Just wondering if anyone is interested in my dirt bike. It's a 1988 Yamaha DT50. It's street legal (has all the proper lights, horn, etc)

HOWEVER....it has a 49.9cc 2 stroke engine. According to the DMV, that classifies it as a moped, even thought it has normal motorcycle controls and will easily go 50mph (60 if there's a tailwind) I weigh 180 lbs, to give you an idea of the performance compared to rider weight.

So...You don't need tags. You don't need insurance. You don't need any paperwork. You just ride it. A lovely loop-hole, I must say.

It's not quite full size, but it's a fantastic beginner bike. And it's not one of those ridiculous mini bikes. The bike is in great shape. I'm the second owner and it hasn't been ridden offroad much. It has new tires as well.

I'm at school in Cullowhee NC, and the bike is in Raleigh in my parent's garage. I don't have any pictures of it yet, so here's some pictures of other 1988 Yamaha DT50's:

This is a picture of a bike with the exact same color scheme as mine:


And here's a pic to give you an idea of it's size:


Everything functions on the bike and it starts up on the first or second kick everytime. Also, it has a separate tank for the oil, so you don't have to premix it with the gas in a jug or seomthing...you can just pull right up to the gas pump.

I've had it for about 3 months. It has 2000 miles on it. Also has a tachometer and speedometer. I paid $800 for it, soooo....yeah. It's not gonna go unless it's somewhere near that amount.

2/10/2008 11:24:15 PM

Mopeds with a top speed of over 30mph are illegal in NC. Just an FYI.

2/11/2008 12:01:22 AM

Nope...I called the DMV in raleigh and explicitly told him that it goes 50 mph...and he said that as long as it's 50cc or less, it's a moped.

2/11/2008 12:18:20 AM

Well damn...Thought I'd double check and I found this:

"You must be age 16 or older to operate a moped on North Carolina highways or public vehicular areas. A driver license is not required, and the moped does not have to be registered, inspected or covered by liability insurance. A motorcycle safety helmet is required by law when operating a moped on North Carolina highways. A moped cannot have a motor of more than 50 cubic centimeters, an external shifting device or have the capability of exceeding 30 miles per hour on a level surface. "

I'll call again tomorrow to see if I got old info, or if the guy I talked to was at his first day on the job.

Looks like I've been riding around illegally

2/11/2008 12:23:59 AM

^ yeah its illegial

he probably heard 50cc and since its the first line said oh he's ok, basically not bothering to look at the other parts...

A lot of people on campus I think get away with this, I see a lot of bikes that are clearly small dirt bikes with normal controls that go well over 30mph being driven around.

2/11/2008 2:46:40 AM

Well, you can definitely tag it as a motorcycle at least. Just go get your permit from the DMV--a pretty simple written test. Insurance is gonna be around 120 dollars for a year. (That's about what I pay to insure my 500cc bike)

I have the title to the bike as well.

2/11/2008 7:27:42 AM

****wrong***

[Edited on February 11, 2008 at 12:50 PM. Reason : ]

2/11/2008 12:44:31 PM

^ Um...what is?

2/11/2008 2:29:43 PM

$250

2/11/2008 2:47:59 PM

^ multiply that by 2

2/11/2008 5:12:18 PM

You can't tag it as a motorcycle, since its engine is smaller than 50cc. Basically its illegal to drive on the road, period.

2/11/2008 5:26:27 PM

that always confused me. i dont ride mopeds, or dirt bikes, or road bikes. but it never made any sense to me that you can ride a bicycle, a moped, and full size real road bikes on roads but there are certain 'tweener' bikes that are illegal.

2/11/2008 5:31:41 PM

Quote :

"multiply that by 2"

[no]

but i'll throw $300 at it...you certainly won't get $800 out of it

2/11/2008 10:38:14 PM

$400

2/12/2008 2:26:13 AM

450

2/12/2008 3:29:56 AM

^ almost there

2/12/2008 1:20:56 PM