dirt bike laws

[stretchy]

is it illegal to push a dirt bike along the pavement or road ??

if its taken of you can you get it back ?

[karlo]

Yes it is illegal, but I have no idea about getting it back if it's confiscated.

[sv130]

 I,m not 100% sure but I reckon its illegal.
 If you think about it you could just swap the scenario over to:
  pushing an uninsured untaxed off road car up the footpath to the local patch of moorland/pay and play site. I don,t think you would get away with it, do you?


  Gaz    

[Disco Matt]

It'd be illegal to use it on "the local patch of moorland" no matter how you got it there!

The only legal place to use an unregistered vehicle is on a private site with the owner's permission, such as a pay and play.

I think this might be a case of the law being an ass - how is pushing a bike any different to, say, pushing a large pram or wheelchair in real terms?

[Llanigraham]

Because a motorbike is the same as any motorised vehicle, and to be on the highway has to have tax, MOT and insurance.

[dxmedia]

Because a motorbike is the same as any motorised vehicle, and to be on the highway has to have tax, MOT and insurance.

Exactly. The analogy of pushing a car up the path with no tax insurance or mot is pretty good.

[carbore]

I have a odd feeling that the definition of "dirt bike" may be important. If the bike has been registered for road use, then possibly it is illigal if its not SORNd and not correctly registered (as in dropped out the system). This is the sort of thing coppers confiscate as the local chavs blast around on them causing agro.

however if the bike has never been road registered (such as bona-fide trials) then there may be less of an issue as its not strictly a vehicle. For example Im thinking of one of those "toy" mini motorbikes, or say you were unloading a trials bike off a trailer into your garages accros the road.

A bit random I know, but whats a motorbike is not as daft a question as it sounds.

[Llanigraham]

Those "toy" motorbikes are certainly classed as motor vehicles, which is why so many have been confisacted and crushed by many Police forces throughout the country, when they are caught being used on the road. It doesn't matter whether it has been registered or not, the legal definition is a motorised vehicle. Anything that comes into that definition requires all the legal bits to be on the road. Even the motorised but hand proppelled road sweepers used in the pedestrian areas of big cities have number plates.

Who can remember the fuss about those skateboards with little chainsaw motors and a hand throttle? They were banned as a "motorised vehicle".
Ditto the fuss about Lemsip Optic riding a Segway through London. That too is classed as a motorised vehicle.

[carbore]

Hello, I agree with you Llanigraham, but the issue is with the defitiniton of "Motor vehicle" and "Being used".

Obviously some chav zooming on a mini bike is "using it", but if someone is pushing it is that "using it" and especially if its not registered as a "motor vehicle" even if it is motorised and capable of carrying a person (e.g. if someone made a nitro RC car you could sit on, is that a motor vehicle if its not being "used" as such)

In fact I have just thought, I have a Ride on mower, I know f I drove it under its own power on the road it would need the to be registered and comply etc (like council mowers), but if I pushed it would it up the road to my neighbours need to comply?

[stretchy]

thankfully it is a bonafide dirt bike never had speedo or lights etc so its never been on road. my pal lives a few streets away and works on my bike sometimes but its quicker to push it there than load it in trailer etc just wonderd what the legilitys was before i am stoped

[SteveGoodz]

Hello, I agree with you Llanigraham, but the issue is with the defitiniton of "Motor vehicle" and "Being used".

Obviously some chav zooming on a mini bike is "using it", but if someone is pushing it is that "using it" and especially if its not registered as a "motor vehicle" even if it is motorised and capable of carrying a person (e.g. if someone made a nitro RC car you could sit on, is that a motor vehicle if its not being "used" as such)

In fact I have just thought, I have a Ride on mower, I know f I drove it under its own power on the road it would need the to be registered and comply etc (like council mowers), but if I pushed it would it up the road to my neighbours need to comply?

According to te road traffic act the correct description is a mechanically propelled vehicle (mpv) and that is defined as any vehicle that is equipped with a mechanised propulsion system (e.g internal combustion engine, electric motor, etc). A dirt bike - however you describe it - is a mpv.

"Use" includes simply being there. The vehicle doesn't actually have to be in motion to be being used. Park it at the kerb-side .. it's in use. It's a legal definition not an English language one.

Pushing it along the footway or highway is illegal unless it conforms to C&U Regs, is taxed, insured and mot'd

There are no grey areas in this except how the police officer would treat you if stopped.

[dxmedia]

Isn't there a 14 mph issue?  It's why motorised wheel chairs aren't classed as motor vehicles?

Not going into the 50cc engine my 15 yr old neighbour bought and bolted to his push bike and rides around the village....

[john656]

If you have access to a trailer use it. Your intentions are nothing more than innocent, however, Mr Murphy's Law states that as soon as your rear tyre hits the path or road Mr   man will pull around the corner after having a bad day with a little chav on a mini moto racing around public roads...... you know where its going. For the sakes of 10 minutes either end, compared to the hassle of getting the bike back (if they would give it back) if you got caught having a bike on public roads or paths that is un-registered UN MOT'd etc etc.
If its on a trailer theres no if ands or buts.
My 2p's worth.

