I'm moving to Palm Springs, CA in two weeks and plan to purchase an
electric motorbike (see here for exact product:
http://www.zapworld.com/viento.htm).  While there are is a plethora of
Californian driving laws pubished on the Web, many of them conflict
in regards to legal ownership/driving/registration/licensing
requirements; I suspect because this is a very new technology and the
laws have yet to catch up.

I need to know the following, and answers need to be *specific* to
Palm Springs, CA as many cities have different ordinances regarding
electric motorbikes.  I'm looking for a reconciled, localized,
sythesized interpretation of the laws as they will apply to me in this
town (random Web links won't do -- I've seen them all already).
Specifically I need to know:

- do I need a specific type of driver's license to operate one (I
already have a CA driver's license class B, by the way...)?
- if so, which type of license, and how do I apply and prepare for it?
- are there any specific laws in Palm Springs in regard to electric
motorbikes?
- how do I go about getting a license for an electric motorbike. Is
one required in Palm Springs?
- do I need to register an electric motorbike in Palm Springs? How do
I do that?
- what type of insurance is required for an electric motorbike?

Please provide links to all appropriate forms and describe
chronologically, in order of priority, everything thing I need to do
in order to legally ride an electric motorbike in Palm Springs, CA.

Thank you for helping me with this question while I finish up my
master's degree!

Jonny

Good day, Jonny,

I'm sorry this answer is so long in coming, but I had to wait for the
proper authorities to get back to me. The good news is it seems you
are good to go! You need no license and aren't required to register.
You do need to be 16 or older, follow the rules of the road, stay
sober, and wear an approved helmet.

I first contacted Sgt. Mitch Spike, of the Palm Springs Police
Department, and asked him about your questions. His reply follows:

"To the best of my knowledge, there are no specific city ordinances
regarding these vehicles in the City of Palm Springs, so we would
abide by the California State Vehicle Code.
 
The California Highway Patrol are the experts on these matters, so I
have forwarded your email to their public information officer, Laura
Quattlebaum.

Welcome to PSPD.COM Home Page
http://www.pspd.com/
[Under Contact Us!]
Spike, Mitch Traffic Sergeant
MitchS@ci.palm-springs.ca.us



A short while ago, Ms. Quattlebaum responded to our request and here's
your answer:

"I received your questions and have your information.  Everything you
need to know re: electric motorbikes is in the California Vehicle
Code, section 24016.

It states in essence, that you shall wear an approved bicycle helmet,
you have to be 16 years of age & older to ride one, you are not
subject to financial responsibilty, driver's licenses, and
registration.  You are to obey all rules of the road(stop signs, red
lights, etc.) and cannot ride your bike while intoxicated.

I hope this helps you. If you have anymore questions, please call me
at (760) 772-8938

Thanks,
Officer Laura Quattlebaum
Public Affairs Officer, Indio CHP"
LQuattlebaum@chp.ca.gov


To be clear that they knew exactly what you you had in mind, I passed
the URL you gave us along so they could take a look at the motorbike.

I hope this answers your questions and puts your mind at rest.

I wish you well,
revbrenda1st

Search strategy:

Palm Springs Police Department
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Palm+Springs+Police+Department&btnG=Google+Search

---

Request for Answer Clarification by rockabillylibrarian-ga on 06 Dec 2002 11:28 PST

Thank you so much for helping me before my move and during finals
time.

If you could also copy and paste the two emails you received from the
local authorities (with all the headers), and a copy of (or link to)
California Vehicle Code section 24016 that would finish up this
question nicely.  Thanks again!

Jonny

---

Clarification of Answer by revbrenda1st-ga on 06 Dec 2002 12:53 PST

Sure, Jonny, no problem.  

DMV - V.C. Section 24016 - Motorized Bicycle Electric Motor: Safety
and Equipment Requirements
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc24016.htm

Motorized Bicycle Electric Motor: Safety and Equipment Requirements

24016.   (a) A motorized bicycle described in subdivision (b) of
Section 406 shall meet the following criteria:

(1) Comply with the equipment and manufacturing requirements for
bicycles adopted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (16 C.F.R.
1512.1, et seq.) or the requirements adopted by the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (49 C.F.R. 571.1, et seq.) in accordance
with the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 (15
U.S.C. Sec. 1381, et seq.) for motor driven cycles.

(2) Operate in a manner so that the electric motor is disengaged or
ceases to function when the brakes are applied, or operate in a manner
such that the motor is engaged through a switch or mechanism that,
when released, will cause the electric motor to disengage or cease to
function.

(b) All of the following apply to a motorized bicycle described in
subdivision (b) of Section 406:

(1) No person shall operate a motorized bicycle unless the person is
wearing a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet that meets the
standards described in Section 21212.

(2) A person operating a motorized bicycle is subject to Sections
21200 and 21200.5.

(3) A person operating a motorized bicycle is not subject to the
provisions of this code relating to financial responsibility, driver's
licenses, registration, and license plate requirements, and a
motorized bicycle is not a motor vehicle.

(4) A motorized bicycle shall only be operated by a person 16 years of
age or older.

(5) Every manufacturer of a motorized bicycle shall certify that it
complies with the equipment and manufacturing requirements for
bicycles adopted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (16 C.F.R.
1512.1, et seq.).

(c) No person shall tamper with or modify a motorized bicycle
described in subdivision (b) of Section 406 so as to increase the
speed capability of the bicycle.

Added Sec. 3, Ch. 804, Stats. 1995. Effective January 1, 1996.

---------------------------------

E-mail from Officer Quattlebaum:

X-Mailer: Novell GroupWise 5.5.4 
Date: Fri, 06 Dec 2002 08:17:49 -0800 
From: "Laura Quattlebaum" <LQuattlebaum@chp.ca.gov> 
To: <revbrend@recorder.ca> 
Subject: ELECTRIC BIKES 


Hello Brenda,


I received your questions and have your information.  Everything you
need to know re: electric motorbikes is in the California Vehicle
Code, section 24016.


It states in essence, that you shall wear an approved bicycle helmet,
you have to be 16 years of age & older to ride one, you are not
subject to financial responsibilty, driver's licenses, and
registration.  You are to obey all rules of the road(stop signs, red
lights, etc.) and cannot ride your bike while intoxicated.


I hope this helps you. If you have anymore questions, please call me
at (760) 772-8938


Thanks,
Officer Laura Quattlebaum
Public Affairs Officer, Indio CHP

-----------------------------------------------

E-mail from Sgt. Spike:

To: "'Brenda Latham'" <revbrend@recorder.ca> 
Cc: "'lquattlebaum@chp.ca.gov'" <lquattlebaum@chp.ca.gov> 
Subject: RE: Motor Vehicle questions 
Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 16:43:17 -0800 
X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19) 


Brenda:
 
To the best of my knowledge, there are no specific city ordinances
regarding these vehicles in the City of Palm Springs, so we would
abide by the California State Vehicle Code.
 
The California Highway Patrol are the experts on these matters, so I
have forwarded your email to their public information officer, Laura
Quattlebaum.
 
She should be contacting you shortly.  If you need to correspond with
her directly, you can email her at:
 
lquattlebaum@chp.ca.gov
 
Sincerely yours,
 
Sgt. Mitch Spike
Webmaster, PSPD.COM

--------------------------------------------


Regards,
revbrenda1st