INUVK - Everyone in Inuvik has heard the buzzing of small motorcycles - so-called "pocket bikes" - zipping through town, sometimes late at night.

Because of their small size, some people might think they are appropriate for children.

Shawn Norbert works at Inuvik's Gas Bar and has a minibike which he drives on occasion. Here he is pictured here cruising through Tsiigehtchic last summer. NNSL file photo

But Mayor Derek Lindsay said people should be careful with the bikes, and realize they are not street legal at all.

"People buy them for their kids, but they don't realize you need a licence," he said.

"They are not street legal, and they can also be dangerous."

Lindsay said the popularity of the mini-bikes has caused some headaches for council.

He said the RCMP can pull over anyone riding the bikes and said the town's bylaw officer could also confiscate them.

"The bikes themselves are not roadworthy, they're illegal," Lindsay said.

"The bylaw officer can seize the bike and impound it. They are not allowed on municipal property."

Lindsay added the bikes aren't even covered by the hamlet's ATV bylaws.

"There's no headlights, there's no taillights, the kids driving them don't have any road experience," he said.

"Vehicles need to have the amenities prescribed by the Motor Vehicles Act to be on the roads."

Inuvik's residents can buy pocket bikes at the Arctic True Value hardware store.

Manager George Staples said he had heard of council's complaints.

However, he said the bikes are plenty of fun and still legal in Canada.

"It's got nothing to do with us, it's up to the parents to make sure they are insured, etc," he said.

Staples guessed there are about 12 pocket bikes in town, and said True Value is not the only supplier.

"I know a lot of people have got them from down south. I saw two yesterday that weren't the ones we were selling, and they were in town before we even started selling them," he said.

Asked where people should drive the bikes, Lindsay suggested somewhere outside of town, though he didn't know any specific places offhand.

That, he said, is the buyer's problem.

"My advice is, go down the Dempster and find someplace to drive it, but you can't even drive the Dempster because that's considered a highway under the Motor Vehicles Act," he said.