HONOLULU -- Mini motorcycles are catching on in Hawaii with more and more people snapping up the bikes.

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The vehicles look like motorcycles, but they're only 18 inches tall. They're called pocket bikes.

They may be small, but demand for them is big.

"I've been bringing them in for about 12 years now and the popularity is just getting bigger and bigger each year that goes by," said George Burmeister of Cycle Imports.

Burmeister said he gets at least 10 to 15 calls each day at his shop from people looking for pocket bikes.

"A couple of the cheaper ones came in and then people realized how great they are, how fast they go, how much fun they can have on them," he said.

Pocket bikes can range in price from $300 to $3,300.

Motorists race the higher-end bikes in competitions on the mainland, with full safety gear.

One thing about the bikes that can be tough to take is how loud they are.

Burmeister and the manufacturers say the pocket bikes are meant for off-road use only. On the mainland, many pocket bike riders are defying the law and being hit by cars because drivers couldn't see them.

Many cities in California and Arizona have already banned them.