Do you need a license for a pit bike, at what age can you ride around the city, can you ride on the side of the road.

Pit bike (pit-bike) is a small motorcycle, more like a children's one. When buying a pit bike, many owners have a question: is it possible to ride a pit bike around the city and whether you need a license for it or not.

Initially, this is sports equipment that is used for motorcycle racing and, according to the law, riding a pit bike on public roads in its original configuration is impossible, since:

Initially, technical passports are not made for them, which are necessary for registration with the traffic police.
There is no necessary electronic equipment: speedometer, side lights, turn signals, etc.

Therefore, riding a pit bike around the city, even on the side of the road or sidewalk, is initially illegal, and if you ride it only in fields and mountains, you can do without a license. Provided that you will deliver it to the countryside in the back of a truck or trailer.

However, if you decide to try to register your motorcycle for driving around the city (which is a rather complex and expensive task, we will look below at how this can be done), you will still need a license. Moreover, the receipt is similar to ordinary motorcycles.

What licenses do you need for a pit bike?

The answer to this question depends on the engine size:

What is a pit bike according to the law?

Various regulations equate a pit bike to different categories of transport. But we are only interested in two of them: traffic regulations, which establish the rules for managing it, and the Code of Administrative Offences, which provides for various types of sanctions for violations, including fines, deprivation of a car license and impound parking.

According to traffic rules, a pit bike is a vehicle that can be a motorcycle with an engine capacity of more than 50 cm3 or a moped with a displacement of less than 50 cm3. Accordingly, the traffic rules are not explicit, but they stipulate that to drive a pit bike in 2022, you need a license of category A or M, or subcategory A1.
But, according to the Administrative Code, a pit bike is not a vehicle. And from here certain conclusions follow, including the absence of a fine, impound lot and the uselessness of a license for a pit bike. Let's take a closer look at this moment!

The note in Article 12.1, which applies to the entire 12th chapter of the Administrative Code, which is responsible for fines in the field of traffic, states that in order for a vehicle to be subject to a fine, it must have an indispensable attribute - it must be granted a special right - to drive.

Note. In this article, a vehicle should be understood as a motor vehicle with a displacement of an internal combustion engine of more than 50 cubic centimeters or a maximum electric motor power of more than 4 kilowatts and a maximum design speed of more than 50 kilometers per hour, as well as trailers for it, subject to state registration, and in others Articles of this chapter also include tractors, self-propelled road construction and other self-propelled machines, vehicles for which a special right is granted in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation on road safety.

That is, to answer the question whether fines apply to pit bikes, we need to know whether a driving license is required to ride a pit bike.

At what age can you ride a pit bike?

Due to its small size and lightness, the pit bike is very popular among teenagers. Often it is generally called children's and, with appropriate equipment, even 5-year-old children are allowed to ride.

Where you can ride a pit bike:

Children of any age can ride a pitbike on country roads, the main thing is that parents do not forget to monitor the child’s safety. The only thing is that motorcycles larger than 125 cc are more suitable for teenagers over 14 years old.

Only children over 16 years old can ride around the city on a pit bike up to 50cc (if they have the appropriate documents), if they have a license allowing them to drive a moped. On a larger capacity bike they can go on public roads only after 18 years of age and with an open motorcycle category in their license.

To obtain a license to drive a mini-motorcycle, you must attend a driving school according to the general rules and pass exams at the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate.

Do you need a license for pit bikes 125, 150 or more cm3?

With these models things are a little different.

Based on technical characteristics (speed and engine capacity), such pit bikes can be classified as vehicles, which means we can talk about the need to obtain a category A driver’s license and register such a vehicle with the traffic police.

However, there are pitfalls here:

1) Obtaining a category A license will most likely not cause any difficulties, but in order to register a vehicle with the traffic police, you must have a technical equipment passport, the issuance of which is not provided for in the production of pit bikes. The documents that the buyer receives are a purchase and sale agreement, a service book and a warranty card. This means that registration will not take place.

If they really want to, owners of pit bikes may be tempted to obtain a title. But even here, not everything is simple, since pit bikes do not have the attributes necessary for a vehicle (speedometer, dimensions, turn signals, etc.). If it is endowed with all safety standards, then it is possible to obtain a PTS.

2) The Federal Law “On Road Safety” states that a driver’s license gives the right to drive a vehicle for transporting people and goods. A pit bike, in turn, has a sporting purpose and is not intended for use on public roads. From all of the above, it follows that to drive a pit bike in the form in which it was purchased in a store, you do not need a license, since this is sports equipment, not a vehicle.

