Author Topic: Is it illegal to go over 30 mph downhill?  (Read 3956 times)

JCuc

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Is it illegal to go over 30 mph downhill?
« on: February 05, 2012, 02:22:01 AM »
My current residence is in South Carolina and the only law I can find dictating the speed of a two wheeled vehicle to be classified as a moped is that if it doesn't exceed 30 mph on level ground.  Now, I can't find anything stating it can't go over 30 down hill or about that there needs to be a speed regulator.  Does anyone have a better insight on this?

blue

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Re: Is it illegal to go over 30 mph downhill?
« Reply #1 on: February 05, 2012, 05:26:38 AM »
who cares if its legal make it go faster and injoy it lol. just dont get cought. As long as your not geting to wreckless most cops well look past it.

streido

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Re: Is it illegal to go over 30 mph downhill?
« Reply #2 on: February 05, 2012, 08:54:49 PM »
If the speed limit is 30 and you go over 30, on a hill or not, youre getting done for speeding if you get caught. But like blue says, dont worry about it, just go fast :)
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JCuc

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Re: Is it illegal to go over 30 mph downhill?
« Reply #3 on: February 05, 2012, 09:31:36 PM »
No one has really answered my question, but oh well.  I'll have to ask my local officer.

wordslinger

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Re: Is it illegal to go over 30 mph downhill?
« Reply #4 on: February 05, 2012, 10:30:43 PM »
..thats a good one, i live in NC...
« Last Edit: February 06, 2012, 02:51:04 PM by wordslinger »
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streido

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Re: Is it illegal to go over 30 mph downhill?
« Reply #5 on: February 05, 2012, 11:56:15 PM »
No one has really answered my question, but oh well.  I'll have to ask my local officer.

What difference does it make? If the law says 30mph on level ground for a moped thats it, if your asking can you take out any restrictions or regulators or if the law states they must be fitted then i guess the answer must be yes cos without it they would go over 30mph hence why they are sold with restrictions normally.

Dont think we get the question fully or what you want to know or why?
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zombie

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Re: Is it illegal to go over 30 mph downhill?
« Reply #6 on: February 06, 2012, 01:04:19 AM »
For real... Speed limit, and speed restrictions are two different topics. The scoot is allowed to reach a top "sustained" speed of 30mph on level ground. If you travel down hill at 50mph, and the speed limit is 55mph you can not be cited for violating the scooter speed restriction limit. If the speed limit were 30mph and you were doing 50mph, well then you are just plain stupid.
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dalebor

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Re: Is it illegal to go over 30 mph downhill?
« Reply #7 on: February 06, 2012, 02:14:19 AM »
My current residence is in South Carolina and the only law I can find dictating the speed of a two wheeled vehicle to be classified as a moped is that if it doesn't exceed 30 mph on level ground.  Now, I can't find anything stating it can't go over 30 down hill or about that there needs to be a speed regulator.  Does anyone have a better insight on this?

Can't say anything about SC but MN is probably not all that different. In MN most two wheeled vehicles with an engine displacement less than 50 cc can get moped plates and don't require a motorcycle endorsement on your drivers license. On the DMV website there is list of about ten scooters that have 49 cc displacement but still must be licensed as motorcycles and require a motorcycle drivers license. I don't know if the difference is speed or horsepower but the scooters that I'm familiar with that are on the list can all go over 35 mph.

There is not a speed limit per se for a scooter other than the posted limit for that road. Exceeding 30 down hill is okay, at least here in MN. If a cop sees you going over 30 (or 35 or whatever he feels is too fast) and the scoot has moped plates he can pull you over. There are two tickets you could get. If the scooter has been de-stricted or had a big bore kit installed or otherwise modified so as to not meet the state requirements for a moped license you can get a ticket for an improperly licensed vehicle (moped plates instead of motorcycle plates). If the scoot, as it existed when you were stopped, required a motorcycle drivers license, you could get a ticket for driving a motorcycle without a motorcycle license (assuming that you don't have a motorcycle license). If the scoot is stock, you're okay.

That being said, I've never seen or heard of a cop doing this. I know several guys with seriously hopped up 49 cc scoots and several with big bore kits in their (formerly) 49 cc machines. All these guys go too fast and generally ride like dicks. They don't seem to ever get stopped.

I've been riding motorcycles for nearly 40 years and bought my first scooter (Kymco agility 125) this past spring. One thing I noticed early on is that cops, at least in the twin cities, pretty much ignore scooters except for (maybe) parking violations.

Dale B

blue

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Re: Is it illegal to go over 30 mph downhill?
« Reply #8 on: February 06, 2012, 02:17:52 AM »
No one has really answered my question, but oh well.  I'll have to ask my local officer.

lol ya right go ahead tell him you resticed  your scoot too.

