Whiz kids

Like a bat out of hell, the mini-motorcycle tore out of Bigler Street and into the path of a car traveling south on 10th. The kid driving the thing couldn’t have been more than 12, and ditto for his passenger. Neither was wearing helmets.

Suddenly, the young driver and his cohort changed lanes.

As the car passed, both riders turned and grinned ear-to-ear at the disgusted driver.

Also known as pocket bikes, mini-motorcycles have become public enemy number one to folks who have experienced their sound and fury, be it the thunderous roar that disturbs gentle slumbers or the bikes’ ability to weave in and out of traffic.

And just like gas-powered scooters and four-wheel all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), pocket bikes are also illegal when ridden anywhere other than private property, police say.

Riding any of those vehicles on the street is a violation of the Motor Vehicle Code, and police will issue a citation and confiscate the offending mode of transportation, said 17th District Capt. Jerrold Bates.

A 26-year-old Point Breeze man found that out the hard way Aug. 9, when 17th District police spotted him operating his pocket bike on the 1700 block of Federal Street, said the captain.

As with any item police confiscate, a property receipt is issued to the offender, said First District Community Relations Officer Donato Inverso.

All confiscated vehicles are brought to the police impoundment lot at 7992 Penrose Ferry Road. Vehicles can be retrieved after the owner pays a $100 towing fee and shows proof of ownership along with the property receipt, Inverso said.

The mini-bike nuisance is a drain on police manpower, believes John Furey, president of the Broad Street West Civic Association.

Furey, who lives on the 2500 block of South Hicks Street, had a run-in — almost literally — with an electric scooter just last week.

The civic leader was pulling out of his block when a youth on a scooter flew up the wrong way on a one-way street.

"They are so small, you can’t see them until it’s too late," Furey said of the motorized vehicles. "It’s just an accident waiting to happen. I see these young kids zipping up the street and these kids have no concept of what’s going on."

While police are allowed to confiscate mini-motorcycles and their noisy counterparts, they are prohibited from chasing after them, Bates said.

The only exception is if police believe the vehicle was involved in a felony, he added.

"Other than that, absolutely not," Bates said.

Chasing after the bikes puts the public, police and the bike rider at risk, the captain said.

"Most of these guys are smart enough to know we won’t chase them," he said. "It’s not worth it for us to pursue them and risk someone being injured or killed because it’s not a crime to operate them."

A tragedy in New York City last month illustrated those risks, Bates noted.

Officers pursued a 19-year-old pocket biker, only to have him wipe out in an alley, where he landed in a pothole and died.

And last month in Grays Ferry, Jamill Moore, 21, of the 5700 block of North 16th Street, was killed when an ATV he allegedly stole collided with a car, police said. The driver and a passenger were unhurt in the crash.

The 17th, Fourth and Third districts aren’t experiencing serious problems with the bikes, confirmed Bates, Fourth District Capt. Ray Convery and Third District Lt. Bill Walls.

The First District is another story, according to Inverso.

Officers in that district log many noise nuisance complaints about motorized vehicles — be they scooters, ATVs or pocket bikes, the officer said.

Several stores in the First District sell the vehicles, and merchants have every right to do so, according to Inverso.

With two locations in South Philly — 2298 Ritner St. and 1000 S. Columbus Blvd. — Pep Boys is one of the largest purveyors of motorized vehicles in the area.

Pocket bikes, scooters and ATVs are displayed under a canopy with several signs stating it is store policy not to sell motorized vehicles to anyone under the age of 18.

Pep Boys is in compliance with state and local laws to sell the bikes, and the company does its best to educate consumers about the products they sell, said corporate spokesperson Bill Furtkevic. However, he added, "Pep Boys is not in a position to educate consumers about local laws and regulations or to make sure customers conform to all legal and safety standards. We believe the consumers are ultimately responsible for operating these vehicles safely and responsibly."

U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission guidelines are posted on Pep Boys’ Web site and can be obtained from retail stores, Furtkevic said. Two of the guidelines caution against riding the vehicles at night and encourage riders to wear helmets.

Pep Boys sells two types of pocket bikes — Razor Pocketrocket, which costs $199 and can go up to 15 mph, and APC Mini Sport Bike, which sells for $399 and has a capacity of 22 mph, said Furtkevic.

While the automotive retailer would not disclose sales figures, Furtkevic said the bikes are popular.

"The demand for scooters, ATVs, dirt bikes and other similar modes of transportation is high and is expected to grow," he noted.

Last Friday at Pep Boys on Ritner Street, a 38-year-old man from Ninth and Morris streets was shopping for a pocket bike for his 16-year-old son. The teen already owns a dirt bike, his father said. The man was shocked to hear that police can confiscate motorized vehicles.

"Since when? Well, I’d like to see them try and take this from my son," he said, adding that he feels police have more important things to concentrate on, like locking up drug dealers.

"Come on, they’re having fun," he said of the kids who choose to ride.

Since his son already owns a dirt bike, the man said he isn’t worried about him riding a pocket bike.

But if he catches the teen riding his new two-wheeler without a helmet, the bike will be history, he said.

Parents who purchase motorized vehicles for their kids are either turning a blind eye to their illegal status on the streets or they just don’t care, contended the First District’s Inverso.

"They are very dangerous and parents should be aware that there is no protection on those vehicles," said the officer. "Even though [manufacturers] say they only do 20 to 30 miles per hour, you smack into something doing 20 to 30 miles per hour, you are in big trouble — you are injured."

Civic leader Furey agreed that the real regulation has to come from parents.

"I see these young kids on these things and I just say, where are their parents’ heads?"

lgennaro@southphillyreview.com