- Design and purpose of a motocross motorcycle
- Is it possible to move around the city on a motocross motorcycle?
Today, a wide variety of motorcycle equipment has been created.
It is designed for various purposes. Cross-country motorcycles belong to the category of sports motorcycles. A cross-country motorcycle was not designed for traveling on trails, but for riding on rough types of terrain. It is used for driving in areas specialized for this purpose, where racing competitions are organized. Any motocross motorcycle is a sporting attribute. It cannot be registered with local authorities. You can only get a passport for it as for sports equipment.
Motorcycle sports equipment: vehicle or not?
This is a key question, the answer to which determines whether a motorcycle can be used on public roads. So let's start with him.
And we're not just talking about motorcycles. The traffic rules have general concepts for two-wheeled vehicles, such as:
- motocross motorcycle – whether issued as a vehicle or sports equipment,
- pit bike,
- scooter (electric or with internal combustion engine),
- various types of ATVs and tricycles.
The fact is that the traffic legislation of 2021, in principle, does not regulate such a thing as “sports equipment”; it only knows the definition of “vehicle”. This, according to the traffic rules, is a device intended for transporting people on roads.
Depending on the engine size, according to Art. 25 Federal Law No. 196, a motocross motorcycle or a pit bike can be equated to either a moped (up to 50 cm3) or a motorcycle (more than 503). Thus, sports motorcycles can be equated to vehicles of category A, A1 or M, and a special right to drive them is granted. The Code of Administrative Offenses has a similar approach.
The logic of the law is that only a device that requires a driver’s license to control it can be recognized as a vehicle. But do you need a driver's license for a sports motorcycle?
Tips for obtaining a motorcycle driver's license
In our country, you need a license to drive a motorcycle.
To open category A you must go through three stages:
- theory,
- demonstration of your driving skills at a specialized site,
- obtaining a driver's license.
If you follow the following recommendations, you can easily pass your license:
- If you are under 16 years of age, you can start learning to ride a motorcycle with an instructor at the age of 14,
- To obtain a license you need to successfully pass the theoretical and practical part,
- Bring the required set of documents to the exam.
Do you need a license for a dirt bike or pit bike?
According to the law, the driving license gives the driver the right to drive a vehicle - a device for traveling on roads. These include public roads, adjacent territories and other territories, driving on which is regulated by the Rules of the Road. Consequently, a mandatory attribute of a vehicle is the ability to move through such territories.
If you examine the passport of a motorcycle sports equipment and other documents provided by the manufacturer, they will obviously indicate that it is used mainly for sports and outdoor activities. And instead of a PTS, it comes with a regular product passport.
That is, following this logic and this side of the coin, such devices do not drive on public roads, and therefore, a license for a pit bike or motocross motorcycle is not needed. No matter what engine is installed on it. This means that such a device is not a vehicle, which is confirmed by the existing judicial practice of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation (Resolution of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation No. 13-AD15-1 of February 13, 2015). It turns out that you can ride motocross without a license?!
But there is also court practice that contradicts this logic. In accordance with Resolution of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation No. 11-AD19-17 dated July 22, 2019, the fact that, according to the manufacturer’s documents, a pit bike or motocross motorcycle is used mainly for sports and outdoor activities does not mean that it should be used only for this and cannot be used for road driving. Moreover, if its technical characteristics allow it to be classified as a vehicle of category A or M.
This conclusion of the court allows us to say that licenses for motorcycle sports equipment are still needed. But again, only when driving on public roads and other territories covered by traffic rules. When using such a device for its intended purpose, for example, when driving through forests/mountains/fields specially designed for motorsports, a driver’s license is not required. But here, too, you should look at the concept of the word road according to the letter of the 2021 traffic rules - in essence, it is defined, among other things, as “a strip of land adapted and used for traffic.” That is, a forest road, in essence, also fits this definition.
But is it possible to drive around the city with such a device?
Traffic blindness
But again, if the motorcycle does not have a license plate, the all-seeing eye of the registrar will not detect the offender. The traffic police told us about the topic “without a license plate,” and educational work is also underway. And not without result: a relapse of conscience occurred. At the end of May, 15 guys from Ulan-Ude in a single impulse “came out of hiding” - they came to the MREO to register their motorcycles.
Still, this is a separate precedent. It is impossible to estimate the general result of the educational activities of police officers throughout the country: stat. There is no data on the increase or decrease in illegally driven motorcycles (because there cannot be). According to our observations, illegal immigrants are multiplying in proportion to the growth of the all-Russian fleet of motor vehicles. That is, in absolute terms, there are more of them on the roads.
Is it legal to drive sports equipment on the roads?
