*** Vancouver bans mini motorcycles on city streets ***

VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON -- 08/21/2004
The city prosecutor says the popular items, called
pocket bikes, are illegal on streets and public property

Chris Rainford used to own an off-road dirt bike and a speedy
motorcycle. There would appear to be little room in his two-wheeled
heart for more.

Then came pocket bikes.

"I have to get me one of them," Rainford thought to himself
after setting his eyes upon one of the two-stroke-engine mini
motorcycles. He bought one for $399.

Rainford has had plenty of company this summer: The pocket
bike has been a seasonal sensation. From coast to coast, pocket
bikes have captivated thrill seekers who gravitate to the bikes'
small stature and ability to accelerate up to 40 mph.

At the same time, the mini-bikes have caused a quandary for
police departments, including Vancouver's, city prosecutor
Josephine Townsend told the City Council on Monday night.

Officers have been unsure how to classify pocket bikes,
as well as other popular niche vehicles, such as two-wheeled
motor scooters. The city has been exploring the issue since May.

Townsend declared Monday night that pocket bikes are illegal
to ride on city streets or on public property, because they cannot
be registered. And they can't be registered because they don't
have vehicle identification numbers.

She said she would draft a written opinion for the police department,
perhaps as early as this week. She did not specify what type of
penalty would be enforced if police catch pocket bike owners
buzzing around on city streets.

For motorized scooters -- not to be confused with full-sized
scooters such as Vespas -- she listened to the council's opinions
and plans to return with a proposed ordinance in September that
undoubtedly will restrict their use.

Motorized-scooter owners should expect a proposed law that
allows their use on roads where the posted speed is less than 25 mph,
but not in parks and not on city sidewalks. And the operator will
need to be at least 16 years old.

The law probably will define the scooters as vehicles, with
handlebars, with no more than two 10-inch or smaller diameter
wheels, and powered by a gas or electric engine.

Some have seats, some don't. Most look like they have evolved
from the simple skateboard, which has city regulations of its own.

Council members said they had heard opinions from constituents
about pocket bikes and motorized scooters, none of them good.

"They're so loud," Councilor Jeanne E. Stewart
said of the tiny gas-powered engines.

"The safety factor scares the daylights out of me,"
Councilor Larry Smith said.

Townsend told the council that pocket bikes had once been used
by hobbyists at race tracks but have been popping up on city streets.

"How did they transition from the speedway to the roads?"
Smith asked.

"Capitalism," Townsend replied.

European models designed for track use cost between
$2,000 to $6,000. Knockoffs made in China, and now
found in a wide variety of retailers, cost between $200 and $500.

"They're being sold as toys, and that's what they look like,"
Councilor Pat Jollota said.

The Schuck's Auto Supply store in Hazel Dell on Highway 99
features a poster in the front window with a grinning rider astride
a pocket bike, on sale for $199. That store's general manager
referred questions about the store's array of personal vehicles
-- pocket bikes, gas-powered motor scooters and electric scooters
-- to the parent company, CSK Auto Corp. in Phoenix. A CSK
spokesman was not available Monday afternoon.

Rainford, 19, of Kalama, doubted the city's ability to restrict the
use of pocket bikes. He has an interest in their continued popularity,
as he has sold the bikes for Advanced Liquidators at 2615 Main St.
The store has sold at least 30 bikes since they were offered at the
beginning of the summer, he said.

The reason for their popularity is simple, he said.

"They're fun."

Geneb...Wenatchee,Washington-USA
All Things Northwest in BMX!
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