Pocket Bikes - Wholesale Prices - Electric Scooters, Pocket Scooters and Gas Scooters

In response to concerns relating to the increased operation of mini-motorcycles (pocket bikes) on California's streets and highways, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) provides the following guidelines with the intent to enhance public safety on all roadways and to obtain compliance with the California Vehicle Code (VC) ( www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html ).

These mini-motorcycles or "pocket bikes" are not manufactured with a conforming 17-digit vehicle identification number (VIN), indicating the manufacturers intended they be operated on private property (with owner's permission) and not for use on a highway .

Since they are not manufactured with a 17-digit VIN, they cannot get registered as a legal motor vehicle or as an off-highway vehicle, which makes them illegal for use on the highways or as an off-highway vehicle .

Definition of Highway
"Highway" as defined in Section 360 VC "is a way or place of whatever nature, publicly maintained and open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel. Highway includes street."

Gasoline-Powered Mini-Motorcycles
A gasoline-powered mini-motorcycle is a " motor-driven cycle " pursuant to Section 405 VC. As such, it is subject to all vehicle equipment, registration, driver license (M1 endorsement), and helmet requirements stated in the VC.

Electric-Powered Mini-Motorcycles
An electric-powered mini-motorcycle is a " motorized bicycle " pursuant to Section 406(a) VC. As such, it is subject to all vehicle equipment, driver license (M2 endorsement), and helmet requirements stated in the VC.

Frequently Asked Questions
What if my pocket bike's engine is less then 50cc's? I've heard that they are not required to be registered and are street legal.

This is incorrect information. There is nothing in the vehicle code that allows a motor-driven cycle to be operated on the highway that is less than 50cc's. Any motor-driven cycle less than 150cc's is required to be registered, meet the equipment standards of a motorcycle, and the operator must have an M1 driver license.

What will happen if I'm stopped by the CHP while riding my pocket bike on the streets?

If a person is stopped by a CHP officer while operating a mini-motorcycle (pocket bike) on a highway, that person may be cited for no driver's license or lack of proper motorcycle endorsement, unsafe vehicle, or helmet use, and the bike may be impounded which would require tow and storage fees be paid by the violator.

My pocket bike was advertised as a toy, so wouldn't that make them legal to ride?

No. These vehicles can travel at high speeds (20 to 50 mph) and ARE NOT TOYS. They are motor-driven cycles.

I thought my pocket bike was a motorized scooter.

No. Pocket bikes meet the definition of motor-driven cycles and within the definition of "motorized scooter", Section 407.5 VC, it states that ". . . for the purposes of this section, . . . a motor-driven cycle, as defined in Section 405 VC, . . . is not a motorized scooter."

Where can I legally ride my pocket bike?

The pocket bikes were manufactured for paved closed circuit racing courses. They may only be operated on private property with the owner's permission.

Can my 10-year old child ride a motorized scooter?

The operator of a motorized scooter must be at least 16 years of age even if the motorized scooter is powered by electric energy.

Pocket Bikes Information

Pocket Bikes are the biggest trend in the motorized vehicle industry today. With so many competition out there, its always smart to do research on the best quality pocket bikes on the market. We have gathered some information to give you a better idea of what a pocket bike is.

What are Pocket Bikes?

Pocket Bikes are designed in class and style of a “mini-motorcycle.” Its well-built aluminum frame gives it a sleek look of a racing style bike. Top speeds range from between 34-45 mph, depending on the weight and height of the rider.

CALIFORNIA
The buzz is all about mini-motorcycles
Pocket bikes run illegally on city streets
- By Michael Taylor, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 16, 2004

They're the newest passion for wheel-crazy Californians -- tiny motorcycles called pocket bikes -- and with their raspy exhaust note, they sound like a crazed battalion of wasps coming down the street at hubcap level.

Pocket bikes are miniature motorcycles -- powered, for the most part, by oil- and gas-burning engines similar to those used in chain saws, weed whackers or other small motorized tools -- and they look just like the real thing.

The snazziest models cost thousands and are made in Italy, but the ones that are selling by the container load run from $200 to $500. They come from China, among other places, and are getting snapped up by eager teenagers and, in some cases, not-so-teenagers.

