San Luis Obispo Police Impound Pocket Bike After Minors Caught Riding and Evading Officers on City Streets

A minor was caught riding an illegal motorcycle with another minor pillion rider, the San Luis Obispo Police Department said in a social media post on January 5, 2026. 

A 13-year-old was caught driving a Talaria e-motorcycle at 40 mph while trying to evade police on January 1, 2026, the police department said in the post on X. The teenager was accompanied by a 10-year-old who was riding on the rear fender at the time of the incident, the police said. 

Both children were taken into custody until their parents were located. 

The bike was impounded, and the rider was cited for driving a “pocket bike” on city streets and driving without a license, according to the authorities. 

1/2 Last Thursday, a SLOPD motor officer caught a 13-year-old riding a Talaria e-motorcycle at 40 mph while trying to evade police. A 10-year-old was riding on the rear fender. Both were taken into custody until parents were located. pic.twitter.com/VknJRRDph0

— San Luis Obispo Police Department (@SLOCityPolice) January 5, 2026

“Talaria and Surron are ‘pocket bikes’ and not street legal,” the police department mentioned in the post. 

Sharing an image of the impounded vehicle, the San Luis Police Department added that these “pocket bikes” do not have mirrors, lights, and plates. 

“If found on city streets or open spaces, they will be impounded,” the police said. 

Talaria is a China-based manufacturer of lightweight electric motorcycles, such as electric dirt motorcycles, according to the company’s website. The vehicles are specifically designed for off-road enthusiasts, the website added. 

California’s Rules On Pocket Bikes

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) defines a pocket bike as a two-wheeled motorized device with a seat or saddle for the use of the rider, but is not designed or manufactured for use on highways. 

A pocket bike does not include an off-highway motorcycle, as defined in CVC 436, and its operation is only permitted on private properties, according to CHP regulations. 

Pocket bikes are illegal on highways, sidewalks, bikeways, and hiking or recreational trails, according to CHP. 

This means that while pocket bikes are legal to purchase, they can only be used at home, or private areas that are not open to public vehicular traffic, and cannot be driven in public spaces, including sidewalks. 

Designed primarily for recreational use and powered mainly by electric motors or 40-49cc gasoline engines, pocket bikes are often improperly marketed and sold as “motor scooters.” 

California’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) classifies pocket bikes as miniature vehicles and does not register these vehicles as they do not meet federal safety standards.

According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, a person operating a motorcycle must meet minimum age and licensing requirements, while pocket bikes themselves are not permitted for use on public roadways regardless of rider age.

While California does not enforce a minimum age requirement for children to ride motorcycles as a passenger, a person driving the motorcycle should be at least 15-and-a-half years old and possess a driver’s license, according to the the California Department of Motor Vehicles.