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Cyclist on motorised bike with fuel tank attached “with string” warned by police

Rider was stopped by PCSO at Aylestone Meadows Nature Reserve in Leicester

A person riding a bicycle which had been fitted with a petrol engine with its fuel tank attached to the crossbar “with string” has been issued with a warning by police in Leicester.

The cyclist was stopped on Wednesday by a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) at the Aylestone Meadows nature reserve in the East Midlands city, reports Leicestershire Live.

The rider of a scooter that had likewise been fitted with a petrol engine as well as additional suspension and who was accompanying the cyclist was also stopped by the officer.

According to Leicestershire Live, police were patrolling the nature reserve following complaints by local residents about people using such vehicles there.

While the PCSO did not seize the bike or scooter on Wednesday, the riders were reportedly given “some words of advice.”

They were also issued with warning under section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002, which relates to motor vehicles being driven in a manner that “is causing, or is likely to cause, alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public.

It’s the second time this year that a cyclist riding a bike that has been retrofitted with a petrol engine has been stopped at Aylsetone Meadows, says Leicestershire Live.

In the previous incident, the bicycle, which had a two-stroke engine, was seized after it was deemed to be “unsafe,” with a PCSO also issuing a section 59 warning against its owner.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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30 comments

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ktache | 4 years ago
0 likes

We were only talking about the Paris-Brest cake a little while back, well James did this on GBBO.

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ChrisB200SX | 4 years ago
0 likes

If only these motorists had number plates and insurance... I bet he didn't even pay road tax.

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LastBoyScout | 4 years ago
1 like

Seen a Deliveroo rider on one of these in central Reading last year.

Extra dangerous and illegal - because the rear disc has been replaced with the drive gear, you're only left with a front brake, unless someone has gone to the trouble of building a disk hub into a braking rim and added a rim brake at the back. I've no idea what the engine braking is like on one of them.

And that one's only got a cantilever at the front!

That said, I nearly had a head-on with a moped rider on a shared path last week - he'd done well to get it through the chicanes at one end - and I've seen one cutting straight through one of the parks in Reading.

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Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
2 likes

It was literally an electric motorbike though, not bicycle with electric conversion or anything . An OSET trials bike or something similar. If it was 2 stroke it would have been unacceptable regardless of speed. They ain't light either compared to bicycles either 40-45kg.

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Mungecrundle | 4 years ago
0 likes

Pedestrians, runners, double width perambulators, dog owners, scooters, e-scooters, cycles, e-cycles, horses, wheelchairs handcycles, mobility scooters, restricted electric minicross bikes. Male, female, whatever identity you want to claim, young, old, rich, poor, able bodied or not so able. I'll happily share with and respect anyone out on a cycle path as long as they don't use a noisy internal combustion engine or behave like more of a selfish twat than myself.

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brooksby | 4 years ago
0 likes

And they didn't sieze the illegally modified vehicle because...? 

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. . replied to brooksby | 4 years ago
0 likes

brooksby wrote:

And they didn't sieze the illegally modified vehicle because...? 

Because under Section 59 they have to give a warning first

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brooksby replied to . . | 4 years ago
0 likes

. . wrote:

brooksby wrote:

And they didn't sieze the illegally modified vehicle because...? 

Because under Section 59 they have to give a warning first

Really? Seems a bit stupid- I don't for one minute believe that the rider thought that this mod was all fine and above board.

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burtthebike | 4 years ago
2 likes

"......section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002, which relates to motor vehicles being driven in a manner that “is causing, or is likely to cause, alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public."

Isn't that almost all motor vehicles?  Can't wait to see this law applied.

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Rick_Rude replied to burtthebike | 4 years ago
0 likes

burtthebike wrote:

"......section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002, which relates to motor vehicles being driven in a manner that “is causing, or is likely to cause, alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public."

Isn't that almost all motor vehicles?  Can't wait to see this law applied.

My mate got given an ASBO stating he couldn't cause alarm or distress to other road users. Initially plod had seen him drifting around a roundabout (what else are they for?!?) and said he would be seeing a dangerous driving charge. Turns out the in-car camera wasn't working so without the evidence he got an ASBO instead.

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CygnusX1 | 4 years ago
0 likes

If you fancy one for yourself, here is one for sale...
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2437668696476988/

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Balvenie | 4 years ago
2 likes

I've got one, lovely thing it is, made by Excelsior (Birmingham) in 1939. Its got pedals, two drive chains (one for the pedals and one for the engine) and pops along at 25mph. I do wear a helmet and it if fully insured.

