Photo Credit - BikeBerry.com
Manitowoc’s Police Department is keeping an eye on another type of bike that has become more common.
Captain Jeremy Kronforst explained on WOMT’s Be My Guest Program last week that the department is working on enforcing laws for gas-powered bikes.
He says there are kits out there to modify a bike with an engine; however, something as simple as a weedwhacker engine has been seen.
Kronforst noted that you still need a regular driver’s license.
“We’ve seen some people that maybe don’t have a valid license, and they are using that as their main transport,” he noted. “And they’re not realizing that they need to have a valid license with it.”
While it is legal to ride in most cases, traffic laws still apply to gas-powered bikes. That includes laws against drunk driving. Kronforst added:
“They have to be on the roadway,” he stated. “They can’t be on a on a bicycle way. So they can be on the Mariners Trail, they can’t be on the bicycle lanes spotted throughout town. The noise that comes from them is enforceable as a defective muffler or a loud noise ordinance violation in the city.”
Once gas bikes reach 30 mph or more, Kronforst says they must be registered as motorcycles under state law.
He finished by adding that Manitowoc Police could also ticket someone for not having adequate breaks on their bike.
To find out how to register a gas-powered bike and what the official definition is, visit wisconsindot.gov.
