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If I motorize a mountain bike, can I legally ride it off-road? If so, what kind of additional costs would I be looking at?
Hey Soto, yes you can legally go off road with it, I have a motorized bike and its a lot of fun.
They are not that powerful for hill climbing, but on straights my bike will do 45kmh.
Heres a website you can use for more info http://www.motoredbikes.com/
You can get the engine kits on E bay for about $120-$170.
It depends where you want to ride it. Most mountain bike type areas specifically exclude all motorized vehicles. Most dirtbike type areas require liability insurance. On private property, with the owners permission you can ride whatever you want, but in most cases, you are pretty restricted in what you are allowed to use.Originally Posted by soto
If it's electric and the motor is restricted to not assist you above 32k then you can go with it anywhere that a normal bicycle could go and you don't need insurance or a license.
Definitely illegal. In Hamilton, there is a 'pocketbike' shop that has sold 100's of these kits in the past few years, and so they are very commonly seen on the streets if you know what to look for in terms of the 'bicycle profile'. The cops know what to look for, and ticket/seize with gusto.
I live directly across from a large greenspace - Nirvana for hikers, joggers, mountain-bikers in the region. I built one up about 2 years ago - and have yet to start it up - i'm too skeered of the cops, lol.
'99 Suzuki Bandit 1200 - '88 Hannigan Comet chair
would seem to me to be the perfect vehicle
powered so you dont really have to work to get anywhere, yet still kind of a bike, so you dont have to follow any rules of the road, i mean why stop at stop signs.
and im sorry but the next time i see a friggin ebike on the sidewalk going the wrong way up a one way street im going to mount the curb in my truck and go straight at him.
I like this idea... It would be quiet and have max torque at 0 rpm! And it wouldn't leak gas when you lie it down.
The offroad electric kits are pretty pricey though.
The gas motor turns it into a motor vehicle, specifically a moped. That means that you have to follow all of the rules that apply to other motor vehicles when operating it on the road, including the need to stop for stop signs, operator licensing, vehicle licensing, and the biggie, full insurance.
The fly in that ointment is that to be registered for road use in Ontario, a moped must comply with all Transport Canada safety standards for a limited speed motorcycle. Home-built conversions are going to have a hard time meeting that requirement to the satisfaction of MTO.
Even for use off-road, you're required to have proper liability insurance coverage if operating it on property other than your own. Because it is motorized, you can't operate on trails where motorized vehicles are prohibited. Charges for trespassing are the least of your worries. It's the insurance issue if caught, and especially the liability issues if you hurt someone, that will sink you hard and fast.
tell that to the half dozen guys that ride them to mohawk college, and dont follow any rules of the road
Be patient. Refer to http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum...=1#post1436080
Sorry WRONGO
As long as the bike retains it's pedals and the gas, steam, kerosene turbine or atomic reactor motor (that has an Ontario MOT compliance sticker) does not drive the bicycle more than 32kph it is a power assisted BICYCLE... just like the electrics we all see all over the place. No license or insurance required.
That is for the ROAD.
Off road: no such restrictions. If you want run two electric 750 or 1000 watt motors... go nuts. (The MOT compliance limits you to 500 watts and 32 kph).
As yet a bicycle has not been classed as a motor vehicle in Ontario.
... BUT don't assume the police KNOW the laws they are supposed to be enforcing! (see Bandit Bill's post).
WRONGO? You're sure about that? Then maybe you should tell MTO that their website is wrong.
The only powered bicycle that is exempt from vehicle and operator licensing are electric-powered bicycles that meet specific criteria. The moment you sling a gas motor on it, it becomes a moped or limited speed motorcycle at minimum, and an outright motorcycle if power and speed capability are above a specified threshhold. You can find the definitions of the various power-assisted bicycles at
You can find vehicle classification, and license and insurance requirements for "emerging vehicles types" at http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dan...icle/emerging/
You can also find current license requirements specific to low speed motorcycles and non-electric power-assisted bicycles at http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/driver/lsm.shtml
A bicycle with a piston engine on it is classified as a moped in Ontario. A moped is considered to be a motorized vehicle in Ontario. Again, look here http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dan...merging/#motor for the relevant information.
Motorized vehicles operated off-road on property other than the vehicle owner's own land must be insured, whether by personal vehicle liability insurance or event liability insurance.
And don't assume that you know the laws they are supposed to be enforcing either. Someone following your advice could find themselves in a serious jackpot. Refer to links given above.
Last edited by turbodish; 10-31-2010 at 02:20 PM.
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