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The next big thing out of California is 18 in. high, weighs about 50 lbs. and is capable of traveling up to 70 m.p.h. Meet the pocket bike, a scaled-down motorcycle that is selling faster than low-carb hot cakes across the Golden State — and causing nightmares for traffic police.

First popularized in Europe as specialized race motorbikes, pocket bikes are being sold as toys in Wal-Mart and Toys "R" Us as well as in motorcycle stores. Most are made in China and cost between $200 and $400, although souped-up versions can run more than $1,000. They are powered by either two-stroke gas engines or electric motors that can be recharged by plugging into a wall socket. To ride them, you have to squat down with your legs only inches from the ground.

"Today's kids want the coolest, fastest ride-on toys," says Carlton Calvin, president of Razor USA, which sells the Razor Pocket Rocket bike ($230). "The play pattern of racing and the freedom of transportation never go out of style."

The Razor Pocket Rocket is an electric model that reaches 15 m.p.h., and the company specifies that its bikes are designed for controlled environments like go-kart tracks and are not for use on public streets or sidewalks. But websites of other pocket-bike sellers boast "no registration or insurance required in most states," and some show promotional videos of people riding the bikes on public streets.

As sales take off, law-enforcement agencies are beginning to crack down, warning that pocket bikes are not safe to ride on the street. "They are so small, you can't see them behind parked cars or in traffic," says Sergeant Bob Rieboldt of the Los Angeles police department.

In California, pocket bikes are illegal on public roads, according to Rieboldt, because they are motor vehicles that require registration. But the department of motor vehicles will not register them because most do not pass safety regulations governing headlight height from the ground, taillights, brake lights, horns and so on. The California Highway Patrol has issued a statewide special alert about pocket bikes. Of course in some quarters, that will only add to the appeal.

• Terry McCarthy