The Buzz is All About Mini-Motorcycles
By Michael Taylor
Pocket
bikes are miniature motorcycles -- powered, for the most part,
by oil- and gas-burning engines similar to those used in chain
saws, weed whackers or other small motorized tools -- and they
look just like the real thing.
The
snazziest models cost thousands and are made in Italy, but the
ones that are selling by the container load run from $200 to $500.
They come from China, among other places, and are getting snapped
up by eager teenagers and, in some cases, not-so-teenagers.
At
Broadtek LLC, a South San Francisco firm that imports them, the
cardboard cartons containing the small bikes are stacked to the
ceiling of a tall warehouse and are quickly going out the door
to eager customers.
In
Walnut Creek, Eric Rahin, owner of Sonic Scooterz, says he's selling
them in droves -- "from college students to people in their
late 50s. It's basically a toy to have some fun with."
Manufacturers
say the bikes are supposed to be used only on closed race tracks,
private roads or any other place where there are no public traffic
laws and, more important, no big cars or trucks to run into you.
Many buyers follow that advice.
But
now you see some of these new pocket bikes zinging in and out
of parking lots, up and down residential streets and, occasionally
into the side of a car. And therein lies the rub.
"It's
very difficult for a driver (of a car) to see one on those bikes,
because of their low height," said San Francisco police Lt.
Kitt Crenshaw. "We've had several accidents in the last few
weeks, and people went to the hospital."
The
pocket bikes have a top speed of about 35 mph, but can be souped
up to go faster. They evolved from tiny but highly sophisticated
racing bikes that campaign on European race tracks and are sometimes
used as training vehicles for Grand Prix motorcycle racers.
The
bikes are faithful imitations of popular normal-size street motorcycles,
which, for marketing reasons, are faithful imitations of pure
race bikes, down to the disk brakes, handlebars, chain drives,
twist-grip throttles and electronic ignition.
The
little bikes weigh about 50 pounds, stand about a foot and a half
high and can easily be put in the trunk of a car. They have tiny
engines -- 47cc or 49cc displacement, less than 1/20th the size
of a big motorcycle. And they are enticing.
"It's
a fun little thing to ride," said Matt Damon, a 21-year-old
salesman in a Martinez pet store. "It's a whole lot cheaper
than a $6,000 or $7,000 big bike. For years now, I've been riding
different types of motorcycles, but it's more like the small bikes
are a fun thing, instead of just transportation. And it's easier
to maintain and burns less gas."
But
Damon did admit, "I took it for a ride down the street and
got pulled over. The officer was kind of nice about it. But I
got a ticket."
Police
departments in the Bay Area and elsewhere in California have been
cracking down on the little two-wheelers, saying they are a major
accident waiting to happen. No police agency could come up with
information about any deaths caused by pocket bike crashes, but
police want them off the public roads before the inevitable happens.
"Their
numbers are starting to increase," said Milpitas police Officer
Jay Johnson, who was assigned by his department to look into the
phenomenon and ultimately write about it for the weekly Milpitas
Post. "Most of the complaints we're getting is that drivers
can't see them or there'll be a group of them racing, or they're
running stop signs."
For
a while, though, until Johnson began studying up on the subject,
and the California Highway Patrol sent out a memo clarifying just
what is and what is not legal about the bikes, confusion seemed
to be paramount.
In
fact, it shouldn't be. On many bikes, there's a decal right there
on the gas tank that says these things do not conform to "federal
motor vehicle safety standards."
After
a lengthy consult with the state Vehicle Code and the Department
of Motor Vehicles, the CHP explained that the bikes do not meet
a number of standards required for all vehicles registered in
California -- the most telling example being the stipulation that
"headlamp height (be) between 22 and 54 inches."
Technical
problems aside, it's the safety issue that concerns authorities.
"We're
really concerned about these things mixing with traffic,"
said CHP spokesman Steve Kohler. "If you think about it,
something that small is difficult to see, when it's mixed in with
cars, trucks and buses. Drivers don't even see full-size motorcycles.
There's no way they're going to see these things."
Or,
as David Edwards, editor in chief of Cycle World Magazine and
a man who puts about 20,000 miles a year on motorcycles, said:
"When you get out in city traffic, you'll be at more risk
than on a full-size motorcycle. But they only hold (a little)
gas, so you won't go too far. And they're noisy as hell, so at
least people will hear you coming if not see you coming."
-
Michael Taylor, Chronicle Staff Writer Wednesday, June 16, 2004
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