Breakdown of MN Snowbike Laws

[DOM]

After getting to ride a snowbike for a day on our annual trip out west, I'm hooked and can't get it off my mind.

The problem is I believe MN is not real snow bike friendly at the moment and I need some help understanding what I can and can not do with it here at home.

Examples:

• Snowmobile trail riding: my understanding is snowbikes are not allowed. Has anyone been stopped by a leo, what is the penalty?
  
• Riding on lakes:
  
• Riding in road ditches:
  
• Riding on private property: my assumption is no restrictions?
  
• Riding in forest areas:
  
• Riding in snowmobile legal areas of Voyageurs NP:

I may go for it regardless for our mountain adventures, but my thinking was if I could ride the bike back here in MN (particularly if they were to legalize them on the trails), I would sell one of my sleds (wife rides about very infrequently) and replace it with a snowbike that I could use a little around here and out west.

Does anyone have any information on if the legality on the trails is being reviewed or lobbied for? Logic would tell me that with a trail permit, there really is no reason they couldn't be used on the snowmobile trails and with both Polaris/timbersled and AC both based out of MN, you would think they would want their products to be legal here.

Thanks!

 

[UPsnowbiker]

MI is f&@ked too if you care to look at the technical rules.

If trail pounding sledders that hate anything different have anything to to with this I want to know how to fight this. I understand that side by sides with tracks could be dangerous due to width but why snowbikes?

 

[NorthMNSledder]

MI is f&@ked too if you care to look at the technical rules.

If trail pounding sledders that hate anything different have anything to to with this I want to know how to fight this. I understand that side by sides with tracks could be dangerous due to width but why snowbikes?

Nice job changing your original post.

It's not that the "trail pounding sledders" are fighting you. It's that those of us who ride sleds are the ones actually paying for the trails that you want to use through trail passes and our licence fees that you currently are not paying for your snowbike. So how about you step up for the Snowbikers in your state and work with your state snowmobile organization and state to get the laws changed and a new snowbike trail pass or registration available?

Or you can bitch on an internet forum and see if that changes anything. But I bet you already know how that will work out.

 

[DOM]

I may have missed something that drove the emotion...

I guess, if the concern is a sub $100 registration fee/trail pass, where do I write the check and let's ride?

My logic...

Wouldn't hurt the trails any more than the average sled

Contributing via a trail permit is no big deal

I could see people getting hung up on the need for head/tail light...easy addition

Would likely attract a new group of riders...good for business.

MN is home of Polaris/Timbersled/AC

The only negative is they are a little loud; however no one seems to be too concerned with Harley's all summer, so this would be a tough argument

 

[AZ800]

Nice job changing your original post.

It's not that the "trail pounding sledders" are fighting you. It's that those of us who ride sleds are the ones actually paying for the trails that you want to use through trail passes and our licence fees that you currently are not paying for your snowbike. So how about you step up for the Snowbikers in your state and work with your state snowmobile organization and state to get the laws changed and a new snowbike trail pass or registration available?

Or you can bitch on an internet forum and see if that changes anything. But I bet you already know how that will work out.

And snow bikers are a bunch of rebel outlaws that don't buy registrations?
Just like them d@mn knuckle draggin snowboarders ruining the ski hills for the skiers? Wait that was the argument 25 years ago...

Guess I didn't even know Sno bikes were illegal in MN and MI. That's ****ed up! Even a nanny state like WA allows Sno bikes.

 

[B&M Fabrications]

The unit has to come from the manufacturer designed for over the snow use to be legal in MN. So as soon any manufacturer decides to just sell it whole instead of a kit you'll be good. Snow hawks are under that designation if I'm not mistaken. That being said, I don't know how that would apply to a ditch or a lake if they aren't part of the trail system.

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[B&M Fabrications]

The only negative is they are a little loud; however no one seems to be too concerned with Harley's all summer, so this would be a tough argument

The entire snowmobile/Snow bike industry needs to pound this right down every politician and noise police Nazi organizations throat as far as I'm concerned.



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[DOM]

The entire snowmobile/Snow bike industry needs to pound this right down every politician and noise police Nazi organizations throat as far as I'm concerned.



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Do you know if there are any active efforts to get the law changed that I could support. IMO what difference does it make if you add a kit to a dirt bike or if a mfg puts it together with outsourced parts.

 

[B&M Fabrications]

Do you know if there are any active efforts to get the law changed that I could support. IMO what difference does it make if you add a kit to a dirt bike or if a mfg puts it together with outsourced parts.

I don't know of any myself. That's just the way the law was written. It's main purpose was to keep people with ATVs and UTVs with tracks off the trails but snow bikes got thrown under the bus in it as well.

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[L.Hughes]

Here in the good ol red state of Idaho, if you put a sticker on your machine, you're legal for over snow travel. We don't care if it's a snowbike, sled, utv, atv, or a Huffy. I realize this doesn't answer your question, but it makes me wonder why the agencies you have there won't let people PAY to register their machines to join the fun?!?!

 

[NorthMNSledder]

The unit has to come from the manufacturer designed for over the snow use to be legal in MN. So as soon any manufacturer decides to just sell it whole instead of a kit you'll be good. Snow hawks are under that designation if I'm not mistaken. That being said, I don't know how that would apply to a ditch or a lake if they aren't part of the trail system.

