definition of motorcycle

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definition of motorcycle

This topic has 8 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 17 July 2024 at 16:06 by duncan webster 1.

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16 July 2024 at 17:07 #741602
duncan webster 1
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@duncanwebster1
According to the interweb the Californian legal definition of a motorcycle is a 2 or 3 wheeled vehicle with an engine and a seat for the driver. This includes steam rollers. I’m sure there must be a flaw in this!

see https://powersportsguide.com/motorcycle-definition/
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16 July 2024 at 18:09 #741609
Speedy Builder5
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@speedybuilder5
Dell boy, sing your heart out.
16 July 2024 at 18:11 #741610
Fulmen
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@fulmen
I define them as something that can topple over if you brake too hard.
16 July 2024 at 18:24 #741611
Mark Rand
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@markrand96270
Sounds ok to me 😀

The Wallis & Steevens Simplicity does have a bit of a ‘low rider’ theme.

Lot of effort to lean into a corner though.
16 July 2024 at 18:50 #741620
JasonB
Moderator
@jasonb
Well I suppose something like an Iroquois Tandem roller is just two (wide) wheels and an engine so could be a bike.
16 July 2024 at 19:26 #741621
DC31k
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@dc31k
On 16 July 2024 at 18:50 JasonB Said:

Well I suppose something like an Iroquois Tandem roller is just two (wide) wheels and an engine so could be a bike.

Looking at the shape of the seat on that, it appears that the ‘front’ is to the right of the photo. That would make it rear steering, like a forklift.

I wonder if the definition above caters for this possibility.

Beyond this, does the definition say anything about where the two wheels should be – two at the front (Morgan) or two at the back (Reliant)?
16 July 2024 at 20:07 #741626
Weary
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@weary
Hello Duncan,

At the risk of spoiling an amusing whimsy, the ‘flaw’ in the definition used on the page that you linked to is that it is the legal definition of the word ‘motorcycle’ used in California State Law, specifically the ‘Vehicle Codes’. See here for the base document that I suspect the supposed ‘definition of a motorcycle in California’ was lifted from. If you can be bothered to browse all the word definitions you will discover that the word ‘road-roller’ is defined elsewhere, thus clearing-up Jasonb’s confusion (section 565b Jason)!

The actual construction regulations covering road vehicles in the US are the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (equivalent to the UK Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations1986) which, as the title suggests, define, along with other road vehicles, a motorcycle (that is to say: the ‘machine itself’) by the construction controls (max number of passengers, maximum width & length, etc., etc. ad nauseam).

Sorry to spoil the fun, but hopefully only for a moment or two, as I suggest that it is best to put the ‘reality’ to back of mind and carry-on with the whimsy of ‘unlikely motorcycles’.

Phil
17 July 2024 at 09:50 #741733
Gerard O’Toole
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@gerardotoole60348
I wonder would the Shilovski gyrocar fall within the definition of a motorcycle. it should , but it also had two outrigger wheels, like a child’s bicycle. These were retractable

For what it is worth, the EU legally classify motorcycles as L-Class vehicles which includes some three wheelers but also quads, which of course have four wheels.
17 July 2024 at 16:06 #741815
duncan webster 1
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@duncanwebster1
I was being a little silly! The UK regs for a motor tricycle allow a weight up to 1te, but then spoil it by specifying internal combustion engine. Could still be a model of a diesel roller.
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