What makes a Motorcycle a Motorcycle?

Question

By law what defines a motorcycle? In order to b considered a motorcycle what does a bike have to have? and why are scooters not treated like cycles?

Answer 1

cycle which is made by engine called motor cycle.

motor,engine,Frame (Body) and 2 wheels = motorcycle.

Answer 2

It's different in different places.  In California a motorcycle weighs less than 1500 pounds and has fewer than four wheels, unless two wheels work together (for instance a sidecar could have two wheels, so a bike with a sidecar could have four wheels).

As far as I know, scooters are considered the same as motorcycles except under 50cc, then they are considered mopeds.  I could be wrong about that.  But certainly a 250cc scooter would be exactly the same as a 250cc motorcycle in the eyes of the law.

Answer 3

cycle with a motor.  also able to travel high rate of speed.  

with a scooter, you will eventually get there.

Answer 4

A moped is not a scooter, dumbass! A moped is a bicycle with an engine, hence MO(tor) and Ped(als)! Mo-ped! Say it! Mo-ped! Mo-ped!Mo-ped!

Answer 5

A motor / engine bigger than 150cc and 2 wheels = motorcycle.

The difference is NONE.  A large scooter (maxi scooter) is considered a motorcycles because the engine is larger than 150cc.  Check every motorcycle website (honda, Yamaha, etc.) and they all make and sell Maxi scooter that require motorcycle license.

What people call moped are basically scooters with 50cc engine.  In between is a no-mans land and very few scooter/ moped are made in this range (50cc to 150cc).

In this range, some states require a motorcycle license BUT the medium size scooters are still not allowed on the hwy.  In other states, they have special LIMITED class motorcycle license for scooters 50cc to 150cc.  The law is all over the place for this class.

good luck...

Answer 6

In order:

> When the first one was invented, it was a motor attached to a bicycle, therefore it was a motor-driven cycle.

> Each state defines them differently, usually a 2-wheeled conveyance powered by an internal combustion engine having more than 5 bhp and an engine displacement > 100cc

> See previous answer.

> <5 bhp, and an displacement <100cc.

This is it in a nutshell.  Durn lawmakers make the description into a multi-paragraph deal.