At Broadtek LLC, a South San Francisco firm that imports them, the cardboard cartons containing the small bikes are stacked to the ceiling of a tall warehouse and are quickly going out the door to eager customers.

In Walnut Creek, Eric Rahin, owner of Sonic Scooterz, says he's selling them in droves -- "from college students to people in their late 50s. It's basically a toy to have some fun with."

Manufacturers say the bikes are supposed to be used only on closed race tracks, private roads or any other place where there are no public traffic laws and, more important, no big cars or trucks to run into you. Many buyers follow that advice.

But now you see some of these new pocket bikes zinging in and out of parking lots, up and down residential streets and, occasionally into the side of a car. And therein lies the rub.

"It's very difficult for a driver (of a car) to see one on those bikes, because of their low height," said San Francisco police Lt. Kitt Crenshaw. "We've had several accidents in the last few weeks, and people went to the hospital."

The pocket bikes have a top speed of about 35 mph, but can be souped up to go faster. They evolved from tiny but highly sophisticated racing bikes that campaign on European race tracks and are sometimes used as training vehicles for Grand Prix motorcycle racers.

The bikes are faithful imitations of popular normal-size street motorcycles, which, for marketing reasons, are faithful imitations of pure race bikes, down to the disk brakes, handlebars, chain drives, twist-grip throttles and electronic ignition.

The little bikes weigh about 50 pounds, stand about a foot and a half high and can easily be put in the trunk of a car. They have tiny engines -- 47cc or 49cc displacement, less than 1/20th the size of a big motorcycle. And they are enticing.

"It's a fun little thing to ride," said Matt Damon, a 21-year-old salesman in a Martinez pet store. "It's a whole lot cheaper than a $6,000 or $7,000 big bike. For years now, I've been riding different types of motorcycles, but it's more like the small bikes are a fun thing, instead of just transportation. And it's easier to maintain and burns less gas."

But Damon did admit, "I took it for a ride down the street and got pulled over. The officer was kind of nice about it. But I got a ticket."

Police departments in the Bay Area and elsewhere in California have been cracking down on the little two-wheelers, saying they are a major accident waiting to happen. No police agency could come up with information about any deaths caused by pocket bike crashes, but police want them off the public roads before the inevitable happens.

"Their numbers are starting to increase," said Milpitas police Officer Jay Johnson, who was assigned by his department to look into the phenomenon and ultimately write about it for the weekly Milpitas Post. "Most of the complaints we're getting is that drivers can't see them or there'll be a group of them racing, or they're running stop signs."

For a while, though, until Johnson began studying up on the subject, and the California Highway Patrol sent out a memo clarifying just what is and what is not legal about the bikes, confusion seemed to be paramount.

In fact, it shouldn't be. On many bikes, there's a decal right there on the gas tank that says these things do not conform to "federal motor vehicle safety standards."

After a lengthy consult with the state Vehicle Code and the Department of Motor Vehicles, the CHP explained that the bikes do not meet a number of standards required for all vehicles registered in California -- the most telling example being the stipulation that "headlamp height (be) between 22 and 54 inches."

Technical problems aside, it's the safety issue that concerns authorities.

"We're really concerned about these things mixing with traffic," said CHP spokesman Steve Kohler. "If you think about it, something that small is difficult to see, when it's mixed in with cars, trucks and buses. Drivers don't even see full-size motorcycles. There's no way they're going to see these things."

Or, as David Edwards, editor in chief of Cycle World Magazine and a man who puts about 20,000 miles a year on motorcycles, said: "When you get out in city traffic, you'll be at more risk than on a full-size motorcycle. But they only hold (a little) gas, so you won't go too far. And they're noisy as hell, so at least people will hear you coming if not see you coming."

Speedy, Tiny and Troublesome - By Rachel Metz
SAN FRANCISCO -- Whizzing down the street just inches from the pavement, Vincent Walstra looks like a big kid getting away with his little brother's pint-size bike. Arms and legs straddling the shiny yellow two-wheeler, Walstra knows he looks silly, but he's having fun on his new toy -- a shrunken-down motorcycle commonly referred to as a "pocket bike."

