Harvard police may crack down on motorcycles and scooters, the same as on cars, if it receives complaints of too many scooters being parked illegally overnight, University police chief Matthew J. Toohy announced yesterday. This is the first year that student-owned motorbikes have to be registered with the University.

A Cambridge police spokesman explained last night that the city's parking ordinances which prohibit outdoor, over night parking apply to "motor vehicles of any kind." He claimed, however, that there is at present no drive against the scooters.

Toohy said that the number of scooters has increased enormously in recent years and that the machines are being parked all around the University. Objections have been raised against the noise made when the scooters are parked near dormitories, he added.

Several student scooter owners have already asked if a special parking space could be set aside for their use, the University police chief recounted. So far, 43 scooters and motorcycles have been registered, in addition to 4,030 automobiles.