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I think this is the part of the law that needs to change. It's going to take that change in order for Snowbikes to ever be "legal" in MN.

And I agree with others. There is no reason that there should not be a permit available for them. With another crap winter this year our sport is dying in this state and the ATV, UTV and bike sales just keep going up.

 

[skidooboy]

in Michigan the off road bikes have to have 2 separate off road permits EVERY YEAR (private land, and public land), so adding the 45 dollar snow trail permit, to our bikes to allow year round use off trails inc sled trails should be a no brainer.

the sleds only have to have their registration (22 bucks for 3 years or something), and then the snow trail permit. so, if Michigan were to allow ohv permits and snow permits on bikes, the bikes would put more money into the kitty so to speak, to help with damage control.

in my opinion this is easily fixed. we just need the ohv biker lobby, and the sled lobby to see the advantages of pairing up to help with protecting recreational riding TOGETHER, AS A TEAM. INSTEAD OF INFIGHTING. Ski

 

[kmkommes]

in Michigan the off road bikes have to have 2 separate off road permits EVERY YEAR (private land, and public land)

This is not true, all of the rules are really easy to find.

Michigan ORV

ORV License Requirement
An ORV license ($26.25) is required on eligible county roads, frozen surface of public waters, state forest roads in the Upper Peninsula and eligible national forest roads. A license is not required to operate on private lands.

ORV Trail Permit Requirement
An ORV trail permit (an additional $10 for a total of $36.25) is required when operating on designated ORV Trail / Routes and special ORV-use areas. A trail permit is not required for private lands. ORV trail permits are not valid as a stand-alone license; an ORV license must also be purchased.

 

[skidooboy]

forgive me, I knew there were two permits available, and basically required to help pay for those programs, and avoid the dnr hassles, when riding ohv's on michigans public lands/trails. my bad for using Private land wording.

we still need to buy those 2 permits every year. adding the trail permit fee, so we can ride like a sled... should be allowed, and lobbied for. we have to ride some trails to get to the play areas. embrace snowbikes, or people will act like outlaws. the state is just turning economic growth away by, turning snowbikes away from the snow trails, and businesses that need winter time revenues to help survive. Ski

 

[UPsnowbiker]

Nice job changing your original post.

It's not that the "trail pounding sledders" are fighting you. It's that those of us who ride sleds are the ones actually paying for the trails that you want to use through trail passes and our licence fees that you currently are not paying for your snowbike. So how about you step up for the Snowbikers in your state and work with your state snowmobile organization and state to get the laws changed and a new snowbike trail pass or registration available?

Or you can bitch on an internet forum and see if that changes anything. But I bet you already know how that will work out.

Let me start fresh. I know a few guys that have a strong aversion to snowbikes for whatever reason, so that's the reason for my negative tone on sledders. Sleds are great..... I just don't understand the negativity against Snowbikes. Some people just hate anything different. It it the skiers against snowboarders attitude of the 80's.

My bike is street legal and I buy and atv and a snow permit because I understand that riding rights and trail maintenance is not free.

I'm not bitching on a forum I was asking if there is a legal way to fight it, because I will go through the effort.

 

[jfitz94]

This was my first year with a snowbike and I live in Michigan. Didn't know exactly what the rules were so I made sure that I had both current ORV stickers and a snowmobile permit on the bike. Due to the lousy winter and some other circumstances, I only got to ride the bike four times. Did about 200 miles on the trails and never got much more than a thumbs up from sledders. None of them seemed pissed that I was on the trail. Never really had an interaction with law enforcement to see their take on it. Figured if they gave me a ticket for not having a registration then I would go see if I could get it registered as a snowmobile. Play dumb and see what happens. I do most of my riding with my Dad who is 78 and a member of a northern Michigan snowmobile club. So he had heard a few concerns from the club member that snowbikes would "tear up the trails" if allowed. After the first time he followed me down the groomed trail he said "that thing barely makes a mark in the trail". I'm sure he went back to the next club meeting and shared this experience. I also have two snowmobiles and have no issue with getting whatever permits/registrations for all my machines and pay my fair share for the use of the trails. So I'm sorry to the person that started this post, I don't have any answers to your questions about the rules in MN. However, if anyone has ideas of how we can work toward making snowbikes clearly legal on trails in all states count me in to help.

 

[needpowder]

So, you're saying you had a snowmobile sticker on it from another snowmobile? If so, there could be other charges that they could possibly bring against you (the term fraud comes to mind). Be careful. Don't give them any more ammo.
I agree, it's pretty silly we can't register these things as snowmobiles. I would happily give the DMV in Utah my $120 for a snowmobile sticker. They won't take my money though. Luckily, I have had no problem with law-enforcement where I live and neither has anyone else that I know of. Hopefully these issues are worked out sooner rather than later.

 

[jfitz94]

Nope, bought 3 different trail permits. One for each sled and one for the bike. I have no issue supporting the trails in Michigan or any other state I'm lucky enough to visit.

 

[bigchevrolet]

When the DVX 450 comes out there is a chance it could be licensed as snowmobile since it comes straight from the factory with a track and ski

 

[needpowder]

Nope, bought 3 different trail permits. One for each sled and one for the bike. I have no issue supporting the trails in Michigan or any other state I'm lucky enough to visit.

I gotcha. Your system is obviously a bit different than ours.