FBinNY 

Here's my 3 cents (inflation) on e-bikes.

I think that everybody in the federal DOT, along with those of most states went bonkers when formulating the rules.

Keep in mind that I'm one of those fools who believe that words have meanings.

So for over a century BICYCLES were human powered vehicles. If you added a motor they became MOTORCYCLES. Gas, steam, or electricity, a motor is still a MOTOR, and putting one on a bicycle makes it a MOTORcycle.

That said, I'm perfectly fine with a motor ASSIST on a bicycle provided it serves mainly to help weaker riders ride like a stronger ones. Kind of equity in human power. So, an e-bike is still a bike if the motor only assists a pedaling rider, but cannot drive the bike otherwise. Also it must phase out at something between 15-18mph since riders above that speed do not need help.

If we stick to that concept, it can be good for everybody, helping the less fit and those in hilly areas enjoy the benefits of the sport. By the same token, e-bikes would have the same road or trail presence as regular bikes with stronger riders.

HOWEVER regulators veered into the swamp trying to please everybody. They allowed hand throttles (not requiring that the rider pedal), and raised power limits to make them more saleable as urban transport. Doing so they created a monster which more properly was a motorcycle, yet not regulated as such.

The solution would be to move throttle bikes back to the motorcycle category where they belong, and write rules accordingly. it might make sense to create a class of light or urban e-motorcycles with max speeds matched to urban sped limits, and write rules for things like registration, helmets, license, etc. that make sense for that application.


The saddest part of this nonsense is that nobody seems to have learned anything from the Moped era of a few decades back. Regulators magically believe that using batteries instead of gasoline will make this iteration different. (It won't)

The saddest part, is that by blurring the lines, they've set us up for a backlash and will end up penalizing pedal assist riders for the problems caused by throttle e-bikes.