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'Pocket bikes' are little but lethal.

Article Excerpt
It's an age-old sight gag, a surefire boffo joke: At the circus, a clown rides into the ring on a tricycle, hunkered over the tiny handlebars, knees hunched up around his ears. The crowd roars. It's fun to see grown men riding on tiny transport.

Miniature motorcycles, all the rage with teenagers and young adults, draw the same response. Also known as pocket bikes or pocket rockets, these small versions weigh between 45 and 90 pounds and seat their hunched and bunched riders 18 to 24 inches off the ground.

But these are no toys--and they can be deadly. People think that because they're both small and and fast, they can be ridden anywhere--on sidewalks, in bicycle lanes, and on the street. Gas-powered models that have been modified can achieve speeds of 45 mph. The bikes are usually sold without typical motorcycle safety features like brake lights, rear reflectors, mirrors, turn signals, horns, and approved tires. They don't meet current federal safety standards for street-legal vehicles, and they're operated by unlicensed and often underage riders. At least five deaths have been reported.

"You're a lot safer putting a 13-year-old on a full-size motorcycle than on one of these things," said David Scott, a plaintiff attorney in New Albany, Indiana, and a former motorcycle rider (who only got hurt twice). "I think these things should be banned. The real danger riding a motorcycle is that car drivers don't see you. With these pocket bikes, the problem is going to be greater."

But riders seem charmed by the small bikes and unaware of the risks. "The attraction is they are cheap and they are 'fun,' at least as long as the rider does not need to change direction suddenly," Scott said. "'Small' does not equate with 'safe' when it comes to any two-wheeled vehicles. What holds the bike up is...

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