Somewhat conflicted by all of this. Not least because I ride an e-bike that is advertised as illegal and is technically illegal. But here's a huge difference between an Aurora and the kind of thing in the OP or the kind of thing the more extreme people on ES are building.
IMHO anything that does 30mph and upwards without pedalling is the electric equivalent of a 50 or 125 motorcycle and should follow the rules for such things. I do not want to see large numbers of unlicensed, uninsured people riding things like this with no training, no insurance and no protective gear.
At the other end of the scale, it's hard to get worked up about the Aurora. It's a big heavy workmanlike bicycle that can just hit 20mph on the power. It looks like a bicycle, it rides like a bicycle. It's slower than an energetic MTB or road cyclist. Yes, it's technically illegal, but providing you don't blatantly break the law, it's hard to imagine anyone even noticing. I've had cyclists look at it who had to have it pointed out to them that it was electric. However, I don't especially want to see large numbers of stupid people riding round London (say) on bikes that will easily and routinely do 20mph with no training and no protective gear.
So now we get down to that middle ground between a legal assisted 15mph and somewhere around 25 before the motor cuts out. And bearing in mind that it's not hard even on an un-powered bicycle to hit 25-30mph downhill. If we're going to have a legal loophole for untested, untaxed powered bicycles, 15-20mph seems about right to stop the stupid people hurting themselves and others.
Then we get to personal choice. The arguments in this thread seem to reflect two attitudes. One is the one my father had and tried to instill in me. The law is the law and you MUST NOT BREAK IT. If it's wrong, work to get it changed. The other is common among people younger than him (and especially motorcyclists). The law is an ass. Treat it as a guide. Try not to screw up. And take your punishment, not complaining too loudly, if you get caught. It's the one that lets us rationalise short bursts of 130mph on roads with good visibility and surface. Yes, it's wildly illegal, but nobody got hurt, did they. (and before we get into born again bikers killing themselves on country roads, I did say "try not to screw up").
So then there's the problem of commercial companies selling illegal items. Well as motorcyclists we know all about that, and the end result. For years people have been selling us illegal visors, exhausts, mini numberplates and what have you. And we've been buying them and using them on the road. Eventually we suffer as the law stops them being sold and neuters standard machines. This is what makes me a bit uncomfortable with Alien and others selling and advertising the Aurora and Goldenmotor kits. I don't think it will end up with severe limits on the mainstream industry and the destruction of the aftermarket industry but it might. I don't think we'll end up with TUV approval of bikes and e-bikes but we might. Even then it'll probably still be possible to buy a truly off road electric MX bike or to build one yourself from imported parts.
Meanwhile, if you do bicycle things on your slightly illegal E-Bike and don't take the pi55, nobody's even going to notice. Any more than anyone will notice you riding your bicycle on country footpaths. That's illegal too, but we all do it.
