The first sign is a high-pitched screech that rises in intensity to what sounds like a super-sized chain saw. Then tiny motorcycles appear, weaving through traffic with their riders crouched perilously close to the pavement.
What just buzzed by was the latest summer rage: mini-motorcycles called "pocket bikes."
The little machines provide thrills for people who don't want to shell out big bucks for full-size motorcycles but find that mopeds and scooters make them yawn. Pocket bikes typically sell for just $300 to $600.
But police across the country say the scale-model racers - mostly Chinese imports whose tiny, two-stroke gasoline or electric engines can take them up to 35 mph or more - cause trouble because riders are often reckless and don't obey the law.
"Fortunately, it hasn't reached the point where people are getting hurt. Not yet," said Philadelphia police Cpl. Jim Pauley.
In Philadelphia, the little bikes can be driven on private property but are banned on streets and sidewalks. When riders are stopped, their bikes can be confiscated - and destroyed - if they can't provide proof of ownership.
That's if they can be stopped.
Riding through North Philadelphia atop his pocket bike, 26-year-old Cesecil Oliver swerved in and out of traffic and down alleys, the tiny speedster barely visible underneath his 6-foot-1 frame.
"I'm going to give them a run for their money if they try to catch me," said Oliver, whose souped-up bike can exceed 45 mph. "You can get through tight spots. You can move faster. . . . I'm going to swerve through anything."
Police say they try not to chase the bikes unless it's absolutely necessary because a pursuit could endanger a rider on such a small vehicle. Last month in New York, a teenager on a pocket bike was killed when police tried to pull him over, authorities said.
"There is no policy that says chase, don't chase," said NYPD Detective Walter Burns. "In midtown Manhattan at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, you might not want to chase."
"We're not going to be chasing those little bikes through the streets with lights and sirens," said Pauley, the Philadelphia officer.
New York police ticket riders if their bikes are not insured or they are not licensed, Burns said. To qualify as a legal motor vehicle in New York state, bikes must have mirrors and lights and be registered.
Boston recently passed legislation that says pocket bikes can be ridden only by licensed drivers, who must wear a helmet and obey the rules of the road.
Boston residents had been complaining that the bikes were dangerous and too loud. "In every district, the community groups were screaming about them," said police Lt. Kevin Foley.
Pocket bikes are considered motorcycles under Arizona state law, but there is no way they could ever meet the necessary safety standards, said Phoenix police Officer Terry Sills, the department's traffic complaint coordinator.
Phoenix police have been ticketing anyone riding pocket bikes on streets or sidewalks. Sills recently wrote a 14-year-old tickets totaling $2,000 in fines.
Edwin Schermety, 46, who owns Piloto Auto Sales in North Philadelphia, said he sells about 10 of the tiny bikes a week, surpassing car sales. |
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