TV1 TONITE -minibikes legality reviewed

**Waylander** · 21st July 2005, 22:18

Originally Posted by crashe

Saw one over Te Atatu Peninsula recently.... on the road but at least the rider had on a funny helmet. (one like waylanders) sorry waylander.

Yea yea, went and looked at new helmets today and can get anice dark chromed HJC for under $300. Soon as my speakers sell (hoping for that much atleast since I payed twice that when I bought them last year) I'll be picking it up.

**skidMark** · 21st July 2005, 22:41

my monkeybike is registered it has lights and all that classed as any other moped the mini choppers usually don't come with lights so they don't bother to put any on and some idiots don't ride with a rego either...

they do not need a wof as they are classed as an under 50cc moped.....but they do need registration and to be to wof standard

and cus of there WANKERS on thier damn mini choppers that don't register them or get lights on them...people like myself are going to suffer on our fully legal mopeds mine is under same class as any other moped....

how come the few always ruin it for the many

so does this mean my 2005 minibike which is fully legal will be forced to go off the road.......i better hope not or im gunna b doing sum $H1T stirring considering mine is fully legal ...as my best friend used to own an fa50 it was hardly bigger than my minibike

curse you people who have no respect for laws of the road because of these STUPID mini choppers i might end up with my mini bike off the road and who is going to buy it if they can't ride it anywhere it's no use to me if i can't ride it!

**Ixion** · 22nd July 2005, 01:32

Originally Posted by FROSTY

the deal with those mini choppers is NO they dont need to ever have a WOF
they are concidered to be scooters and as such under current law you just take in the import paperwork and they get a rego--easy.
The law states that they must be CAPABLE of getting a WOF -well Most of em wouldn't get a wof in a million years.
I've objected to these things from day 1
My opinion is that they need to pass 1 wof before they can be registered
simple really --they get compllied in the same way as any other bike or car
I'll bet ya any amount of money very few of em would pass.

I didn't know they didn;t have to be complied. That seems stupid. But, don't you still have to have *some* sort of licence for a moped (I know it can be a car licence, but some sort of licence). Most of the kids I see riding them on the road would be too young

**inlinefour** · 22nd July 2005, 08:16

They are more fecking gay than a scooter. Only a toal pillick who cannot handle a proper bike would actually be dumb enough to put one onto the road. As for racing them, I can't understand for one why a full grown adult would do this. Children yes, I can understand that also. But a teenager or full grown adult, thats just gay also...

**Lou Girardin** · 22nd July 2005, 08:40

Apart from anything else, quite a few of these things are flouting the regs. They're registered as mopeds - less than 50cc and 2 kw - so that riders only need a car licence. But many have 110 cc engines.
And, having seen one of our workers ride to work on his, they've got to be bloody dangerous in traffic. He sits so low, you can't see him beside a car and his vis must be nil in traffic.
Another own goal for LTNZ.

**vifferman** · 22nd July 2005, 09:03

I was in town one night, and just by Sky City this 'gang' of guys on those mini-choppers went past. Must've been about 15 of them. What a laugh - it was like something out of Monty Python.

But I agree about them being dangerous. I dunno how guys can ride them - the ones I've seen are hidden by cars, and can't see through the traffic. I'd HATE that - if I'm following a bus, truck or van and can't see ahead to anticipate what's coming up / about to happen, I *have* to get past so I can see.

Saw one too somewhere up near Wellsford, on one of the country backroads.

**crashe** · 22nd July 2005, 09:09

Ok I just had a phone call from the TVNZ news reporter....

She has to talk to her boss.
She is based in Wellington.... and hopefully will do a story on the mini choppers after a little bit more research on the mini choppers.

She has just read this thread and hopefully register to get some of you guys in Wellington to help her out...

She did apologise about putting up the wrong pic at the beginning of the story.