Following a recent Supreme Court ruling, a pit bike or similar device may well be used as a vehicle, especially if it meets the legal definitions and technical specifications. In this case, riding a sports motorcycle on the roads is possible. In theory. And this does not mean that it will be legal.
The fact is that clause 3 of Art. 15 Federal Law No. 196 allows the admission of vehicles for use on road conditions only after registration and issuance of the relevant documents by the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate. But in accordance with the Registration Rules, it is impossible without a PTS. And, since pit bikes and other similar equipment are initially produced as equipment for active recreation and sports, PTS is naturally not manufactured for them.
Thus, registration of sports equipment such as a motorcycle with the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate will not be carried out, and this excludes the possibility of legal operation of such devices on public roads and adjacent territories. Moving such a device on roads is only possible by loading it onto a specially equipped trailer.
Where can you go?
The 2021 legislation, again, does not provide a clear and direct answer to where such technical devices can be driven. Following his logic, riding a pit bike and motocross motorcycles outside the zones where traffic rules apply can be considered legal movement. These include, at a minimum, specially prepared tracks for motocross, as well as mountains, forests and fields (not field roads), where there are no roads designed for driving cars and other vehicles.
However, this is an ambiguous issue, since the law does not provide for specific regulation, and judicial practice on this matter is ambiguous.
Rein for a motorcyclist
No numbers, no comments. No numbers, no comments.
— Personally, I registered it out of naivety - this is my first motorcycle. Now I’m going to change it and won’t register the next one. How why? Few people understand this, but on motorcycles it is simply impossible not to exceed the speed limit. And what, for every jerk you get a fine?.. In addition, it happens that, through the fault of the car driver, you scratch his car - when you drive between the rows, and he deliberately swerves in your direction to scare you. Then wait for hours until a fair inspector arrives and makes you guilty?.. And if you leave without a number, no one will look for you.
Will there be fines for driving on the road?
Undoubtedly! Driving such equipment on public roads at a minimum violates paragraphs 3, 5, 11 of the regulations on vehicle approval. And therefore, the minimum that awaits you if an inspector stops you is a protocol under Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. In addition, depending on the situation, the inspector can impose a whole “bouquet” of protocols on the driver of sports equipment, including:
- Part 1 Art. 12.7 Code of Administrative Offences, for driving without a license;
- Part 1 of Article 12.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, for failure to comply with the requirements of the law on vehicle registration;
- Part 2 of Article 12.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, for driving on the road without a valid MTPL policy;
- Part 1 Art. 12.3 of the Administrative Code, for the lack of title documents, and so on.
One way or another, we do not recommend riding sports equipment such as a motorcycle on the roads. But even if such equipment is used in accordance with the rules for its use, for example, when driving in the mountains, it is recommended to always confirm the nature of the technical device and its intended purpose with documents.
For those who like to run away
For those who like to play catch-up with the police or give advice like “the main thing is not to stop” and they will not chase you - all this is nonsense that can cost you your life.
There is a huge amount of video footage of chases that even breaks the theory of “ you can’t chase a motorcyclist without a helmet .” We recommend not to play with fate, and not to create “lawlessness”.
“It would be better if the inspector caught drunks or robbers,” let’s leave it to the conscience of people in uniform!
What documents are needed?
In order to avoid problems when operating and transporting such a device, even if all requirements and rules are met, you must always have with you:
- a document confirming that you are the owner. In fact, this is a regular sales contract, which states that the purchased device is sports equipment and indicates its distinctive characteristics (color, engine number, VIN code);
- passport of sports equipment (certificate of registration of a sports motorcycle). Such documents in the Russian Federation today can be issued only in two organizations: MFR and NRMF.
Having such documents, the pilot will be able to confirm the sporting purpose of his equipment and avoid unnecessary questions from the inspector. But only if it is used for its intended purpose - when driving on the road, the sports equipment card will not save it from problems.
Rein for a motorcyclist
Not far from Smotrovaya: judging by the working emergency lights on the roadway, there has been an accident. Passat and motorcycle got into contact. It's nice to see the culprit and the victim talking peacefully, but what's next? The arriving traffic inspector will demand to see the MTPL insurance policies, but since the motorcycle does not have a registration number, the motorcycle owner does not have insurance... Most likely, the traffic police were not called, they came to a mutually beneficial solution. But what if the culprit of the collision turned out to be the “numberless” one who runs away? Not far from Smotrovaya: judging by the working emergency lights on the roadway, there has been an accident. Passat and motorcycle got into contact. It's nice to see the culprit and the victim talking peacefully, but what's next? The arriving traffic inspector will demand to see the MTPL insurance policies, but since the motorcycle does not have a registration number, the motorcycle owner does not have insurance... Most likely, the traffic police were not called, they came to a mutually beneficial solution. But what if the culprit of the collision turned out to be the “numberless” one who runs away?
