Motorized bikes
Not a big issue for most, but for many it a key to living a reasonable life. Indiana law does not require a full-blown driver’s license to operate a motorized bicycle. This is important for young teens, anxious to get on the road, but for adults who have lost their licenses for multiple traffic offences for many years (call “habitual traffic offenders” (HTO) here) it provides a reasonable means to get to work. If caught driving without a license, HTO’s face anywhere from a year to eight years (depending on their history) in prison. The Indy Star has a piece up today on this issue and it contains a good overview of the law:
Indiana does not require a license tag and registration for vehicles that are considered a motorized bicycle. The state defines a motorized bicycle as a two- or three-wheeled vehicle that is propelled by an internal combustion engine or a battery-powered motor. If powered by an internal combustion engine, it must:
• Not exceed 2 horsepower.
• Not exceed 50 cubic centimeters.
• Have an automatic transmission.
• Have a maximum speed of 25 mph or less on level ground.
Only people age 15 and older can legally ride the vehicles on public property. To do so, they must have an Indiana identification card issued by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. They also must wear helmets and goggles or a helmet with a full-face shield.
A rider may not carry a passenger or ride on a sidewalk or interstate highway.
The problem is with technology. Manufacturers now produce really nice “mopeds” that have 49 cc engines that go go close to 50 mph. That clearly violates the 25 mph. Over the last year we have had a rash of people getting busted for operating without a license, or operating as a HTO after police radar their mopeds and find them to be exceeding the 25 mph. While we have had some fun on the “level ground” issue, it is hard to watch an adult go to prison for riding a moped to work. Another note, if your license to drive has been suspended because of an OWI in Indiana, you cannot operate any motorized vehicle, mopeds included.