But do not forget that this vehicle can only be used for sporting purposes and in specially designated areas. It is prohibited to ride a pit bike on the roads. In turn, the SDA defines a road as any surface equipped or adapted for traffic, which also includes country roads and dirt roads. But traffic rules do not apply to rough terrain, so pit bikers have the opportunity to ride in such places.

How to officially get a title for a pit bike?

Any vehicle with an engine capacity of over 50 cubic meters must have a title when traveling on public roads. Initially, a pitbike is sports equipment and there is no technical passport for it; upon purchase, you are issued a receipt and an agreement, which states that the motorcycle is not intended for riding on public roads.

You can go through government certification, which will check your purchase documents, technical specifications, and whether the bike meets safety standards (i.e., whether it has all the necessary electronics, lights, and sounds).

The examination procedure is paid, plus you will have to invest heavily in installing all the equipment. However, after this you have absolutely no fear of problems with the law and meetings with traffic cops.

Is a pit bike considered a vehicle and should it be registered?

Initially, this small motorcycle was designed for riding on country, steppe, forest roads, off-road or specially equipped areas. It is quite clear that this does not require any driving license. On the other hand, it is theoretically impossible to drive on public roads, since this vehicle is not intended for such purposes.

What is it and is it a vehicle?

A pitbike is a small, toy-like motorcycle. It looks like even a child can operate it.

This unit is most often equipped with an engine with a volume of no more than 50 cubic centimeters. Nowadays, such bikes are considered as sports equipment, so no driver's license is required to ride here.

Drivers aged 13-14 years can operate these vehicles. It is believed that it is dangerous for younger children to do this due to insufficiently developed coordination and reaction.

In their original configuration, such small bikes cannot be ridden on public roads or even roadsides, since they are not vehicles, but simply sports equipment. Technical passports are not produced for them and, accordingly, it is impossible to register a mini-motorcycle. It is also illegal to use them within the city.

To ride through fields, forests or mountains, you need to deliver the pit bike there on a trailer or inside the back of a truck.

What else can you do?

Getting around the ban on driving around the city is not entirely legal, but some have been driving this way for several years. Your pit bike could easily pass for a Chinese moped. Its small dimensions and engine dimensions are quite consistent with the dimensions of a moped. To do this you need:

Find on the engine where the volume is knocked out and rub it in with a drill. It is necessary to completely smooth the surface so that not even traces of the inscription remain. Just in case, you can also erase the markings on the motor.
Find a service book from any Chinese moped, in which the fields will not be filled in and there will be a stamp from the seller’s company. There must also be a receipt with the stated purchase amount.
Make the pitbike look like a moped: install road tires, hang lights on the handlebars and place a brake light under the tail. Don't forget to always turn them on.

Law's point of view

The legislation states that everything depends on the engine power. For example, if the model you choose cannot move at a speed above 50 km/h and its engine volume is no more than 50 cubic meters, then you do not need a license for it. After all, vehicles with such parameters are low-powered and even children are allowed to drive them. You don't even need to register it.

I can now imagine crowds of young people running to their parents asking them to purchase this product. And then I hasten to upset them. In most cases, models with such characteristics are children's models. Their distinctive characteristics are automatic clutch and small dimensions. For teenagers, especially tall ones, such motorcycles are unlikely to be suitable. Imagine a “biker” whose knees stick out near his ears.

For young people, they are most suitable with a cubic capacity from 110 to 160. If desired, the engine can be tuned, in which case its power can be increased to 200 cubic meters, or even more.

And here the law is categorical:

To drive such a motorcycle you need a category “A” license;
In addition, the vehicle must be registered with the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate.

And if there are usually no problems with the first point, well, what’s the big deal, wait until you’re 16 years old and go study for a license in the specified category. Moreover, the rules currently allow for independent preparation for the exam.

But with the second point, difficulties usually arise, and considerable ones. For example, one of the requirements for registration is the provision of a title, but the thing is that most pit bike manufacturers do not issue such a document for their products. The thing is that a pit bike is considered sports equipment and is not intended for movement on the streets.

To obtain it, you need to visit the traffic police certification department and undergo an examination there to ensure compliance with safety and quality standards. And only after a positive decision of this commission, the MREO traffic police will issue a title and you can begin registering your motorcycle.

