The Arcimoto should be exempted from the motorcycle license requirement for the following reasons:
- The Arcimoto does not require balancing or "leaning into the curve." Simply turn the handlebars slightly in the direction you want to go.
- The Arcimoto is front wheel drive and handles like an automobile. The requirement of motorcycle license and motorcycle skills testing does nothing to increase public safety.
- As an electric, the Arcimoto doesn't require shifting and clutching as motorcycles do.
- Handlebar steering use is not at all complicated. For example, handlebar steering is used in personal mobility vehicles like the Amigo.
- The current requirement of a steering wheel for a motorcycle license exemption will soon be obsolete given the progress of autonomous vehicles.
- Unlike true motorcycles, requiring a motorcycle license for the Arcimoto is a significant barrier to sales and rentals.
- Even though handlebars are used for steering both the Arcimoto and a standard 2 wheeled motorcycle, the Arcimoto’s handlebars are not directly connected to the front wheel via a fork and handlebar system as a typical motorcycle. In the Arcimoto‘s case, there is an indirect connection through a power steering unit between the handlebars and the front wheels.
- The maximum movement of the handlebars clockwise or counterclockwise is only about 50 degrees thus not requiring a shoulder roll or weight shift.
- Standard motorcycle driving exam tests for the ability to counter-steer at speed. You don’t/can’t counter-steer a 3 wheeler.
- Standard motorcycle driving exam tests for the ability to coordinate hand and foot to safely brake. With the Arcimoto, braking is done with a foot brake just like a car while the right hand controls the regenerative trigger.
- Arcimotos don’t have foot pegs and passengers don’t need to hang onto the driver while leaning into curves.
- Driver and Passengers have their own full seat with 2 seatbelts
The Arcimoto should be exempted from the helmet requirement for the following reasons:
- Requiring a helmet for motor vehicles that have lap and shoulder seat belts is exceedingly dangerous. Helmets weigh approximately 3-4 lbs. Helmets add approximately 30-40% more weight to the head. It is commonly accepted by automotive safety engineers that helmet use with lap and shoulder seat belts will cause "neck elongation". This combination use in a frontal collision can cause whiplash, paralysis and even death. This is especially dangerous in the case of children because their skeletal structures aren't completely developed, or in the case of seniors, where skeletal strength may have degraded.
- Requiring a helmet for operation of an Arcimoto is not necessary since the Arcimoto has a roll cage roof meeting FMVSS 216a. This provides much more protection than any helmet ever would.
Hello Deputy/Officer
The Arcimoto has FMVSS roof crush testing as evidenced by the sticker by the driver’s foot. Oregon has a carve out in the laws that states if the vehicle has FMVSS roof crush testing, seat belts, 3 wheels, and doesn’t straddle the seat (as the seats are bucket seats), you are not required to wear a helmet or have a motorcycle endorsement.
ORS 801.133
Autocycle means a motorcycle that:
(1) Is manufactured to travel on three wheels; (2) Has nonstraddle seating; and (3) Is equipped with a manufacturer-installed three-point safety belt or safety harness. [2017 c.296 §2; 2021 c.630 §125]
ORS 807.020 (13) does authorize exceptions for the motorcycle endorsement requirement when an operator of a motorcycle is: (a) within an enclosed cab; (b) Operating a vehicle designed to travel with three-wheels in contact with the ground at speeds of less than 15 miles per hour; or (c ) operating an autocycle.
ORS 814.290 Exemptions from motorcycle helmet requirements
A person is not in violation (of ORS 814.269, 814.275, 814.280) if the person is any of the following:- (1)Within an enclosed cab. (2) Operating or riding a vehicle designed to travel with three wheels in contact with the ground at speeds of less than 15 miles per hour. [1983 c.338 §693; 1987 c.910 §6; 1995 c.492 §7]
OAR 737-010-0005 Enclosed Cab for Three-Wheeled Vehicle Defined
“Enclosed Cab” for the purposes of ORS 814.290 (Exemptions from motorcycle helmet requirements)(1), is a three-wheeled vehicle, such as a motorcycle or moped, with a structural upper frame and roof defining the compartment for driver and passenger(s) that is certified by the vehicle manufacturer as meeting the standards for the structural upper frame and roof prescribed under 49 CFR 571.216a.
**NOTE: 49 CFR 571.216a is the same as the FMVSS 216a roof crush test per sticker on the Arcimoto near the driver’s foot.