If you’re a new arrival or just visiting California and need a way to get around that doesn’t require a motorcycle license, you do have some options available.
It’s as easy as riding a bike, some will say about a routine task. What this fails to consider, though, is that riding a bike has become an increasingly complex matter. This is because there aren’t only pedal-driven bicycles and motorcycles, but a range of different machines in between. The difference between a motorcycle, a moped, an electric scooter, an electric bicycle and the various classes of such can be difficult to determine. You might have moved to a new state, bought a new machine, or even both, and be very wary of the legal ramifications of riding it. For car drivers, there are factors such a commercial versus non-commercial use and the size and weight of the vehicle to consider, though a Class C noncommercial license is typically the one that the average driver taking their own car across California’s roads will require.
Bicycles are rather more complex when it comes to those weight regulations, as well as factors such as their power source. When a motor was first added to a bicycle and the motorcycle was born, so too was an entirely different type of vehicle. The concept has been adapted since to include models powered by electricity, those with two wheels and those with three, the addition of sidecars, the creation of variants like mopeds, and so on. Depending on the particular type, weight, and class of vehicle you’re riding, then you might find that your existing license doesn’t allow you to legally ride. It’s vital, then, to understand the specific laws regarding licenses in your state as well as those you may be traveling to. For residents of or visitors to California, then, these are the types of bikes that won’t require a motorcycle license to legally ride there. Standard pedal bicycles
Conventional bicycles don’t have a power source other than the rider. These pedal-powered modes of transport, as such, don’t require a driving license of any class or a separate motorcycle license. This doesn’t mean, though, that their use isn’t carefully regulated by the law for the safety of riders, other road users, and pedestrians alike. One particularly important factor to consider is that in some countries, such as the United Kingdom, it is typically illegal to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk. In the United States, as is so often the case, it’s a matter of municipality law rather than federal.
In Los Angeles, for instance, the municipal code reads, » No person shall ride, operate or use a bicycle, unicycle, skateboard, cart, wagon, wheelchair, rollerskates, or any other device moved exclusively by human power, on a sidewalk, bikeway or boardwalk in a willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property.» Meanwhile, in San Francisco, it’s illegal to ride on the sidewalk for anyone but those under 13, and all cyclists as well as drivers must pass on the left.