Walstra's bike weighs 30 pounds, is about a foot high, maybe 2 feet long, and has a 47cc engine that lets him go up to 35 mph. That's perhaps a third of the size -- and a fraction of the speed -- of some standard motorcycles. Compared with a road bike like the 2004 Honda Rebel -- which is closer to 5 feet in length, has a 234cc engine and weighs over 300 pounds -- Walstra's pocket bike might as well be a rejected prop from the movie Honey, I Shrunk The Kids .

Popular in European racing circles for years, pocket bikes have recently exploded on the scene in California. From Wal-Mart and Kragen Auto Parts stores to eBay and bulletin board mecca craigslist , gas-powered and electric versions of the tiny bikes are being bought, sold and ridden all over the San Francisco Bay Area.

Though the top pocket bikes can cost up to about $3,000 and are made by Italian companies like Polini and Pasini, low-end Chinese bikes start at under $200 -- affordable for many teens, like Walstra, who want a cheap feel of what it's like to ride a motorcycle.

"It's just a toy, just to have fun on," said Walstra.

But while the bikes might be fun, some owners aren't having a blast. Craigslist is littered with posts by those stopped from riding by local police, and riders warn others about a perceived disconnect between themselves, city law enforcement and the state's Department of Motor Vehicles regarding the street legality -- or the lack thereof -- of the tiny vehicles. Some riders are also unclear about the necessity of having a motorcycle license to ride pocket bikes.

Alex Lin, 13, a pocket-bike rider from San Francisco, has been on the receiving end of this confusion. In April, Lin was stopped while riding his cousin's bike on the streets of Daly City, and said his uncle has been stopped there as well.

"They told me that you needed a real motorcycle license and that at first I was too young," Lin said. "After that they didn't let me ride it home. They said I had to walk it home."

Robert Ionko, a pocket-bike enthusiast and retailer, takes conflict regarding the legality of pocket bikes seriously. During an interview at his new San Carlos pocket-bike shop, Mini Motors, Ionko wouldn't rev up or tool around on a bike in his driveway in the midmorning sunshine. He didn't want to annoy his neighbors, he said.

Ionko sells bikes he imports from China, some of them small pocket bikes like Walstra's, some larger and heavier with more motorcycle accoutrements -- turn signals, lights, speedometers and more.

Though he opened his shop just a month ago and has done little advertising, people have been coming in and buying his bikes. "They've been selling like hot cakes," he said. Ionko won't sell pocket bikes to kids under 18 -- he makes them bring their parents in, who have to purchase the bike and sign a waiver form. Parents who buy from him are buying bikes for kids who have racing experience, he said.

"They don't just go from (a) bicycle to one of these," he said.

Like others, Ionko thinks the bikes are a current fad that will eventually simmer down. Still, he said, some people will continue to race on the weekends.

Ionko tells customers the bikes aren't street-legal, and though he's heard those with lights could be, the DMV won't let riders register them. Many pocket bikes also lack the 17-digit VIN, or vehicle identification numbers, that motor vehicle manufacturers stamp on each product. Ionko and others believe this may be an obstacle to registering them.

Terri Johnson, a manager with the state's DMV, said the VINs have nothing to do with pocket bikes' illegality on streets -- it's really about the bikes' failure to meet safety standards, she said.

"You can't modify it to make it street-legal, so that's just the bottom line,” she said. “They're not street-legal, and we're not registering them."

And if California Highway Patrol Officer Christian Oliver's observations are any test, some pocket-bike riders aren't trying to make them safer. Oliver has seen all types of people riding pocket bikes, but one commonality, he said, was that they're often not wearing helmets.

And as for riders' concerns about any miscommunication between the California Highway Patrol, local law enforcement and the DMV, "I think we're all on the same page," he said.

Agent Paul Scheff of the Palo Alto Police Department agreed. The mini bikes are popular in Palo Alto, where Walstra rides, Scheff said. He said he has run across them in and outside Palo Alto, and many parents and some kids have been asking him about the bikes and laws pertaining to them.

Scheff, who rides a motorcycle on patrol, said he tells these people that pocket bikes are illegal on public roads and public property. Those caught riding in the streets could face verbal warnings or citations, he said. The bike could even be impounded if the rider doesn't have a motorcycle license, he said.

The bikes can be ridden on private property if the rider has the property owner's permission, he said, and the responsibility falls on the bike owner to check on the riding rules in the area.

"Each city is different. It's one of those things you'd better check with the city first," he said.