Post in Scooter Laws in Mpls

2008 Jul 23 16:10 UTC

Hey Gina,

I had the exact same problem with my 2006 Yamaha Vino. I did tons of research
for the perfect scooter...all i wanted was great gas mileage and the ability to
park in the bike racks. I completely looked over the fact that it had a MC
license plate, and the previous owner must have 'forgotten' to tell me. After a
bunch of research, i realized it was my horse power that put me in the MN MC
category.

I don't really have the time to argue with the city of MPLS, but here are my
issues:

 * I received a parking violation for parking my scooter in the U of M bike
racks. I went to refute it, because U of M is privately owned, and their law
states only that the bike must be under 50 cc, which mine is! However, the
police have no way of knowing this, and of course ticket it. The DMV acted as
if they were doing me a favor when I showed them U of M's only rule, and told
me they wouldn't pardon a ticket again. But, how is this my fault? This school
year I think I will laminate the rules from the U of M website, with proof of
my Vino being 49 cc and hook it to my license plate.

I work at St. Paul's Capital Complex downtown. This is another privately
managed situation, so I called the parking enforcement to ask them what their
rules were for scooters. They asked me if the bike was under 50cc, and told me
it's fine to park on the bike racks (after being transfered 4 different times).
No one seems to know the rules...

 * My other issue is with MN definition of a Motor Cycle. I took every document
I had on my scooter to the DMV to try to get my plate switched. The manual
didn't even state its horse power. After an hour and a half, we ended up simply
calling the dealer where it was purchased and had me ask them and tell the DMV
worker what they said. Should it really be this difficult? Should MN really
rely on me having to personally call the dealership in order to determine which
category it falls under?

* Why is the city making it hard for people to use and park an eco-friendly
scooter around town? We are part of the growing movement to use less oil, and
the state of MN is making it hard for us.

Questions:

Someone told me to be careful because they thought I needed to have a specific
MC specification on my driver's license. Is this true?!

Do any nearby states allow for Scooters/Mopeds licenses just with a under 50cc
specification?

Does anyone know how to approach this issue with the city, or know if we'd have
a chance?