Highway legal: What are the actual laws?

"John R Pierce" <spam.TakeThisOut@is.invalid> wrote in message
news:cugunvg4r6de59sm7f5pfrmjvb125hq7nr@news.lmi.net...
 > under 150 CC's is considered a 'motor driven cycle' and not allowed on
 > controlled access highways (aka freeways). Over 150cc's is a
 > "motorcycle".
 >
although if you take a 150cc whatever on California freeways, you are a
braver soul than I.

-c.

02 Speed Triple<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Highway legal: What are the actual laws? 

In article <vnud8c301qqr4f.DeleteThis@news.supernews.com>, Zenin <zenin.DeleteThis@rhps.org>
wrote:

 > I've been told often that the only rule governing if a bike/scooter can be
 > legally used on highways/freeways is that the engine must be 150cc or
 > larger. Is this true? If so or not, does anyone know the actual section of
 > the vehicle code that directly addresses this? It seems non-sensical to me
 > considering the large HP differences just between 2 stroke and 4 stroke
 > engines of the same size, much less modern vs vintage engines of the same
 > displacement. I'm in California if it makes a difference.
 >
 > Thanks!
 >
 > -Zenin

In California, a motorcycle must be at least 250cc to be legally on a
freeway. But you should get real: It should be at least 500cc or
thereabouts. (IT's a fuzzy definition. A 400cc Honda CB-1, for instance,
is strong enough.)

I'm not certain, but I'm really sure that two-stroke motorcycles aren't
legal on public streets in CA. In my FAQ I have alink to the CA vehicle
code on the web where you can look up the code yourself.

--
Timberwoof <me at timberwoof dot com>
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.timberwoof.com" target="_blank">http://www.timberwoof.com</a><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Highway legal: What are the actual laws? 

 >I'm not certain, but I'm really sure that two-stroke motorcycles aren't
 >legal on public streets in CA. In my FAQ I have alink to the CA vehicle
 >code on the web where you can look up the code yourself.

existing ones are legal. new ones aren't. I see a couple vintage Yammy
RD two-smokers a week.

I'd take a Nighthawk 250 on the highway, and thats a pretty anemic bike
for a 250. I'd ride it quite differently than I ride my beemer, but the
CB250 has sufficient power to maintain decent highway speeds.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Highway legal: What are the actual laws? 

"Timberwoof" <timberwoof.RemoveThis@stimpberawoofm.com> wrote

 > In California, a motorcycle must be at least 250cc to be legally on a
 > freeway. But you should get real: It should be at least 500cc or
 > thereabouts.

Nah. The little Ninja 250 does just *fine* on the Freeway.

Matter of fact, a guy named Leon (The Animal) Begeman just rode one to 12th
place in the annual Iron Butt Rally, covering 11,186 miles in 11 days.

P.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Highway legal: What are the actual laws? 

In article <timberwoof-FB56DD.16283304102003 RemoveThis @typhoon.sonic.net>,
Timberwoof <timberwoof RemoveThis @stimpberawoofm.com> wrote:
 > In California, a motorcycle must be at least 250cc to be legally on a
 > freeway. But you should get real: It should be at least 500cc or
 > thereabouts.

Oh please. I rode a 250cc scooter from one end of California to the other,
and a lot of that was on I5. I had no problems.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Highway legal: What are the actual laws? 

"P.Roehling" <Pete.Roehling.TakeThisOut@CUTOUTeee.org> wrote in message
news:vnv7e8mlqro61@corp.supernews.com...
 >
 > "Timberwoof" <timberwoof.TakeThisOut@stimpberawoofm.com> wrote
 >
  > > In California, a motorcycle must be at least 250cc to be legally on a
  > > freeway. But you should get real: It should be at least 500cc or
  > > thereabouts.
 >
 > Nah. The little Ninja 250 does just *fine* on the Freeway.
 >
 > Matter of fact, a guy named Leon (The Animal) Begeman just rode one to
12th
 > place in the annual Iron Butt Rally, covering 11,186 miles in 11 days.
 >

His kid has/had the speed-distance record for a moped also.

Begeman's rock! <G>

RickB <Begeman of course><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Highway legal: What are the actual laws? 

