Are Gopeds legal to ride on the street?

[Nemesis]

I googled and there are a lot of yes answers but that's not valid enough for me to go by. I need concrete proof like a vehicle code I can print out and show to the LEO just in case I get pulled over.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/vc/vc_index_m.htm

I searched DMV but under what category would a goped fall under? Would it be "Moto-Driven Cycle"?
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d01/vc405.htm


I was thinking motorized skateboards but in Cali it's illegal to operate on the streets.

Btw, my goped has a seat.

[Indetrucks]

I've owned a go-ped since the late 90's when they first came out.
Been pulled over once by a Torrance cop, He asked where I was going, I said my girlfriends house. He laughed, made some remark about me picking her up on the ped? Then just drove off.

IF you have to ask if it's legal, it prolly isn't. Or it's such a grey area you will be taking a chance getting popped or not.

PS.. Lose the seat, you look like an old man with that thing.

[Nemesis]

I am old hence the goped (too lazy to walk to the grocery store). I'm thinking of installing one of these:

http://richardsolo.com/assets/product-photos/hoverboard-basket-med.jpg

Don't hate playa!!!

[Chromodome]

Admit it... you prolly rock one of these while you're putting along the sidewalk

http://www.south-korea-esl-blog.eflblogs.com/images/Korean_visors.jpg

[Nemesis]

Watcha talkin' about? I got it on right now. Best invention eva!

[Kurosaki]

Don't forget to gear up when you ride that thing.

You know... Just in case you fall off it or something.

(God forbid)

[Nemesis]

^^^ No doubt...hahaaha

Okay, back on topic. Anyone know?

[Indetrucks]

The law on this subject varies from City to City
I recommend checking with your City or sending an email to answer the question at hand

[Nemesis]

The law on this subject varies from City to City
I recommend checking with your City or sending an email to answer the question at hand

Good idea. I'll write to them and call my local Sherrif's station.

[Kurosaki]

Ok, serious post.

When you say street, what exactly do you mean? Do you mean like really IN the street? Or just on the sidewalk?


BTW, I believe your goped would fall under the motor-driven cycle from the link you posted. It's basically the same thing as a scooter except with a much smaller engine, no? Scooter's fall under the motorcycle category, correct? So a sub-150cc scooter is what you have. Or motor-driven cycle in DMV terms.


It says this about motor driven cycles

"
Freeways and Expressways: Use Restrictions

21960. (a) The Department of Transportation and local authorities, by order, ordinance, or resolution, with respect to freeways, expressways, or designated portions thereof under their respective jurisdictions, to which vehicle access is completely or partially controlled, may prohibit or restrict the use of the freeways, expressways, or any portion thereof by pedestrians, bicycles or other nonmotorized traffic or by any person operating a motor-driven cycle, motorized bicycle, or motorized scooter. A prohibition or restriction pertaining to bicycles, motor-driven cycles, or motorized scooters shall be deemed to include motorized bicycles; and no person may operate a motorized bicycle wherever that prohibition or restriction is in force. Notwithstanding any provisions of any order, ordinance, or resolution to the contrary, the driver or passengers of a disabled vehicle stopped on a freeway or expressway may walk to the nearest exit, in either direction, on that side of the freeway or expressway upon which the vehicle is disabled, from which telephone or motor vehicle repair services are available.
(b) The prohibitory regulation authorized by subdivision (a) shall be effective when appropriate signs giving notice thereof are erected upon any freeway or expressway and the approaches thereto. If any portion of a county freeway or expressway is contained within the limits of a city within the county, the county may erect signs on that portion as required under this subdivision if the ordinance has been approved by the city pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 1730 of the Streets and Highways Code.
(c) No ordinance or resolution of local authorities shall apply to any state highway until the proposed ordinance or resolution has been presented to, and approved in writing by, the Department of Transportation.
(d) An ordinance or resolution adopted under this section on or after January 1, 2005, to prohibit pedestrian access to a county freeway or expressway shall not be effective unless it is supported by a finding by the local authority that the freeway or expressway does not have pedestrian facilities and pedestrian use would pose a safety risk to the pedestrian."


That doesn't really say anything about surface streets though... So as far as I know, if it's in black and white in the DMV code as being illegal, then you should technically be able to do it. And if a cop gives you shit about it, a judge will probably throw it out.


Where are you going on your goped though? :p I can't imagine you'd be going anywhere that far and if a cop pulls up and says "hey yo, wtf?" and you tell him you're only a couple blocks from home, I doubt they would do anything...

::shrug::



I think this is kind of like the deal where it's OK for a bike to make a left turn on a red if you aren't picked up by the signal after 1-2 cycles because the light is defined as being "inoperable" or whatever. I think I remember reading the DMV code and it seems really grey. And people have gotten tickets then had them thrown out in court. I've seen cops do it and other people get tickets for it.

[Nemesis]

I need to find that sticker the police sends to you when you donate to their cause. That should get them off my @rse.