Recreation and Tourism

Trail bike riding - Frequently asked questions

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1. What is the trail bike initiative and how can i be involved? The trail bike initiative is a four year project (2006-2010) which aims to improve the management of trail bikes on public land. As part of the Environmental Sustainability Action Statement the Victoria government announced $5 million over four years to implement the project. The project will be working with the community, trail bike riders, industry and forest users to implement recommendations from the trail bike options paper. You can be involved or join our mailing list by going to the contact us page. 2. What will the trail bike initiative deliver? Provide information to riders to inform them of their responsibilities regarding where to ride and legal requirements Provide Trail Bike Visitor Areas for unloading of trail bike in suitable locations away from residential area to reduce noise problems as well as to provide facilities for riders so that they may better enjoy their recreation Improve legal compliance in respect of license/registration/noise and off-track riding through more compliance operations at weekends Rehabilitate environmentally degraded areas through track closures and re-vegetation.

3. Can I ride my bike in a State forest? If you have a motorcycle license, and your motorbike is registered and roadworthy, you may ride on forest roads and tracks that are open for public use, but you must not ride off the official tracks. 4. Do I need a licence to ride my trail bike? Yes. Your are legally required to have a motorcycle licence (or learners permit) to ride on public roads. This includes the roads and tracks in State forests and State parks. The earliest you can apply for a motorcycle Learners Permit is at 18 years of age. 5. Where can unlicensed people ride? Unlicensed riders are limited to private land and motorcycle club venues. For further information on a club near you visit Motorcycling Victoria. 6. Can I take my kids riding in state forest? If your children don’t have a motorcycle license, they must not ride on the forest roads and tracks, picnic and camping areas, or any area of public bushland. 7. What is the difference between full motorcycle registration and recreational registration? Full registration enables you to ride your motorcycle on any open public road. Recreational registration permits allow you to ride on open public roads located outside suburbs and built up areas ( as defined by speed zones of less than 100km/hr) with a road classification code* between 3000-3999 or on roads NOT shown in the VicRoads Country Street Directory. Other roads such as freeways and arterial roads (code 1000-2999) and main roads and tourist roads (code 4000-5999) cannot be ridden on. Contact VicRoads on 131 171 to find out where you can ride with a recreation registration. (*Roads classification codes are shown in the RACV VicRoads Country Street Directory) 8. What does riding 'off-road' mean? Riding off road simply means riding off the defined open road or track network. Off-road riding on Victoria's public land is illegal. The legal forest and park road network consists of some 36,000km of roads and tracks constructed by the Government for the passage of vehicles with at least four wheels. The vast bulk of this road network is open for public use. Exceptions to this are the limited number of Management Vehicle Only roads or roads that are closed seasonally due to weather, likely erosion or other safety reasons. Government roads and tracks closed to the public will have signs and/or barriers erected prohibiting their use. Seasonal Road Closures (PDF - 75 Kb) 9. Can I register my quad bike, pit bike or mini bike? Quad bikes (ATV's) cannot be legally registered for road use as they do not meet relevant safety standards. Motocross bikes, pit-bikes and mini bikes (monkey bikes) are not designed for registration and do not have the equipment (lights, horns, etc) required for registration. 10. Can I ride my miniature motorbike (Monkey-bike) on public land? No you can't ride miniature motorbikes on public land. Miniature motorbike can't be registered as they do not meet safety and registration standards. If you are caught riding on public land you are committing an offence as you are riding an unregistered bike. Contact VicRoads for further information 11. Can motorbikes cause bushfires? Victoria has some of the most fire-prone public land in the world. Exhaust sparks could start bushfires, so keep the spark arrestor fitted at all times. Keeping to formed roads and tracks will reduce the risk of causing a fire. 12. Where are the Trail Bike unloading areas located? As part of the trail bike initiative, trail bike unloading areas are being constructed throughout regional Victoria. The unloading areas are designated areas for trail bike riders to safely unload and park. The unloading areas may provide information ( maps of where to ride and information boards) and facilities such as toilets and shelters and picnic facilities. Contact Us find out locations of trail bike unloading areas or visit the regional information pages to find out latest information on the development of unloading facilities. 13. What is the noise limit for my trail bike? The maximum legal exhaust noise is 94dB(A). Most motocross bikes and bikes with exhaust baffles removed exceed 94dB(A). Replacing your standard muffler with an accessory one may also take you over the legal limit. 14. How can I lodge complaint regarding trail bikes? If a rapid response to a specific incident is required, contact the police If the complaint relates to trail bikes in parks, footpaths, roads in built-up areas, etc. the police and/or council should be advised as DSE does not manage these areas If the caller is providing/requiring information of a general nature regarding trail bike use of public land, contact the appropriate Trail bike Project Officer. Please note: Document(s) on this page are presented in PDF format. If you do not have the Adobe Reader, you can download a copy free from the Adobe web site.