What we have called “motorcycles” should actually be called “enginecycles”. Also, the engine on enginecycles is a four-cycle engine.
What we have called “motorcycles” should actually be called “enginecycles”. Also, the engine on enginecycles is a four-cycle engine.
This is the correct take.
My feeling is that if it’s controlled by a throttle, then it’s a motorbike and it should be registered and require a driver’s licence to operate, and it shouldn’t be on bike paths or footpaths.
Yeah that’s the implication, but it’s complicated.
e-scooters are controlled by a throttle, so I think there’s a debate to be had as to whether that’s a defining factor.
IMO the throttle is less critical than speed limiting. Anything you can pilot without a license should be restricted to 25km/h.
The problem is these limitations can easily be removed.
That’s why I say it really needs proper policing. You need cops on bikes, and some kind of strategy to establish whether a bike is compliant.
My bro in Berlin mentioned that infrequently the police will see up a rolling road device to stop ebikes, electric scooters etc (anything that by law is speed restricted).
They do it on a one way road where you can’t see them, with police at the top end to stop anyone that’s clearly seen and turned around to avoid it
Fatbikes, you mean? They’re no longer eBikes.
OP has made this quite clear. Do y’all read?
No, I mean ebikes. I made no reference to fat bikes. An ebike is legally allowed on the roads of most of Europe (this includes fat bikes) providing they meet certain criteria. That includes speed and power restrictions. Where they exceed those that are illegal and the authorities are making efforts to impound them.
Yeah I’ve seen photos of something like this. The one I saw was UK police I think.
This might work in high traffic areas but where I am there just isn’t enough people on bikes to set up something like this.
If the po-po stop a kid on a bike they believe is illegally modified, just confiscate and impound it where it can be assessed.
No one cares if a bike can propel you 3km/h over the limit because you changed the tyre diameter. Even if you updated the software to remove the limiter, that’s not really going to make much difference to safety if I’m honest. It’s the bikes with throttles and big hub motors that spin you up to 20 or 30km/h over the limit that are the problem.
Yup, agreed. I’m out in the sticks too, years back I tried to commute the 17 or so miles each way on a gravel bike with a conversion but keeping legal with a 250w motor it just didn’t do anything as there was no stop:starting and I was generally travelling at over the 15.5mph limit so just carrying extra weight.
Not sure why I mention as it’s a use case error on my part but I do wish I’d got a meatier motor, derestricted it and taken my chances.
Yeah I have a big heavy cannondale cargowagen.
It’s a long tail, so both my kids can sit on the back. System weight is probably 150kg with all three of us on board. By the time we wind up to 25km/h the torque provided by the motor is pretty minimal honestly.
It’s comfortable at 40km/h on a downhill slope.
I would’ve already figured out how to remove the limiter if I thought it would be helpful but… I just don’t really think it would make much difference.