New Federal Rule Defines 'Motorcycle' to Exclude Low-Speed Vehicles and Some Trikes

This legislation requires the Secretary of Transportation to update the official federal definition of "motorcycle" within 120 days of the bill becoming law. Essentially, it’s a regulatory cleanup designed to standardize what the government considers a motorcycle across the board. The new definition is highly specific: a motorcycle must be engine-equipped, have a seat where the rider sits astride it, use handlebars for steering, utilize a combination of handlebar and foot controls for gas and brakes, and, crucially, be capable of hitting speeds over 30 mph.

The Fine Print on Two (or Three) Wheels

Why does this matter to the average person? Because a vehicle’s classification dictates the safety standards it must meet, the licensing required to operate it, and how manufacturers build it. By making the definition so precise, this bill clarifies the regulatory landscape, which is generally a good thing for manufacturers and consumers alike. For example, if you’re a rider or a manufacturer, you now have a clear federal benchmark for what counts as a motorcycle for compliance purposes.

The 30 MPH Speed Bump and the Trike Tangle

However, the new definition draws a hard line that could affect certain vehicle types. The requirement that a motorcycle must be capable of exceeding 30 mph means that some low-speed electric vehicles, scooters, or mopeds that currently fall under a broader "motorcycle" umbrella in some regulations might be excluded from the federal definition going forward. This could force regulatory adjustments for these vehicles, potentially impacting required safety features or how they are classified for road use.

More notably, the definition limits motorcycles to having "not more than three wheels touching the ground." While this includes common three-wheeled motorcycles, it’s the combination of this wheel count with the requirement for the rider to sit astride the seat and use handlebar/foot controls that standardizes the classification. This clarity is important for manufacturers of three-wheeled vehicles, sometimes called autocyles or reverse trikes, that might previously have been classified ambiguously. Now, if a vehicle doesn't meet all these criteria—say, it has side-by-side seating or a steering wheel—it clearly falls outside the federal definition of a motorcycle and will be subject to different safety rules, likely those for passenger cars. This means less confusion about which safety standards apply, but it also means entities subject to existing motorcycle safety rules will need to adapt to the newly tightened criteria.