Damn those mini motorbikes

[Charlie Bravo]

We get them down our street. If I'm walking round my mates and I hear one coming, I cross the road just at the right time if you get what I mean

 

[The_KiD]

Thankfully around where we are there has been a recent crack-down on these bikes.
There was a notice put in evening paper from the police reminding people about the law on these things.
Next thing I know on two seperate weekends police arrived to two addresses down the road from us and left some time later taking the bikes with them.
Since then we've only seen one person around the area on one.

I am not saying it is fine for them to break the law or ride the bikes on the roads/paths.

what I am saying is your "crack down" simply means they have to find something else to do and seeing as all the parks, playgrounds etc are locked up or full of crack heads, what are they meant to do?

Surely if the goverment gave them a bike track to ride them on, or even just a field we would all be happy?

But no lets "get tough on these evil children". Lets ban everything they do, lets crack down on their large gatherings.

Hope your house isnt burgalled soon by some ex-bike riding youth who now has sod all to do.

 

[Aliboy]

I have one of those The difference here is that I only ever ride it at organised events which are usually held in indoor/outdoor karting centers. They are only chav if you nip about the streets and pavements on them but they are 100% fun when you get into it at a karting center

Here is a little cut 'n' paste from a minimoto website that I'm a member of ...

Grampian Police today issued a strongly worded warning regarding the use of Mini Moto motorcycles on roads and other public areas. In December 2004 Police issued comprehensive advice to the public regarding the legal status of these machines. Despite this Grampian Police are continuing to receive complaints relating to their illegal use. Anyone who owns or uses one of these machines and the parents of children who ride them must understand ignorance of the law relating to them is not an excuse.

Mini Motos are exact replicas of full sized motorcycles, they are powered by small petrol or electric motors and can be capable of speeds of around 30mph. They are not toys and should never be treated as such. The current road traffic legislation means they are treated exactly the same as their full sized counterparts. Although reputable suppliers of these machines should advise customers of the legal position governing their use they are under on obligation to do so.

Potential buyers and those who already own Mini Motos must be aware that the legal definition of a 'road' covers not just the carriageway itself but also the pavement, footpath, road verge and generally anywhere the public have unrestricted access to. There are also laws which cover the use of these machines on public land other than a 'road' and this would include areas of public parkland. Taking all this into account it is clear that Mini Motos can only be used on private land with the permission of the land owner.

For a Mini Moto to be driven legally on a road or other public area it would require lights, tyres, exhaust, suspension - in short all components would have to meet the legal requirement for road use. The driver would require an appropriate driving licence and be required to wear a helmet. The machine would require road tax and insurance, and after three years would be subject to the MOT examination.

Sergeant Alan Brown of Grampian Police's Road Casualty Reduction Unit said "In recent weeks there has been a (n)oticeable increase in the number of complaints received by us regarding motorcycle nuisance. Whilst not all of these relate to Mini Motos it is clear many do. These machines are dangerous if used incorrectly and appropriate protective clothing is not worn.

Parents who buy these machines for their children have a duty to ensure they do not cause a danger to themselves or any member of the public and that they are being used legally. They need to be closely supervised at all times as children often do not perceive danger in the same way as an adult does. Sergeant Brown went on to say "I am aware of instances in Aberdeen where Mini Motos have been driven along the road at night behind a bus. This is stupidity taken to the extreme and the potential for tragedy is obvious.

In the near future police in Aberdeen will be targeting this problem. At that time anyone caught or identified will be charged and reported. I would urge everyone to heed our advice, if not at best you could be fined or have points on your licence at worst someone could be killed."

 

[squiffy]

Lovely, so if these kids saved up money legally and bought a mini moto and it got confiscated on the first offence how would you think they will feel? Pretty annoyed. Course the council don't have anywhere to use them...they just expect kids to be in deep freeze between friday and monday.