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Xena | 4 years ago
1 like

I would love to win a pair of these Bont shoes

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Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
3 likes

So basically it's a motorbike. No doubt if i decided to ride my motorbike around the local nature reserve I'd find myself with points on my licence at the least.

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srchar | 4 years ago
1 like

Seen a few of these on the roads in London. Don't understand the attraction. Haven't looked into it but can't see how this would be cheaper than an eBike conversion, but noisier, more complicated, more expensive to run and more likely to get pulled over.

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EddyBerckx | 4 years ago
6 likes

Why the warning? Do they really think the sort of people to do this are gonna take it home and make it legal or something???

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CygnusX1 | 4 years ago
0 likes

(Double post)

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CygnusX1 | 4 years ago
5 likes

Saw one of these two stroke conversion jobs on an old Trek 26" mtb going up the A4 in Newbury last week. Doing about 25mph, with the rider dangling a bag full of groceries off each wrist.

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yupiteru | 4 years ago
2 likes

There's a few going around where I live in south Wales similar to that, the noise of the bloody thing would be enough to put me off, not to mention the fumes.

You very rarely see any Police or PCSO's here so they know there's little chance of being stopped, a lot of the young guys don't even bother to wear a helmet on a motor bike in the summer either, but as there's not enough Police to go around, they are unlikely to be bothered by them.

The local Police station was closed down a few years ago and the nearest one is in the Library, a few miles away from here.

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Hirsute | 4 years ago
4 likes

Should not be cycling in a nature reserve.
Crush the bike (well, send to Africa).

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lllnorrislll replied to Hirsute | 4 years ago
0 likes
hirsute wrote:

Should not be cycling in a nature reserve.
Crush the bike (well, send to Africa).

Ayleston Meadows has route 6 of the sustrans network run strait through it. Also known as the Central Way and is a strait shared path running from Glen Parva into Leicester.

Vince the PCSO is doing an amazing job, but it is clearly ongoing. My wife was almost struck from behind by two men on scooters last week and it's a bit if a draw for illegal motorbikes.

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Rick_Rude replied to lllnorrislll | 4 years ago
1 like

lllnorrislll wrote:

it's a bit if a draw for illegal motorbikes.

Speaking such things, what's your collective opinion on fully electric bikes on cycle paths? Yesterday we also came across a kid on an electric MX bike. To be fair he was going slower than most of the cycling adults but it was still a motorbike. His dad looked quite hard so I didn't feel like saying anything.

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hawkinspeter replied to Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
1 like

Rick_Rude wrote:

lllnorrislll wrote:

it's a bit if a draw for illegal motorbikes.

Speaking such things, what's your collective opinion on fully electric bikes on cycle paths? Yesterday we also came across a kid on an electric MX bike. To be fair he was going slower than most of the cycling adults but it was still a motorbike. His dad looked quite hard so I didn't feel like saying anything.

I don't like motorbikes on cycle/shared paths as they're noisy and are quite capable of causing serious injury due to their weight and speed.

Electric bikes on the other hand are nice and quiet and weigh a lot less, so I don't mind them at all.

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Hirsute replied to Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
0 likes
Rick_Rude wrote:

Speaking such things, what's your collective opinion on fully electric bikes on cycle paths?

As long as they are speed limited, not much of a problem. I know they are heavier in general, but so are some people !

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lllnorrislll replied to Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
0 likes
Rick_Rude wrote:

lllnorrislll wrote:

it's a bit if a draw for illegal motorbikes.

Speaking such things, what's your collective opinion on fully electric bikes on cycle paths? Yesterday we also came across a kid on an electric MX bike. To be fair he was going slower than most of the cycling adults but it was still a motorbike. His dad looked quite hard so I didn't feel like saying anything.

When I refer to illegal motorbikes, these are pit bikes, mini Motos and generally stollen bikes. Often ragged to death and then burned.

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arowland replied to lllnorrislll | 4 years ago
2 likes

lllnorrislll wrote:

... generally stollen bikes.

I just knew you could makes bikes out of cake!

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clayfit | 4 years ago
7 likes

the saddle pointing upwards like that is certainly a crime.

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Secret_squirrel replied to clayfit | 4 years ago
1 like

clayfit wrote:

the saddle pointing upwards like that is certainly a crime.

I agree.

I saw that before I saw the tank and engine!

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Freddy56 | 4 years ago
4 likes

They should not be warned, they should be commended. This is real innovation. best cycle produced in our fair shores since the Raleigh company closed

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mattsccm | 4 years ago
6 likes

Illegal on several counts and doing no favours to anyone so good job.

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