How big do electric bikes have to be,before they conform to motorcycles etc.

[captain nemo1701]

I was recently made aware of this one - Eskuta SX-250. They are literally selling it on being designed like a motorbike. I'd hate to pedal it without any assistance though! Many years ago my first powered two-wheeler was a Honda PA50 Camino. This had pedals and a 49cc engine so was a moped that you could ride from age 16. You could theoretically cycle it under pedal power alone but the ergonomics of doing so were knackering... and this Eskuta looks just as bad.

It looks like they are creating electric motorbikes but sticking pedals on them to pretend they're bicycles to circumvent the law. I had a moped with pedals at 16 in 1980...a right bu**er to pedal anywhere. If someone gets challenged on a cyclepath on one of these, they're likely just to claim its really a bicycle....IMHO bending definitions & rules.

 

[Dogtrousers]

In Soho I see people zooming about on bikes with big, big fat tyres and no pedalling action needed. Messengers probably. They look quite cool, but undeniably illegal. Last week one had to swerve to avoid me as I was ambling down the middle of one of the narrow streets, getting in everybody's way. He's probably furiously typing on Illegalpedelecchat.net right now, complaining about gormless pedestrians.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Last week one had to swerve to avoid me as I was ambling down the middle of one of the narrow streets, getting in everybody's way..

Why was you making a nuisance of yourself by walking down the middle of the road?

 

[captain nemo1701]

Waiting for the bus in Old Market in Bristol on Saturday, a group of 'yoofs' can tearing up the road on what were obviously overclocked ebikes. They all dressed in black with ninja-style balaclavas, black painted bikes which three of them pulled wheelies for the entire length of the road, not pedalling but relying on the motor and doing quite a speed. Unfortunately, the force of nature known as 'random chance' means I'll probably encounter these numpties on The Railway Path .

 

[Alex321]

It looks like they are creating electric motorbikes but sticking pedals on them to pretend they're bicycles to circumvent the law. I had a moped with pedals at 16 in 1980...a right bu**er to pedal anywhere. If someone gets challenged on a cyclepath on one of these, they're likely just to claim its really a bicycle....IMHO bending definitions & rules.

While there are undoubtedly plenty of illegal ebikes around, that particular model looks like it is legal, with only 250W, pedal assist and max of 15.5mph.

 

[Dogtrousers]

While there are undoubtedly plenty of illegal ebikes around, that particular model looks like it is legal, with only 250W, pedal assist and max of 15.5mph.

I think with their "engineered and built like a motorbike" sales pitch they may get some disappointed customers who find that they actually have to pedal the damn thing.

 

[captain nemo1701]

I think with their "engineered and built like a motorbike" sales pitch they may get some disappointed customers who find that they actually have to pedal the damn thing.

There's a guy I've seen in Bristol who does heart=stopping speed on his souped up ebike. I once spotted him from the top deck of a bus, overtaking a regular motorbike....of course, not pedalling. Todays yoof have cottoned onto the idea of overclocking e-bikes so they're now like motorbikes. Press a button and whoosh!...30-40mph very quickly. So now Bristol has its 'ninja ebike gang' to contend with. Oh joy....

 

[vickster]

There's a guy I've seen in Bristol who does heart=stopping speed on his souped up ebike. I once spotted him from the top deck of a bus, overtaking a regular motorbike....of course, not pedalling. Todays yoof have cottoned onto the idea of overcloying e-bikes so they're now like motorbikes. Press a button and whoosh!...30-40mph very quickly. So now Bristol has its 'ninja ebike gang' to contend with. Oh joy....

Hopefully natural selection will kick in soon and there'll be a glut of healthy donor organs

 

[Drago]

It would seem that darwinism did for one local lad who had a bitof a kinetic incident recently. Unfortunately, the drug addled organs of these ne'er do Wells aren't something you want to receive as a transplant.

 

[captain nemo1701]

Hopefully natural selection will kick in soon and there'll be a glut of healthy donor organs

Unfortunately, these shenanigans will take out an innocent party at some point.

 

[Cavalol]

Plenty of these about, mostly black coloured bikes being ridden by youths in darks clothing and the obligatory face mask so you can't see which exact spotty 14 year old kid is doing 40mph down the main road on it.