JCuc

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Re: Is it illegal to go over 30 mph downhill?
« Reply #9 on: February 06, 2012, 03:15:31 AM »
Can't say anything about SC but MN is probably not all that different. In MN most two wheeled vehicles with an engine displacement less than 50 cc can get moped plates and don't require a motorcycle endorsement on your drivers license. On the DMV website there is list of about ten scooters that have 49 cc displacement but still must be licensed as motorcycles and require a motorcycle drivers license. I don't know if the difference is speed or horsepower but the scooters that I'm familiar with that are on the list can all go over 35 mph.

There is not a speed limit per se for a scooter other than the posted limit for that road. Exceeding 30 down hill is okay, at least here in MN. If a cop sees you going over 30 (or 35 or whatever he feels is too fast) and the scoot has moped plates he can pull you over. There are two tickets you could get. If the scooter has been de-stricted or had a big bore kit installed or otherwise modified so as to not meet the state requirements for a moped license you can get a ticket for an improperly licensed vehicle (moped plates instead of motorcycle plates). If the scoot, as it existed when you were stopped, required a motorcycle drivers license, you could get a ticket for driving a motorcycle without a motorcycle license (assuming that you don't have a motorcycle license). If the scoot is stock, you're okay.

That being said, I've never seen or heard of a cop doing this. I know several guys with seriously hopped up 49 cc scoots and several with big bore kits in their (formerly) 49 cc machines. All these guys go too fast and generally ride like dicks. They don't seem to ever get stopped.

I've been riding motorcycles for nearly 40 years and bought my first scooter (Kymco agility 125) this past spring. One thing I noticed early on is that cops, at least in the twin cities, pretty much ignore scooters except for (maybe) parking violations.

Dale B
Thank you for your reply, at least someone here is intelligent enough to provide an insightful response to my question.

streido

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Re: Is it illegal to go over 30 mph downhill?
« Reply #10 on: February 06, 2012, 09:03:01 AM »
Thank you for your reply, at least someone here is intelligent enough to provide an insightful response to my question.

Not the way to make friends is it really? Maybe if you actually posed the question a little better then we would know wtf you were asking and would've been better able to answer it to your satisfaction? If you post a vague question you get vague answers.

Prolly not the best idea to start calling folk unintelligent? Hope you dont have any problems or other vague questions to ask as you may find you have little response if you feel the need to insult people on here, just sayin'. Glad youre finally happy  ::)
« Last Edit: February 06, 2012, 09:05:21 AM by streido »
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wordslinger

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Re: Is it illegal to go over 30 mph downhill?
« Reply #11 on: February 06, 2012, 12:52:56 PM »
Thank you for your reply, at least someone here is intelligent enough to provide an insightful response to my question.
 
   
 
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JCuc

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Re: Is it illegal to go over 30 mph downhill?
« Reply #12 on: February 06, 2012, 02:26:08 PM »
Not the way to make friends is it really? Maybe if you actually posed the question a little better then we would know wtf you were asking and would've been better able to answer it to your satisfaction? If you post a vague question you get vague answers.

Prolly not the best idea to start calling folk unintelligent? Hope you dont have any problems or other vague questions to ask as you may find you have little response if you feel the need to insult people on here, just sayin'. Glad youre finally happy  ::)


A two sentence poised question with a one part answer? Yea...

Responses such as "who cares if its legal make it go faster and injoy it lol. just dont get cought ..." and "If the speed limit is 30 and you go over 30, on a hill or not, youre getting done for speeding if you get caught ..." in no way contributes to the goal of the discussion and is a 'no sh**' response.
« Last Edit: February 06, 2012, 02:31:38 PM by JCuc »

streido

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Re: Is it illegal to go over 30 mph downhill?
« Reply #13 on: February 06, 2012, 03:33:51 PM »
Like i said earlier, state your question clearly and you will get a clear answer. You asked a question which makes little sense as all restricted scoots i know of will go slightly faster than the restriction downhill, when you roll things downhill they speed up believe it or not, have a look on google for a basic kids science page covering gravity and momentum, that will explain it all. Why you need to know this or want to know it is more interesting than the initial question you asked. Unless you plan on building a scoot with some new device to boost speed up and down hills, while still restricting it to 30mph on level ground, then what difference does it make?

You're obviously not a people person are you  :D or maybe you just had a bad day? Since your a knob, sorry i meant noob, youre maybe unfamiliar this forum, we are all here to help each other and offer advice where we can, sometimes we post lighthearted comments,  which we now know you dont like because you are so serious or uptight i guess? I honestly assumed you were another 16yr old asking the usual stupid questions so i gave my response in a similair vain. To start calling folk stupid makes no sense at all and is itself stupid. You now will have forum members reading this and saying "F**k you mate" because of your attitude,losing you a wealth of help and advice in the future. I know im outta here, just no pleasing some folk   ::)

Anyway, enjoy your scoot and any more probs you know where to go............Have a nice day  :) and try Chillax a bit.  ::)
« Last Edit: February 06, 2012, 03:39:01 PM by streido »
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zombie

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Re: Is it illegal to go over 30 mph downhill?
« Reply #14 on: February 06, 2012, 03:55:21 PM »
"They have nothing in their whole imperial arsenal that can break the spirit of one Irishman who doesn't want to be broken."   Bobby Sands...

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