Derestricted or legal

Derestricted or legal

  • Derestricted

    Votes: 43 46.2%
  • Restricted

    Votes: 50 53.8%

  • Total voters
    93

Vandazler

Finding my (electric) wheels
Oct 11, 2018
22
15
57
If the police chose to prosecute you for riding a deristricted pedelec they would charge you with riding an unregistered and uninsured motor cycle.
Yes,I fully understand that. I think this point has been covered on several threads.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,196
30,602
I’m not sure how motor bikes came up. I certainly wasn’t referring to them.
Although I didn't raise this subject, by way of explanation you did inadvertantly bring it up, since motorbikes start at 15.5 mph powered speed limit. The L1e-A moped class is for up to 1000 watt machines limited to 15.5 mph power assistance and they have to comply with all moped law, registration, number plate, insurance etc.

When you ride an e-bike with higher than 15.5 mph assistance it is in law a motorcycle/moped in all but three European countries. Even in those three it still has to be registered, plated and insured.

I find the concept of sharing pathways wrong anyway,pedestrians don’t always hear you coming and it’s downright dangerous sharing with them. As a kid we were always told to use the road if on a push bike, maybe I’m being old fashioned.
Perhaps, those days were largely before cycle paths were created. Today the huge growth in car use has led to heavily congested roads often dangerous for cycling, and vast areas of almost always empty pavements. As a result government has increasingly been putting the pavements back into more productive use with cycling, using this increase in a safer cycling environment to tempt more to cycle instead of always driving.

This does make sense, we don't have such a surplus of space in the UK that we can leave the huge areas that pavements cover nationwide largely unused as they have long been.
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  • Agree
Reactions: dwvl and Fat Rat

Fat Rat

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 7, 2018
1,903
726
UK
Although I didn't raise this subject, by way of explanation you did inadvertantly bring it up, since motorbikes start at 15.5 mph powered speed limit. The L1e-A moped class is for up to 1000 watt machines limited to 15.5 mph power assistance and they have to comply with all moped law, registration, number plate, insurance etc.

When you ride an e-bike with higher than 15.5 mph assistance it is in law a motorcycle/moped in all but three European countries. Even in those three it still has to be registered, plated and insured.



Perhaps, those days were largely before cycle paths were created. Today the huge growth in car use has led to heavily congested roads often dangerous for cycling, and vast areas of almost always empty pavements. As a result government has increasingly been putting the pavements back into more productive use with cycling, using this increase in a safer cycling environment to tempt more to cycle instead of always driving.

This does make sense, we don't have such a surplus of space in the UK that we can leave the huge areas that pavements cover nationwide largely unused as they have long been.
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I was just about to reply to the motor bike thing but flecc couldn’t have put it better :)
 

Vandazler

Finding my (electric) wheels
Oct 11, 2018
22
15
57
Have there been any prosecutions for having speed enhancing equipment fitted to a Pedelec just as a matter of interest in the UK?
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
16,897
6,507
Have there been any prosecutions for having speed enhancing equipment fitted to a Pedelec just as a matter of interest in the UK?
no the police wont chase me even when im pissed and stoned :p
 

chris_n

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 29, 2016
737
440
62
Niedeau, Austria
Have there been any prosecutions for having speed enhancing equipment fitted to a Pedelec just as a matter of interest in the UK?
Not that I know of, I guess it will only happen following an accident. The police in Austria where I ride my bike do have a dynamometer and do test bike cut out speed. They are also fully aware of the methods of working most if not all of the mainstream dongles.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,196
30,602
Have there been any prosecutions for having speed enhancing equipment fitted to a Pedelec just as a matter of interest in the UK?
Not as such in the UK. There was one police attempt on the basis of being over the prescribed wattage but that was killed off before it happened, something I had a part in achieving.

In Guernsey in the Channel Islands there was a similar attempted prosecution of a bike shop for hiring e-bikes with higher ratings, but they have their own law of course.

This isn't something the police are usually interested in so it's mainly likely to crop up in a contested insurance or damages court case following an accident. Then not complying could lead to bankruptcy.
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  • Like
Reactions: Fat Rat

anotherkiwi

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 26, 2015
7,845
5,786
The European Union
At the moment I am often at 32-35 km/h on the way into town. As cars around me are doing about that or less at certain times of day I either take the lane or pass them riding down the center of the road. My cut off is set to 27 km/h LCD which is 25 km/h GPS, difference due to oversized tyres.

Where i would like to ride at 45 km/h assisted is on the open road but that would require more battery Ah than I can currently afford in order to ride the distances I need to go.

It is all about compromises...
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,196
30,602
Italian manufacturing and electrics have never been a good combination.
Indeed, Italy hasn't had much success with e-bikes, models and prototypes appear regulary but quickly disappear. Aprilia in particular have had a number of attempts, the a prototype in 2001 being this hydrogen fuel cell model. They followed that in 2004 with this battery model weighing 29 kilos. Both their motors appear to be a rip-off of Yamaha's successful PAS model.
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anotherkiwi

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 26, 2015
7,845
5,786
The European Union
I had assumed that you had meant the Mig-RR

A lovely bike spoilt by yet another mud catching battery position.

View attachment 27512

Italian manufacturing and electrics have never been a good combination.


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It is a thing of beauty even for a non off roader like me.

The first generation Lancia Delta and the Fiat Panda never gave me electrical problems. The Lancia Fulvia and Fiat Stilo on the other hand did justice to the Italian reputation :eek: