Pittsfield police charge pocket bike driver

PITTSFIELD – With four or five of the new pocket bikes buzzing around town this summer, police have tried to be patient in warning operators that a valid driver’s license and, depending on the engine size, a valid registration are required.

But when police Officer Michael Cote discovered a pocket bike driving the wrong way on Main Street on Friday morning, he charged the 14-year-old operator.

“I had warned him about this. I had talked with his parents. I had even given him copies of [state] requirements,” said Cote.

The youth was charged with operating without a license and operating an unregistered motor vehicle.

A fad among bike enthusiasts, the minimotorcycles began showing up in Maine a few months ago. The machines are 2 feet tall or less and can go up to 30 mph. They generally cost about $400. Many models – mostly Chinese copycats of Italian pocket bikes – do not have horns or lights, and riders often do not wear helmets.

Some city police departments elsewhere in the state have reported chasing pocket bikes up and down sidewalks, through parking lots and right through busy intersections.

But fans say the bikes look good and are exciting to drive because they are so low to the ground.

Since they are so new to Maine, even the police were confused at first about which license or registrations were required until a quick check with the state clarified that they are considered mopeds because the engine has a displacement of more than 25 cubic centimeters. State regulations require both a driver’s license and a registration for mopeds.

Motorized bicycles and motorized scooters with engines less than 25 cubic centimeters require only a valid driver’s license to operate, said Cote.

“This is the first case to be brought in Somerset County,” Cote said.