All this leads to many pit bike owners wondering: is this certification really necessary? Isn’t it better to drive without documents? Well, the traffic police won’t stop you all the time. Unfortunately, this type of transport always attracts attention, and you will be slowed down almost every time you meet.

After all, as already mentioned, the manufacturer does not issue PTS. Therefore, it does not equip pit bikes with such little things as turn signals and stoppers. After all, their products are intended for sports, and participants in sporting events do not need them. Therefore, to pass certification you will have to install them on your purchase. And this means extra time and money. In addition, the pit bike is simply not suitable for installing such devices and you will need to think through the mounting locations.

How to behave on the road in the city?

If this is how you legalized your ride around the city on a pit bike, then remember that representatives of the law can still stop you and doubt your vehicle. Stand on the fact that this moped is so wonderful, what the Chinese don’t do.

Be sure to wear a helmet, so the traffic police will have fewer reasons to stop you.
Follow the traffic rules: stay in the far right lane, don’t drive drunk, don’t run red lights, etc.
Try not to drive too hard, especially when passing traffic cops, drive at a speed of about 50 km/h.

Is there a parking lot for pit bikes?

No. The fact is that Article 27.13 of the Code of Administrative Offenses is responsible for impound parking, and the first is applied only as an interim measure when applying sanctions under other articles - punishments. A parking fine can be for driving while intoxicated, for illegal stopping, and similar violations. But only together with other punishments.

And, since no article of the Code of Administrative Offenses can impose a fine for a pit bike, then a special parking lot for a pit bike is contrary to the law, that is, illegal. Thus, according to the law, it is impossible to send a pit bike to the impound lot.

But this is again the letter of the law. Traffic police inspectors still send the pit bike to a special parking lot, from where the owner often has to pick it up with problems (because vehicles are returned with documents for the right to drive them and documents for ownership, and the receipt from the store can be lost long ago, and even documents for the right there can be no management at all, since such a right is not regulated by anything).

Penalties for driving on public roads

Having studied again the Russian traffic rules on the roads, I did not find a specific norm, but I hasten to assume that the inspector will hardly limit himself to a warning and issue a very real and not small fine.

So, for example, for driving a cross-country vehicle you will be fined 2.5 rubles and sent to the impound lot. Here the problem will arise with getting the transport back, since there are no license plates, a PTS is also not provided, and it is best to avoid this problem.

On top of that, if you don’t have a license for a motorcycle, then this fact will result in another fine, equal to the norm for driving without them.

What do you need besides rights?

But you don’t only need to have a license to drive on the highways. Any equipment moving on public roads (except for small-capacity ones) must have one more document - a technical equipment passport, which not a single pit bike has, since it is positioned as sports equipment. That is, its operation is possible only on special sites and tracks. Outside of them, transportation of pit bikes should be carried out using special means (trailers), and not under their own power. But getting a registration certificate for this type of motorcycle is quite troublesome, so no one really wants to do it.

Additionally, any vehicle for driving on public roads must be equipped with a set of light and sound alarms, which is not even provided for by the design of a pit bike.

Do you need documents for a pit bike with a capacity of 125 and 150 cc?

When buying a pit bike, a person receives only a sales contract. It contains the owner’s passport details, VIN code and the cost of the purchase. Its registration with the traffic police is not provided due to the fact that a pit bike is a sports equipment, and not a full-fledged vehicle. At the same time, movement around the city or other public highway is impossible on it.

But if the vehicle’s engine capacity is 125 cubic meters or more, and you want to drive it on city streets, you still need to register it. To obtain a PTS for a pit bike, you must go through a full expert commission, which will issue a written opinion. Difficulties in obtaining a document may be due to the fact that the manufacturer of such vehicles does not equip it with side lights, turn signals, a speedometer and other attributes, without which driving on city streets may be unsafe. Therefore, obtaining permission to use it will be difficult.

Do you need documents for a pit bike with a capacity of 125 and 150 cc?

In parallel with the examination, data is verified and the mini-motorcycle is checked for quality and safety standards. Only after the expert bureau has issued all the necessary documents, you can contact the traffic police to obtain a vehicle passport and register it.

If the pit bike is not registered, it can only be transported to the competition venue in a special car or trailer. In this case, the owner must have with him a document confirming the purchase of the vehicle.

If the owner rides a pit bike independently, he must have with him:

documents on passing technical inspection and registration with the traffic police;
insurance;
rights of the corresponding category;
state number that is issued for each vehicle.

In their absence, the inspector has the right to issue a fine and send the pit bike to the impound lot.

Documentation