Some sit a scant six inches off the ground, their miniature
motors powerful enough to propel riders along at speeds up to 25
miles an hour.
Some sit a scant six inches off the ground, their miniature motors powerful enough to propel riders along at speeds up to 25 miles an hour.
Mini-motorcycles, or pocket bikes, are a new craze for many motorcycle enthusiasts. The relatively inexpensive bikes, which start at around $300, have both kids and adults clamoring to snatch them up – but police are concerned about the diminutive bikes’ legality and safety.
They are intended only for use off-road raced or on private property, but more and more people are riding them illegally on roadways. And most of the people cited by the California Highway Patrol Hollister/Gilroy division are in San Benito County, said officer Terry Mayes.
The CHP has issued a handful of citations, mostly to teenagers, but has yet to impound any bikes, Mayes said. They are illegal on any public roadway for myriad reasons – they have no mirrors, no turn signal and no lights, Mayes said.
“They’re not road-legal at all and they’re not gonna be,” Mayes said. “The old adage of size counts comes into play. They’re definitely not safe and we don’t want them operated on the roadway.”
The electric or gasoline-powered bikes, which are manufactured in China and Taiwan, hit the local scene in April or May and have been gaining popularity since, Mayes said.
The smallest electrically powered “Pocket Rocket” – made by Razor, best known for non-motorized children’s scooters – costs $200 and tops out at 12 mph. Gas-powered “pocket bikes” can cost up to $1,500 each and hit 40 mph. European racing pocket bikes, such as those that compete in an annual championship in Switzerland, can do 75 mph.
The primary concern for the CHP is not to infringe on recreation and enjoyment of the bikes, but to inform riders of the safety concerns and make people aware of the rules that apply to them, according to CHP Capt. Bob Davies.
“The bottom line is, pocket bikes are not legal to ride on the street – any street,” he said. “Even though they are tiny, according to the California Vehicle Code the bikes are subject to the same vehicle equipment, registration, driver license and helmet requirements of standard motorcycles – something they just can’t meet.”
Because the bikes don’t have a vehicle registration number, they cannot be registered through the Department of Motor Vehicles. If they are confiscated by police for a registration violation, the owner cannot get them back, Mayes said.
“Our goal is to educate. We have the right to impound and seize them, and we would prefer not to do that, but…,” she said. “If we impound for registration, there’s no registration on earth they could get to ever make it happen.”
The Hollister Police Department has seen the same problems with people riding the bikes where they shouldn’t, and also has issued a number of citations and impounded at least two bikes, said Officer George Ramirez.
While there haven’t been any accidents involving the bikes, they don’t meet the required specifications that all road-legal vehicles are required to meet, he said.
That creates a serious safety hazard, Ramirez said.
“Personally, I wouldn’t let my kids on one… but that’s every parent’s choice to make,” he said.
Under the law, officers have the discretion to cite and impound if they choose, but most officers are issuing warnings to people riding them illegally, he said.
“I’ve been giving warnings, and the people I’ve talked to did not know (they were breaking the law),” he said. “They thought it was fine.”
Hollister resident Paul Marino, owner of Race Way Muffler, recently bought a couple for his 11- and 12-year-old children, but soon forbade them to ride them, he said.
“They’re rattle traps. They’re too fast for what they are,” Marino said. “They’re an accident looking to happen.”
Dennis Simunovich sells the bikes at his motorcycle store, Dennis Speed Shop. While many parents come in wanting to buy them for their children, kids aren’t the only ones riding the pint-sized projectiles.
“It’s really funny to watch some people ride them – they look like a circus act,” he said. “Like a big bear riding a little bicycle.”
Simunovich attempts to educate his customers to the dangers of the bikes and how to safely ride them before they buy them, but conceded that someone could get seriously hurt just riding one around a residential neighborhood.
“You get one coming down the street, and I don’t think most every-day motorists expect something so small,” he said. “If you’re not paying attention, God, a car could roll right over you.”
Staff Writer Peter Crowley contributed to this report.
