*** Pocket motorcycles' cause concerns ***

Leavenworth, KS (AP) -- 07/29/2004
They're motorized and driven on public streets,
but they're not motor vehicles, at least under the law.

"They're treated more akin to a bicycle," Leavenworth
Police Chief Lee Doehring said of miniature motorcycles.

Sometimes called pocket motorcycles, the low-to-the-ground
bikes with engines that sound more like weed cutters than
motorcycles can frequently be spotted traversing Leavenworth
streets.

Doehring said his department has received
"an awful lot of complaints" about the bikes.

But police don't have much enforcement control over the
bikes when they're on streets. However, that may be
changed through a city ordinance, Doehring said.

He said officers' hands are currently tied because the miniature
motorcycles' engines are too small for them to be considered
motor vehicles.

The miniature motorcycles and their operators
are not required to be licensed.

Doehring said an engine with a piston displacement of under
50 cubic centimeters is not legally considered a motor vehicle.

He said the miniature motorcycles are specifically designed to fit under
the legal threshold, but some have engines that come pretty close.

"This kind of slips between the cracks in all states," Doehring said.

The chief said he has seen some adults operating the miniature
motorcycles, which can reach speeds of 20 to 30 mph, but
has also seen 12- and 13-year-old children on the machines.

He said the only thing a police officer has the power to do
now is cite an operator for some type of reckless action on
one of the miniature motorcycles.

He said many of the complaints he has received have come in
the form of concern for the safety of the riders as the small bikes
are seen "shooting out between two parked cars."

"They're more concerned about preventing an accident,"
Doehring said.

The chief said he is not aware of any injuries to riders
of the miniature motorcycles in Leavenworth.

He said city commissioners raised concerns about
the miniature motorcycles at a meeting last week.

He said the city is looking into what type of ordinance
can be passed to respond to concerns.

Doehring said he believes the miniature motorcycles
are a fairly new to Leavenworth streets.

He said the bikes were brought to his attention
for the first time about a month ago.

In addition to streets, Doehring said the miniature
motorcycles are being operated on sidewalks and
parking lots.

He said there are similar vehicles that look like nothing more
than a child's scooter with a motor. And there are similar
vehicle's that look more like go-carts.

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