Petrol-powered bikes: Police warn pushbikes with motors are accidents waiting to happen

Youths as young as 12 are adding petrol-powered motors to their bikes and reaching speeds of up to 60km/h in Boronia and surrounds. And police warn it’s illegal, dangerous and life-threatening.

People are illegally fixing petrol-powered motors to their bicycles.

Police fear it is only a matter of time before someone is killed as children as young as 12 hit speeds of up to 60km/h after strapping petrol engines to their bikes.

Knox highway patrol Acting Sergeant David Huybens said he was seeing people — both adults and children — riding petrol-powered bicycles on Knox roads and footpaths everyday.

“They’re pretty commonplace,” he said.

“And they’re not legal at all.”

Motor kits are available online and are easily installed on bikes.

Acting Sgt Huybens said 10 years ago the bikes were popular with drunk drivers who had lost their licences, but were now being used by schoolchildren, including those as young as 12.

He said they were buying the motor kits online fairly cheaply and fixing them to their bicycles.

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But he said as soon as the motors were turned on the bicycles were classified as a motorbike, meaning riders needed a licence, registration and safety helmet.

Acting Sgt Huybens said the motors meant some of the bicycles were capable of reaching speeds of 60km/h, yet the brakes were only designed for a pushbike, and the riders were only wearing bike helmets.

“My main concern is (the riders) are going to get cleaned up and killed,” he said.

“It’s only a matter of time.”

Acting Sgt Huybens said police weren’t able to impound the bicycles because they were technically legal when the motors weren’t in use.