2 stroke scooters

So there are a lot of little super noisy 2 stroke scooter,s and mini motorcycles on the streets of Portland Oregon.

when I was a kid I would have gotten a ticket.
there are so many out there that they must have changed the law.
these things are loud especially at 2 or 3 in the morning.
and one darted in front of me I almost ran the guy over.(at night no lights)
so is this a common thing now ?

Yes, laws have changed. That's why they're on sale EVERYWHERE for under 200 bucks. I wish these were around before I could get my license. You can ride them anywhere you can ride a bike.

I own a Go-Ped brand scooter myself and have ridden it many times. Too bad, it's in peices now (engine mount broke off and the steering colume snapped). I still hope to get it fixed some day.

Speaking of laws governing the use of motorized scooters and motorized bikes, in my area, we are restricted to roads with speed limits of 35MPH or less unless there is a marked bike lane. Also we must wear protective gear and clothing (Helmets and Pads)and have a headlight and taillight when riding at night (An X990 would work great for a headlight where I am because there are very few streetlights in my neighborhood.)
We also are not allowed to exceed 25MPH with our scooters (Mine can do around 22MPH on flat land but my friend modified his and can reach a maximum speed of 30MPH). Otherwised, if it can exceed 25MPH, it will have to be registered as a motorcycle and you need a license for that.

2-stroke scooters are loud depending on the engine. My stock Go-Ped isn't really that loud (In fact, you can hardly hear it when you're inside the house) On the other hand, my friend's modified scooter could be heard up to about 2 blocks away (I know when he's comming) and he also burns some special fuel (110 octane raceing fuel; I think it containes nitromethanol as well because there is a very strong smell of that after he passes me.) Not to mention it sounds like it's reving up to 14,000RPM!

For mini motorcycles, those are not allowed here. Hmm???

More quieter 4-stroke scooters and silent electric scooters are also avaliable. Electric powered scooters are not as restricted as gas scooters but most slow (10-12MPH max) for many. I have ridden an electric scooter before that almost performs as well as a gas(18 MPH max speed)but good electric ones like that cost even more than a normal gas scooter. They do have a lot of torque though (I learned that when riding the electric scooter I mentioned when I "floored it" standing still and nearly had the scooter jump out from under me.

Still one more scooter to check out is a Hybrid scooter. Yes, there is an Internal-combustion/Electric hybrid scooter commercialy avaliable but it is very expensive as of now.

I actually thought of using hybrid technology on scooters even before the Toyota Pirus was avaliable in the US but I never had the time or the resources to build a prototype or even get a patent and next thing I know, hybrids are becoming mainstream. Anyway, my idea was simple; use electric where noise is a concern (some of my neighbors complain about motorized scooter noise) then get up to 15MPH and have the internal-combustion engine come on for higher speeds where noise isn't a concern.
Plus; I expect a hybrid scooter to get about 300 MPG (My gas can do around 100MPG) so it dosen't sound impossible to get that much fuel economy.

well sounds like there needs to be more regulation.
if my car is too loud it will not pass deq.

a kid down the street has one that you can hear for at least 2 blocks. he loves to go around the block for hours.

and a red mini motorcycle goes by my house a lot he is moving better than 40 mph and it is really loud.
I guess I could call the police I have calibrated sound meters. there must be a max noise spec for the things.

I called the cops on 2 gas scooters which were being ridden around my neiborhood that are louder than hell.
the cops showed up and issued 2 tickets yea.(165.00 each)
(no safety gear and modified exaust/flame arestors/-too loud)(the police say that they get a lot of noise complaints from these things)
2 of my neighbors came out and gave me the thumbs up.
now if I can figure out when the red mini motorcycle will
be back the problem will be solved.

In the middle of the night last night a guy kept passing my house on one of those noisy two-strokers. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rant.gif

They're illegal in NYC, whether gas or electric. The law isn't generally enforced based on the sheer number I see, mostly driven by teenagers who haven't a clue about traffic laws. In practice, the cops will likely only ticket the gas ones because they're noisier and go faster, and only then if there's a noise complaint or traffic accident.

I think they're a great idea in the city for those not physically fit enough to ride a bike long distances to get around on, especially the electrics. However, something needs to be done about the noise the gas ones make. They're horribly noisy for the most part. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/Christo_pull_hair.gif And they're not terrible fast, either. I usually either keep up with them or pass them (especially the electrics) while I'm riding my bike. The 22 mph top speed mentioned above by yuandrew for the gas ones seems about right. I out accelerate the gas ones with ease, also. Never had the chance to race an electric, though. The electric might actually come out ahead, at least until 10 or 12 mph.

BTW, I tend to think the electrics might be more fun to modify. You can maybe increase the battery voltage by 50 to 100%, provided the motor will take it, and increase both your acceleration and top speed. Alternatively, since it seems gearing more than power limits the top end, you can change to higher gearing. Sure, your acceleration will drop, but that might actually be a good thing if the stock ones can literally pull themselves right out from under you. A 1 HP electric motor should be good for ~30 mph on the level, depending upon aerodynamics, provided it is geared properly. Since it would also be silent, think of a modified electric as a stealth, fast scooter. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/buttrock.gif

Then again, who needs either electric or gas when in the proper vehicle a human can go over 80 mph under his own power.

The mini-motorcycles are illegal in Cali, and I've impounded several of them.

The mini-gas powered scooters are regulated by several Vehicle Code Sections. This fad seems to be dying down.

Both are nuisances on a public road.

--dan