In article <timberwoof-FB56DD.16283304102003.TakeThisOut@typhoon.sonic.net>,
Timberwoof <timberwoof.TakeThisOut@stimpberawoofm.com> wrote:
 >In California, a motorcycle must be at least 250cc to be legally on a
 >freeway. But you should get real: It should be at least 500cc or
 >thereabouts. (IT's a fuzzy definition. A 400cc Honda CB-1, for instance,
 >is strong enough.)

The criteria is < 150cc (Motor driven cycle), >150cc is a motorcycle.
EG, the EX250 is freeway legal (and barely capable).


--
Nicholas C. Weaver nweaver.TakeThisOut@cs.berkeley.edu<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Highway legal: What are the actual laws? 

"Nicholas C. Weaver" <nweaver.DeleteThis@ribbit.CS.Berkeley.EDU> wrote

 > EG, the EX250 is freeway legal (and barely capable).

Not so. The Ninja 250 handles Freeways just fine, and is capable of 100mph
on a good day.

P.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Highway legal: What are the actual laws? 

"Zenin" <zenin.DeleteThis@rhps.org> wrote in message
news:vnud8c301qqr4f@news.supernews.com...
 > I've been told often that the only rule governing if a bike/scooter can be
 > legally used on highways/freeways is that the engine must be 150cc or
 > larger. Is this true? If so or not, does anyone know the actual section
of
 > the vehicle code that directly addresses this? It seems non-sensical to
me
 > considering the large HP differences just between 2 stroke and 4 stroke
 > engines of the same size, much less modern vs vintage engines of the same
 > displacement. I'm in California if it makes a difference.
 >
 > Thanks!
 >
 > -Zenin

The cutoff is the difference (in California's Vehicle Code) between a
motor-driven cycle and a motorcycle (CVC 405):

Motor-Driven Cycle
405. A "motor-driven cycle" is any motorcycle with a motor that displaces
less than 150 cubic centimeters.

So, 150cc and above is a motorcycle. The signs on the entrance to most
freeways say that "motorized bicycles" and "motor-driven cycles" are
prohibited. It is also true that the law was originally worded with a
"brake horsepower" cutoff rather than engine size in cc's. Manufacturers
lobbied to have the code amended to simple cc size, so they would not have
to submit their bikes for testing.

Don<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Highway legal: What are the actual laws? 

John R Pierce wrote:

  >>I'm not certain, but I'm really sure that two-stroke motorcycles aren't
  >>legal on public streets in CA. In my FAQ I have alink to the CA vehicle
  >>code on the web where you can look up the code yourself.
 >
 >
 > existing ones are legal. new ones aren't. I see a couple vintage Yammy
 > RD two-smokers a week.
 >
 > I'd take a Nighthawk 250 on the highway, and thats a pretty anemic bike
 > for a 250. I'd ride it quite differently than I ride my beemer, but the
 > CB250 has sufficient power to maintain decent highway speeds.

Now if we could only get bikes like the CBR150R and CBR250R.

Yes, that little pipsqueek of a bike puts out as much hp as a Ninja 250
but weighs 50 lbs less. The 250R is pushing out about 40HP.

A Rebel? 18HP. No wonder it sucks on highways.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Highway legal: What are the actual laws? 

Don in Phoenix, AZ wrote:

 > So, 150cc and above is a motorcycle. The signs on the entrance to most
 > freeways say that "motorized bicycles" and "motor-driven cycles" are
 > prohibited. It is also true that the law was originally worded with a
 > "brake horsepower" cutoff rather than engine size in cc's.

Would you know what it was? 20hp? 25?<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Highway legal: What are the actual laws? 

Nicholas C. Weaver wrote:
 >
 > The criteria is < 150cc (Motor driven cycle), >150cc is a motorcycle.
 > EG, the EX250 is freeway legal (and barely capable).

hmm, my EX250 doesn't have any trouble. Maybe the red ones are faster.

--
krb
'01 Ninja 250<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Highway legal: What are the actual laws? 

"Joseph Oberlander" <josephoberlander.RemoveThis@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:QgRfb.2714$gA1.2438@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...
 > Don in Phoenix, AZ wrote:
 >
  > > So, 150cc and above is a motorcycle. The signs on the entrance to most
  > > freeways say that "motorized bicycles" and "motor-driven cycles" are
  > > prohibited. It is also true that the law was originally worded with a
  > > "brake horsepower" cutoff rather than engine size in cc's.
 >
 > Would you know what it was? 20hp? 25?
 >

I remember 15hp, and floating the valves trying to keep up with traffic.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Highway legal: What are the actual laws?