Banning and confiscating everything that is "noisy" and a "nuisance" just shows that everybody whos not into that sort of thing are control freaks, they don't like it so I'm going to get it banned.

As long as the kids are sensible what's the harm? Why can't people allow them to play with their things? If they're a nuisance should give them warnings before proceeding further...not confiscate the thing. How would you like it if your car is confiscated if you do 10 mph over the speed limit?

Parks are closed off to kids (because a few vandalise them) scating parks shut down, no activities...and when kids do something, you get the authorties crushing them. Nice.

 

[singist]

Meldrew/
yeah .... ban the sale of these things and confiscate/destroy all found on parks/roads etc ...



These are not toys! you do not have insurance etc


All those saying "where's the harm?" should think again; the kids/adults who ride these things DO NOT use them sensibly .... end of.

Find something legal to do to have fun and stop expecting someone else to provide it for you.


Selfish, arrogant knowitall little scrotes should not be given dangerous playthings by parents who just want the kids out of their hair.

I think that that covers most of my feelings on the subject.

Meldrew

 

[benneh]

You should try living in Liverpool dude . I see at least 6 kids riding these every day. It's like a sort of age related transport progression.
Crawling>walking>running>mini motorbike>motorbike>car.

I wouldnt really mind if they werent bombing down the pavements or screeching across red lights. On 3 different occasions i've seen police drive right past people riding down the pavement on them (in kenny fields for you locals).

Might be a good idea for a thread.. Spot and photograph the idiot on the mini motorbike.

 

[wnb]

I Nearly killed two kids on one of these, I was driving down a main road and ahead of me was a smaller side road and the little urchins came flying down the side road straight onto the main road and onto the pavement. If I was picking me nose or some other distraction I would not have reacted in time and the little beggers would know the meaning of gravle rash.


I called the police but I've no idea if they did anything. There is a public park nearby work where they seem to head for not only these mini bikes but kids on scramblers aswell. They all drive on the main roads and pavements and wear either hoodies or balaclarvars (spelling)

They deserve a good kicking the bikes crushed.

 

[The_KiD]

Meldrew/
yeah .... ban the sale of these things and confiscate/destroy all found on parks/roads etc ...



These are not toys! you do not have insurance etc


All those saying "where's the harm?" should think again; the kids/adults who ride these things DO NOT use them sensibly .... end of.

Find something legal to do to have fun and stop expecting someone else to provide it for you.


Selfish, arrogant knowitall little scrotes should not be given dangerous playthings by parents who just want the kids out of their hair.

I think that that covers most of my feelings on the subject.

Meldrew

Once again, how are you not understanding this?

If you ban something you do not solve the problem. The kids will be bored and need something else to do. of course there is nothing else for them to do cos everything is banned.

Instead why dont people phone the council and demand that some of the scrub land round where you live is turned into some sort of bike track? So they have somewhere to go on the bikes?

 

[singist]

Actually, it appears that it is you that is having problems understanding ..... FIND SOMETHING LEGAL AND LESS DANGEROUS TO DO ...



Believe it or not, one can play tennis/cricket/football etc on most public parks in this country; not only is it quite good fun but it's legal and people don't complain about any of those things.

Legal hobbies can be good fun too but it's not up to me to find things for selfish people with little imagination to do.

 

[Vonhelmet]

It is not the police's business to entertain children. It is their business to see that laws are not broken. If the children are entertaining themselves by breaking the law, then they should be stopped. They can find other ways to entertain themselves. If they choose to entertain themselves in manners which break the law, then their parents are probably at fault to a greater or lesser degree and should be dealt with, and possibly the kids too.

Plenty of us grew up having plenty of fun without ever breaking the law, you know.

 

[Pants]

Tennis/cricket/football I find boring. Less dangerous is less fun to me.

If the kids wanted to do the above then they would, obviously they want to mess about on mini bikes instead.

If the (annoyed) locals and kids tried to push for some ground to do it on, the kids would have more respect for locals / council.