John

[zebidee]

If I remember correctly it's illegal to push a bicycle along a pavement. You're meant to have the bike on the road not the pavement:

http://www.bikeforall.net/content/cycling_and_the_law.php

Bicycles are, in law, carriages (as a consequence of the Taylor v Goodwin judgment in 1879) and should be on the road not pavement.

So if it's (strictly speaking) illegal to push a bicycle along a pavement - I reckon it'll definitely be frowned on if you're pushing a trials bike along a pavement.

Z~

[aaron]

Not wanting to put a cat among the pigeons............. how do people get away with riding those electric powered pedal bikes? You know the ones which look like a moped but with out the engine. They have lights but no number plates and people who use them don't wear a helmet. Just curious as there is a guy who lives near me who uses one, he is such a big guy it hardly propels him so he scoots it along with one leg wobbling worrying all over the road.   

[dxmedia]

There is no way that an electric bike could be considered in the same category as one with a petrol engine. Nope, not in any way shape or form



 :lol:

[Range Rover Blues]

It used to be that if one wheel was suspended above the floor it was "legal" but I think that as a  car has to be taxed and tested before it can be towed (used to be classed as a trailer) so a motorbike has to be road legal.

As for getting it back, I think you have to provided the documents (tax, test, insurance).

[landmannnn]

If the wheels are not touching the ground you are fine...

[Lumbering Jack]

It used to be that if one wheel was suspended above the floor it was "legal"

That was how I used to understand it too but that was a long time ago so probably loads different now.  I'd still not like to chance it - It's a bit like when vosa stop you with an empty trailer that's plated higher than the tow vehicle - you might not be doing any thing wrong, but you could

[Range Rover Blues]

According to the Gov't own website it is legal to tow a trailer plated above the rated tow capacity of the car provided it is not loaded above that limit.  However if the plated ability takes it inot "large trailer" staus you need cat C on your licence.

[sv130]

 If the op had his bike confiscated until he produced mot etc would a "club" insurance certificate enable him to get it back?
 You could hopefully get the one officer in the force that would see that it is a genuine trials bike and never need to be registered or mot inspected, but insurance?? Thats  [-X 

Just wondered if trials club insurance (I assume they need to have an msa type thing) would be sufficient to release it from the compound?

 Gaz

[Llanigraham]

Motor Sport insurance would not cover a vehicle, it is mostly Third Party cover for the competitor. That is why insurance certificates have to be produced for all events that are run on the road.
And for a bike it would be the ACU, who have the same rules.

[sv130]

 So,
  No mot available, no registration available, no insurance certificate available. :-k
 Even if he had a trailer to take it away from a police compound, I doubt they would let it go =;

 Even proper trials bikes could be a cause of damage etc if they are used illegally, and a trials bike looks much the same as any other bike to an aggravated neighbour.
 If the local tykes have been making a nuisance of themselves, and the o,p, gets spotted innocently pushing his trials bike on the footpath by    he could easily be tarred with the wrong brush..(we all know how that feels, dont we children) :-$

 I think it would be a wise man that wouldn,t let himself fall into that black hole.

 Gaz     

[stretchy]

I wonder what the charge would be if caught pushing it on the path or road??

its strange realy as if someone that had stole a dirt bike and caught with it as you see on trafic cops etc they only get charged for the theft of the bike normaly and all of the offences listed above MOT tax that would aply to me if i was caught would be discarded.

[stretchy]

what i mean by the first part of the post is would it be clased as wreckless driving or something for no mot etc lol

[sv130]

 I bet that if you were a local pikey who had been really pushing your luck with the  and getting away with it for too long , then you may see a few "extras" added to a reckless driving charge, as a sort of standby thing to make sure they got you with at least 1 of the offences. 
I seem to remember something about some major criminal trial where the police held back a few of the slightly lesser charges so they had something to re-arrest the criminal with if he actually managed to be found not guilty on the major charges.
   =;(But that could have been a tv prog ha) 

 A friend just reminded me of when we was kids (Way back in 1977) and he actually got done for sitting on his moped on the footpath talking to a couple of girls, charged him with driving on the footpath. Even though the bike was stationery and engine turned off. He got an endorsement on licence and a

[stretchy]

hahaa yhe funny stuf... just shows how harsh the law can be sometimes

[paul_humphreys]

A nice copper once told me that if you take the spark plug cap off you can not get done when pushing it in a public highway.

Paul

[Lord Shagg-Pyle]

Where shall I start?

if a mechanically propelled vehicle is on the highway, it must be road registered, taxed, insured and MoT'd. The person in charge of it must be have a valid licence for that type of vehicle.
This myth about one wheel of the ground/spark plug off is just that, a myth.
If a motor vehicle is being driven other than on a road, and is not parking or turning round, it is an offence, with the exception of private land of course.
Take it from me, Traffic Law is very complicated, but there is virtually no way round things. For every cop that will give 'words of advice' and tell you to 'be on your way, sunshine', there is one who will tie you up in knots and give you a ticket at the very least!

If in doubt, don't do it.

[Tommo]

Someone knocked my dad off his motorbike and he got 3 points because it mounted the pavement after he had fallen off it!


I used to trust in the police force to deal with stuff like this fairly and with descent judgement, but after a few totally unbelievable run in's with police officers over the last couple of years I wouldnt be surprised if they tried to give you a prison sentance for even owning an 'unliscenced vehicle'.