Hello friends. I thought it might be fun to think a bit about what is legal to motor down our roads with, and what is not.

This is legal in all the states:





This is not legal in a majority of states:





If a 50 cc motor scooter is street legal, then why not my ATV? I propose an ATV can be licensed and insured as a motorcycle with very similar requirements in most states. A new ATV would cost more to license than a 10 year old one. The additional revenue the county departments of revenue would collect would more than offset the additional hassle of traffic policing when an ATV rider runs a stop sign. We owners can decide if the cost and hassle and risk of street riding is worth it, otherwise keep the ATV in the garage as we do now.

Do you have any mopeds riding the streets in your town? California certainly does as old ones are popular now. Show me some pictures of motorized vehicles that are "lesser" than ATVs but still street legal.

David

 

I agree. I don't want to see either on the turnpike, but everywhere else, no problem.

 

I had an Evo 2X powerboard until my shed got broken into for the second time. It wasn't legal on the street, not even bike lanes, and I couldn't ride it on the sidewalk either.There was no place I could legally ride it. I rode it mainly on side streets and never had a problem with the police. They don't show up when people call them unless there was a murder or something else serious. They never seemed to see me riding and might not even know if it's legal or not but they know ATVs aren't street legal around here. ATVs should be able to ride secondary roads and scooters should too.

 

Like I've said before, it depends on where you live and how relaxed the local police is. The 50cc scooter is only legal on secondary roads as they will only go about 35-40 mph max. If you live way out in the country or in a very small town with very little traffic, then you can pretty much get away with anything. I see bicycles on 2 lane highways though and that irriates me. I literally have to swerve around them to avoid hitting them. They are so slow that they're just in the way. If another car is coming, sometimes you almost have to stop. If you can't go close to the speed limit on any given road you don't belong out there. Farmers are the exception but they generally only travel on the highway when they have to and only for short distances.

 

Hi greg 74: You don't have to worry about relaxed "non-enforcement" if Illinois had a law allowing ATVs to ride on secondary roads. There are so many rural roads that are very suitable to ATV riding. I agree an irritate neighbor call to law enforcement may not result in a track down of a person running an ATV illegally. Police have so much important work to do that they must prioritize. But I'm sure if my local deputy saw me riding down my dirt road, (s)he would stop me and tell me to knock it off. It is illegal in Colorado and I don't like breaking the law.

We have a lot of bicyclists in our area. The hills and scenery make for very good biking riding. It is perfectly legal to ride a bike on the roads. We locals have to be aware of their presence. We have "share the road" signs reminding us of the bicycle traffic. Yep, I sometimes have to follow bicycles up a long hill at 5 mph as I can not see oncoming traffic to make a safe pass. It is what it is. We all live here and we have to show some patience to other's interests. We have horses riding on the shoulder or ditch of the roads. Again we show patience.

I believe I can achieve 30 and maybe 40 mph on most secondary roads safely. And I believe I can find a safe place to pull over and allow traffic to safely pass me.

If a scooter and moped are legal, why not my ATV?

David

 

Okay, here is some more: I read my Car and Driver last night and the article about Polaris GEM electric "carts" was interesting. Polaris acquired this outfit last year. Here is a link (I hope) to a photo of a Polaris GEM electric cart:

https://www.google.com/search?q=imag...ZuSmc62ANikbM:


This thing is street legal. And here is an interesting tidbit about why this is legal, but our ATVs may not be:

"The reason DaimlerChrysler's Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) subsidiary can be in business is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's 1998 creation of the Low Speed Vehicle (LSV) standard. LSV is sort of a cheat, a way to make electric vehicles viable by eliminating every obstacle in their way. All those pesky regulations about side-impact door beams, airbags, substantial bumpers, and extensive crash testing? Forget 'em. As long as your four-wheel vehicle is capable of 20 mph (but not more than 25), doesn't operate on roads with speed limits over 35, and runs on electricity, you're exempt. These limited-use vehicles also help manufacturers meet California's draconian Zero-Emission Vehicle quota. This despite the fact that LSVs are far from what you might call real cars. Comparing a regular car with an LSV is like a 400-meter race between Edwin Moses and John Goodman—in which every hurdle in Moses' way is eight feet tall and Goodman gets a 399.5-meter head start. And then Goodman loses."

David

 

Here is a photo of a local police department using ATVs for patrols. This is a good thing. Our local sheriff's department has a Polaris in the back of his heavy duty pickup to help people in rough terrain. ATVs in law enforcement is a good thing for our hobby.

Legal use of an ATV.

http://sandwichpd.com/wp-content/upl...7/IMG_1481.jpg


David

 

I didn't know Polaris bought GEM out. Polaris already has 30 HP electric Ranger. Of course that's not street legal most places but maybe it could be made street legal since it's electric. Here's the GEM website. Polaris GEM Electric Vehicles

 

Hi Jumbofrank: Learning new things is what makes ATV Connection interesting. Spreading the knowledge each of us has acquired to many others. I've learned a lot from you guys.

Some folks like me have "honest wrong beliefs", or we think we know but we were mistaken. So we do our verifications just like you did.

The Polaris GEM looks well designed. I think Polaris sees a bunch of potential in electric work vehicles more than senior citizen carts for driving to the clubhouse. Several factories I worked in had electric maintenance carts and the like. Most of them had electric forklifts.

David