If you OMG BAN IT I DONT LIKE THE NOISE then the kids will resent locals / council & police who enforce the rules.

What don't you understand?

 

[Vonhelmet]

Tennis/cricket/football I find boring. Less dangerous is less fun to me.

So take up a sport that is more dangerous but still legal. Alternatively, realise that while you may enjoy the danger, not everyone else does. It might be a barrel of laughs riding around with no helmet on a 5cc converted hairdryer, but I don't need that kind of fright as I turn onto my street.

If the kids wanted to do the above then they would, obviously they want to mess about on mini bikes instead.

Sure... or perhaps they've never been given the chance to try any of the above. That's a more serious point that can be argued, but it's about the only valid one here to be honest.

If the (annoyed) locals and kids tried to push for some ground to do it on, the kids would have more respect for locals / council.

Sure, so let them push for it. However, breaking the law without any attempt to play by the rules is not likely to curry much favour.

If you OMG BAN IT I DONT LIKE THE NOISE then the kids will resent locals / council & police who enforce the rules.

So? You can't just legalise everything just because someone resents the fact that they can't pass their time in a law breaking fashion.

What don't you understand?

What don't you understand?

 

[jonnyc90]

sum boys chased me on 1 wen i was cycling and they go about 30mph and r about £200. These kids had it confiscated by the police though.

They are totally illegal as are untaxed but sum guy on my road has one which he rides to work and it has a tax disc and he actually wears a helmet

 

[converse_uprise]

I've rode mine up and down my road a fair few times, for no longer than 30 seconds though. Usually because i'm fixing it.. and I don't really want to take the risk of taking it all the way to the land I ride it on just to test out whether or not I have fixed it.

 

[The_KiD]

lol this is really making me laugh.

We are not saying riding them on roads is ok, we are simply stating that these kids are more into thrill seeking and high adrenaline sports. Rugby/Tennis/Cricket/Football dont quite cut it as far they are concerned.

So if the local's who are fed up with them riding on the roads, turned their efforts to campaigning for a bike track for the kids to go on instead, surely the problem is then solved at the root?

who said anything about police entertaining the kids? The police are there to enforce the law and that is a great job that they do well. It is the government and local councils who favour the "quick fix" solution of banning anything that upsets the residents.

 

[Pants]

What don't you understand?

LOL, I wonder how long this pointless phrase can go on...

I am not advocating anything illigal, or condoning riding around estates. I simply think it's a good idea for there to be some space made for these kids to ride on (and pherhaps BMX / RC cars etc too) rather than wasting police time on tougher enforcement.

That's a more serious point that can be argued, but it's about the only valid one here to be honest.

Nope there are 2 more.

 

[Freefaller]

Yeah we suffer the same problem. They come racing up and down our street where it's quiet and a private road so there isn't much traffic. They don't go that fast, but they are a nuisance both noise wise, and hazard wise. They're not insured so if they lose control of their bikes and damage property or a car there's pretty much nothing we can do about it. I've almost run one over as they came careering round a corner (a blind corner) - he had the gall to stick his finger up at me! I had a word with them and actually they've now buggered off and are going down another street - but hey it means our street is now lawn mower free

Acutally one of them was pulled over by a squad car when they were riding on the main road - weaving all over the place. Bloody dangerous. I doubt it did much good. You'd feel awfully guilty if you squashed one of those brats. I know I would - despite it being a relief.

 

[ArmoVanBuuren]

They are fun to use not on a public road. My mate has one and he let me have a go on it round his farm roads. Fun toy!

 

[Vonhelmet]

You'd feel awfully guilty if you squashed one of those brats. I know I would - despite it being a relief.

Yeah. How could you forgive yourself for all that damage to the underside of the car?

 

[William]

Banning anyone under the age of 21 might be better, all them young people robbing our taxes and parading around with their endless irritating optimism, yep ban the scum.