The latest trend to grip the UK in the past few years has been the mass use of super pocket bikes or minibikes as they are more commonly known in the UK. These mini versions of scooters and motorbikes appear to offer non-license owning people the experience of riding a motorbike or scooter… or does they?
If you have never seen one of these mini bikes I will quickly give a “mini” description.
These bikes have tyres with a diameter of around 4-6 inches (10-15cm) and can have top speeds of around 35mph to 40mph. The bikes often look like scaled down versions of popular “super bikes.”
This is not the Super Pocket bike that I am talking about!
On first impressions most believe (myself included) that you can ride these bikes without any safety gear or legal documentation. However I have researched that the truth is that in the UK these mini bikes are treated in the same manner as any 50cc moped.
According to UK law you must meet the following requirements:
- Be over the age of 16 years
- You must wear a helmet that meets UK law
- The bike must be fully road taxed and insured
- Must also have undergone a CBT (which is a basic one day training day)
- If the bike is more than three years old - an MOT must be obtained
- You are not allowed to ride these super pocket bikes on the pavement (side walk)
However the vast majority of these “mini-moto” riders seem to believe that these rules do not apply to them. To be honest I can understand their point of view. Many of these pocket bikes are so small they do look like toys and one does wonder if they can cause any harm. But in the last few years these bikes have caused a lot of “out cry” due to many of the “Chav” tribe causing a nuisance by riding them at high speed in public areas.
This lack of information regarding these super pocket bikes seems to also exist abroad as this Australian police article shows.
Personally I have not ridden one of these mini pocket bikes so I can’t compare it to the real thing.
If you have ridden one of the pocket bikes or been caused grief by these mini moto riders then please comment!
NEW! - Just noticed that Amazon are now selling super pocket bikes - check it out
12 Comments Received
August 20th, 2007 @8:04 pm
I’ve seen them ridden, and think they are hilariously funny. The people who ride them look totally ridiculous.
I suppose if you have more money than sense, they’d be okay.
So you’re a Brit? I’m from Leeds.
August 21st, 2007 @1:57 pm
Aye I’m from Manchester not to far from Leeds.
I wonder Linda, have you got any pictures of people riding these contraptions?
I think for now i’ll keep to riding my scooter!
September 6th, 2007 @4:35 am
i am from washington state. and i ridden the x 18 super pocket bike its sweet, but im planning on getting the rs 25
September 6th, 2007 @3:59 pm
Cheers for visiting Nathan, do you have any more information on the x18 super pocket bike?
I have heard some things about the rs 25 but again my knowledge in this area is limited. Any help would be greatily appreciated.
November 1st, 2007 @3:42 pm
hey i have a pocket bike. they are super fun cause they go sooo fast. but i broke it because i didnt take extremely good care of it. but a great website is minipocketrockets.com, if you are looking for a pocket bike go there. i want to soon get a super pocket bike for about 600 hunndred that can go 70+ mph, but im to young to take it o the road, but a few buddies of mine drove by a couple of cops while they were riding there pocket bikes ad they didnt seem to mind very much.so im not to sure???
my question is can you ride pocket bikes and super pocket bikes on the road?
November 2nd, 2007 @7:33 pm
Hey Sammy, thanks for visiting the blog - I appreciate every visit!
I think you can ride the pocket bikes on the road if its on a private road. I will need to check this to be sure. I will be looking at super pocket bikes in a future post - so keep checking back.
December 16th, 2007 @4:45 am
http://www.pocketbikesshop.com/
I dont trust these places completely, I think they mass produce because my tail lights stopped working after the first week of riding my x7. Then again, i got mine from minipocketrockets.com.
The site above shows super bikes on the bottom, and mini pocket bikes up top.
February 3rd, 2008 @9:37 pm
No its illeagle to ride them on the rode ive got chased before and ive gotten away luckely. But most cops dont care, just be smart.
February 3rd, 2008 @9:38 pm
No its illeagle to ride them on the road ive got chased before and ive gotten away luckely. But most cops dont care, just be smart.
May 15th, 2008 @4:17 pm
Heheh, well.
Linda, you may got a point about the ridicolus look. But If you are saying $500 is a lot, i think you need to look for a job.
August 5th, 2008 @2:14 pm
They are not street legal where I live.
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