Darth Lefty 

You shouldn’t assume that Simon Cowell is without skill at vehicles. He briefly held the top gear track record. I don’t know about motorcycle specifically but I wouldn’t be at all surprised. This one just caught him out

livedarklions

No, it's just that I know a Gish Gallop when I see one.

Peace back at you.

livedarklions

Not knowledgeable about the subject, but my understanding from transit systems is that the biggest adjustment operators need to make from combustion engines to electric is the way electric engines click into full power immediately rather than the revving up typical of combustion engines. For example, you can tell when the electric bus driver is new at it because they tend to send their passengers flying when they don't wait for them to sit down or grab a pole.

unterhausen

he probably didn't take it seriously. It does look a little toy-like, how fast can a bicycle take off from a stop? Turns out it can take off really fast.

2old

There's an individual on Endless Sphere that has a "bike" that goes 111 mph in the quarter mile, and one in Laguna Beach that went 97 in the quarter mile on lead-acid batteries. No slouches.

freeranger

I just hope I never encounter a bike like Simon's on the off-road trails I sometimes ride. A fat tired e-bike I see on them on occasion is more than enough. It must have a powerful motor, as I've seen the rider go blasting up hills. Almost got hit by him while coming around a corner on a paved path off of the trails. I've also seen responsible e-bike riders on the same trail riding responsibly, and don't have a problem with responsible e-bike riders. E-bikes are allowed in that park, but there are regulations on how powerful they can be, but I seriously doubt that the very few park administrators (I've only ever seen one) would know the diff from one to another. I've also seen a group of elderly women in the same park, on the paved path, with e-bikes. They were riding responsibly-was glad they could get out, and take a ride in the park. Hope Simon heals quickly. Any "tool" can be dangerous if you don't know how to use it, or use it improperly.

2old

Individuals with those overpowered "e-bikes" could have a big problem (at least in CA) if they're involved in an accident since anything over 750w (or capable of > 20 mph on PAS or throttle or 28 mph PAS-only) is defined as a moped or motorcycle and requires license and insurance. Could be an expensive lesson for them. This is why my 35 mph errand bike is dormant now.

fly135

Not all ebikes work the same way. My road ebike is similar to what you describe, except it doesn't matter what pedal assist mode you select the acceleration is the same. The PAS mode only selects the speed when the motor cuts out. On my mountain ebike the acceleration is dependent on how hard you press on the pedals (i.e. torque sensing). The torque sensing mid drive is safer in that it doesn't surge as much as the road bike. And it quits assisting as soon as you stop pushing on the pedals.

I always warn a new rider that they should set the PAS to zero (no assist) and then set the PAS once they start pedaling. It can get away from you when you first start to get on the bike. But you can get used to it in no time. Just keep your hands on the brake (or hovering over) when getting on so that if it surges you can quickly cut the motor with the brake.

FREEBIRD1

I sold off my factory 750W fat tire bike, nothing wrong with it, it was very reliable and fast, just was too moped or scooter like. I still have a beach cruiser with a little 250 watt front hub motor, it makes for a much more relaxing ride and does not look like an e-bike. I hate to say it but I fear e-bikes will get regulated like drones did a few years ago, they started out like great hobbies similar to RC helicopters, then evolved into tons of manufacturers sizing them up, with autonomous features that caused too many incidents. If there are too many incidents with e-bikes the same thing will happen and the general public turns on them (just my observation)

2old

I've stopped riding my 1000w bike because it's too fast (BTW, I realize that it's possible to use part throttle and go more slowly; I'm not wired that way) and requires that I be very attentive even when nobody else is around (also because I've stopped street riding since I don't want to become a hood ornament). My old Dillenger 350w front ub motor, my first DIY which was transferred to my daughter's cruiser, was a blast, and I have all the components for another. Just haven't gotten rid of the big system since it was so inexpensive.

linberl

I think it's important to look at why/how people use e-bikes. Some are using it strictly for transport, point A to B, as quickly as they can. Some are using it for exercise or recreational fun. Some are using it because of the thrill of going fast. It's the latter group that tends to purchase things like Simon's bike/motorcycle. One can only hope those folks realize they should not be using their device around regular cyclists or typical e-bikers who ride ~20mph or less.
I fully support the regulation by class for e-bikes and Simon's bike would be completely illegal where I live (California). He would be required to ride it in the road with autos and have insurance/registration/license plate just like a motorcycle. I've no problem with people doing that - it's basically an electric motorcycle and anything that doesn't use fossil fuel is an improvement.
I do think it's wrong to allow commercial builders to put pedals on something with that kind of power, however. Clearly no one is going to pedal that heavy thing and it is just an attempt to skirt by regulations. I think some regulation restricting pedals to units with limited power might be appropriate. That way, if you don't have pedals, you can't be in bike lanes or pathways.

2old

AFAICT, pedals/no pedals make no difference on that abortion of a vehicle. It isn't street legal since it doesn't have turn signals, etc, so can be ridden only on "Jeep" trails. To compound the inanity of purchasing it for $21,500, the pedals make it more dangerous to ride.

linberl

Our local police don't know much about e-bikes so if they see pedals, they figure it's legal on pathways. I'm guessing many jurisdictions, if they control e-bikes at all, use pedals as the first indicator.
$21k.....some people clearly have more money than brains. He could have purchased a really nice electric motorcycle.

veganbikes

Not an e-bike but a electric motorcycle and from the looks of it not a great one for 21k it looks like Radpower and Sondors made an ugly but semi-fast motorcycle. For 21k I would rather just save up another 8 or 9k and get a Harley Davidson Livewire which is an actual motorcycle and doesn't look super terrible, Still really wouldn't want one, I would rather just take the 21k and put it towards some nice custom titanium bikes.

E-bikes though are quite awesome though and so long as they are class 1 or 3 they are actually bikes and not crappy motorcycles.