**SimJen** · 22nd July 2005, 09:14

Well, yes TVOne stuffed up.
I am one of the founders of the NZ Minimoto Racing Club, see our forum for upcoming races http://www.minimoto.co.nz/forum/
We all had the day off work on Wednesday because TVNZ wanted to do a feature on us (or so it seemed). The reporter, while very nice

said she was going to focus on the sport and legallity of riding them on the road.
She took heaps of footage including some good on board helmet cam stuff.
Also they did interviews with Fathers/Daughters/Sons to highlight the family appeal of the sport.
They took the bad points from the three interviewees and used them for their own agenda. Typical reporters/media where theres no news they'll make some. As far as I know no-ones been killed on a Minimoto in NZ.
We gave her all the history of Minimoto racing, Valentino Rossi started in them as well as many other top racers. But to no avail.
They didn't even give us a plug???? if you are reporting about the bad side of something wouldn't it make sense to tell people about the good side and give them details about contacting us.....?
Still we are getting the footage shortly so we can put it on DVD.
As for the crash people saw, that was a guy called Grant on Replica B1 Water cooled (good for 80kmhr+) I was the guy behind on a similar bike that just missed him. He was okay and got straight back on. It generally doesn't hurt

Although he has broken his collarbone in the past.

**speedpro** · 22nd July 2005, 09:17

I agree with just about everything being said here but I do have to be amused at who's doing the talking/complaining - motorcyclists. So many reasons why you shouldn't ride a bike and should get a cheap import.

I was talking to some guys who sell these the other day. They were quite proud of the fact that they were registering them as 50s so minimal legal requirements to use, when in fact they had 110cc engines.

**speedpro** · 22nd July 2005, 09:20

Originally Posted by inlinefour

As for racing them, I can't understand for one why a full grown adult would do this. Children yes, I can understand that also. But a teenager or full grown adult, thats just gay also...

They race mini choppers?

**crashe** · 22nd July 2005, 09:26

Can someone put up all the links from past threads about the mini choppers...
so that when the reporter comes back to do a story... she can click onto them.

I have looked and I must be having a blonde moment (even thou I aint a blonde) hehehe (sorry to all the blondes on the site) as I cant find any links...

Thanks.

**SimJen** · 22nd July 2005, 09:39

Originally Posted by inlinefour
As for racing them, I can't understand for one why a full grown adult would do this. Children yes, I can understand that also. But a teenager or full grown adult, thats just gay also...

As far as I know no-one races minichoppers, why would they, they don't exactly look like they can stop? Although a couple of guys race past my work every damn day. All this noise but no performance.
Valentino Rossi still rides them for fun as do lots of other top racers. Riding a minimoto is no more gay than riding a bucket. The top bikes pump out 17hp+ from 50cc and can hit 110+ in only a few seconds. Highsides can be commonplace with riders being thrown a loooooong way.
Most of the guys are big bike racers/riders and this is seen as a cheap form of motorsport.
I suggest you don't knock it till you tried it, many a good road racer has been bitten by the bug. Its not as easy as it looks.
Your welcome to come along and have a ride at one of our meetings.

**Riff Raff** · 22nd July 2005, 09:53

Those mini choppers give me the shits and we are going to see some fatalities with them soon. The other day there were two teenage boys racing down Great South Road in Takanini (which is 2 lane) - they overtook my ambulance (I was in the right hand lane and they ended up having a near miss with a truck in the process), then lane split down the road. I never saw them until they were going past, and neither did the rest of the traffic. There were some pretty close calls - especially when they got to the roundabout by Walters Road. They were wearing t-shirts and jeans, and pushbike helmets and their speed would have been around 70 or 80kph.

**inlinefour** · 22nd July 2005, 10:44

Originally Posted by SimJen

As far as I know no-one races minichoppers, why would they, they don't exactly look like they can stop? Although a couple of guys race past my work every damn day. All this noise but no performance.
Valentino Rossi still rides them for fun as do lots of other top racers. Riding a minimoto is no more gay than riding a bucket. The top bikes pump out 17hp+ from 50cc and can hit 110+ in only a few seconds. Highsides can be commonplace with riders being thrown a loooooong way.
Most of the guys are big bike racers/riders and this is seen as a cheap form of motorsport.
I suggest you don't knock it till you tried it, many a good road racer has been bitten by the bug. Its not as easy as it looks.
Your welcome to come along and have a ride at one of our meetings.

Twas not impressed. Although we had the common sense to try out un the country side. I feel more of a dork either on the racing mini bikes or the mini choppers. Could make a garden ornament out of one though. Was much happier hopping onto a real bike afterwards. Yea its cool if others like them, but keep them off the roads as they are just an accident waiting to happen...

**SimJen** · 22nd July 2005, 10:53

the small cheap minimoto's are fine for beginners, but the watercooled powerful beasts are the way to go. Get one on a track and they make perfect sense

Top spec bikes will power wheelie at all speeds.....crazy stuff.