Fast Legal Bike

[Deleted member 4366]

For those that want to go faster than 15mph legally, here's a once in a lifetime chance. Pretty cheap too IMHO.

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=66212

 

[KirstinS]

Wow, I didn't think it was possible to legally mot a self built a motorbike

Live and learn

 

[D8ve]

That would win on the hill in Bristol.
I Like it.

 

[Trex 850]

Only thing that slightly puts me off is the battery case,otherwise, that looks the biz !!.

 

[john h]

Would not like to go out in rain with it as notice the hub has holes cut in it to let it cool ( I THINK ) BUT IT IS COOL

 

[SRS]

For those that want to go faster than 15mph legally, here's a once in a lifetime chance. Pretty cheap too IMHO.

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=66212

It goes to show what sort of piece of shtt you would end up with if you took the legal route.

An interesting experiment but somewhat of a death trap. Just look at those tyres. The amount of extra crpp that has had to be bolted on will make the thing very weighty and far too top heavy.

I bet its also got a truck sized registration plate too.

I'll take a regular bike and dongle over that anyday. Safety must come first.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Hmmm! I thought it looked pretty well engineered. It has a middle battery, so should be pretty well balanced. It has passed a MOT test, which checks that it's safe, so I wouldn't think it's a death trap.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Would not like to go out in rain with it as notice the hub has holes cut in it to let it cool ( I THINK ) BUT IT IS COOL

It's been waterproofed inside the motor.

 

[SRS]

Th

Hmmm! I thought it looked pretty well engineered. It has a middle battery, so should be pretty well balanced. It has passed a MOT test, which checks that it's safe, so I wouldn't think it's a death trap.

The guys bolted it together fine but to comply he has been forced to turn a cycle into a moped. With the exception if a petrol driven engine.

I guess as an electic moped its ok but as a legal electric cycle it is not.

Rolling resistance and unsprung weight have been increased as has the overall weight.
Sharpness of steering has been reduced. Centre of gravity raised etc etc.

Depends how you view it. Either way, I don't see others following in his footsteps.

 

[KTM Bike Industries UK]

Th

The guys bolted it together fine but to comply he has been forced to turn a cycle into a moped. With the exception if a petrol driven engine.

I guess as an electic moped its ok but as a legal electric cycle it is not.

Rolling resistance and unsprung weight have been increased as has the overall weight.
Sharpness of steering has been reduced. Centre of gravity raised etc etc.

Depends how you view it. Either way, I don't see others following in his footsteps.

Your points are of course correct, doing this to a pedal bike destroys all the fun and point of having a bicycle. You might aswell just by a moped and be done with it. But this does show what a legal eBike that does over 15.5mph assisted HAS to legally look like.

However by adding a dongle to your push bike, you have already turned it into a moped, you've just decided to bypass the law by not having the other features that mopeds are required to have.

This is a decision that is up to you as an individual clearly. However the risks will continue to grow as the moped sector of the market is NOT happy about riders like yourself being able to bypass all the laws that their customers are forced to abide by to use their vehicles on the road.

So now there is a situation, where the cycle trade and the motorbike trade want this clamped down on. These are two pretty powerful lobby groups who are pressuring the government to act.

The increase in awareness of eBikes will I'm afraid mean a clamp down on the use of illegal mopeds on the road.

 

[KirstinS]

Eventually maybe

But by this government, in an election year? No chance in my view

Those lobby groups will need to make the next lot listen

 

[steve.c]

Hi All.Perhaps I don't get it?? but what is the point of it ???? you may as well buy a scooter which is a lot less money is more comfortable and has better weather protection and its faster !! also if you cycle down the pub on it you can be done for drink driving on the way home and you have to have a car license to ride it!!+ helmet etc!.OK it looks ok and the engineering bit of it looks very good and I admire anyone that that can do this sort of work.Also there is a similar sort of bike where I live and I've seen the owner?? overtaking cars at high speed but with no helmet or even lights so any potential buyers be very careful.
Regards Steve.

 

[trex]

there is a market for legal high speed e-bikes, perhaps up to 40mph two seaters where they can compete with cars.
This bike may be very useful for someone who is interested in going into business making these. The owner did point out that 'The license plate is where the value is for a UK buyer'.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I can't believe that there's so many opinions against it. It looks like we're back to this thing where people want an electric bicycle to be the same as a non-electric one. In that case, get a non, electric one.

There's a whole range of electric bikes that give a range of power and speed from low to high. Different people have different requirements. As a general rule, increasing assistance brings increasing weight. You can't get something for nothing.

The aforementioned electric bicycle is not much different to all those bicycles that had a BSA Wing Wheel or the Velosolex, except that it's a bit faster, lighter and probably more reliable. Plus, it's zero emissions. Whether the 30 mph electric scooters are better is debateble. You can just as easily say that they're better than any electric bicycle. What's better depends on what anyone wants. Thankfully we have a choice.

 

[JohnCade]

Personally I'd rather have an s pedelec than this any day if it was legal here. A legal electric motor bike or scooter would also be good in towns but this is neither one thing or the other.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Personally I'd rather have an s pedelec than this any day if it was legal here. A legal electric motor bike or scooter would also be good in towns but this is neither one thing or the other.

I agree about the S pedelecs. The more choice we have the better.

There's an awful lot of people sticking large powerful DD motors in their bikes, then riding them illegally on UK roads. Ask Cyclotricity how many of their ones that they sold in the first month after they released them. Type in to Youtube "1500w electric bike" and see how many there are riding round UK housing estates. There's definitely a demand for that sort of thing even if some of you don't like the look of it. At least this one is legal.

 

[KTM Bike Industries UK]

Eventually maybe

But by this government, in an election year? No chance in my view

Those lobby groups will need to make the next lot listen

eventually what?? There is no law that needs changing, or even creating. All that will happen, is the police are asked to start stopping people on eBikes because its an easy way so showing motorists they are doing something, and as both the cycle industry and motorbike industry are pushing for it you could find the push starts tomorrow. It might take a while, but its not something that needs a new law or anything, they are already illegal.

 

[steve.c]

I agree d8vh the more choices the better but my point was the legality of the bike and a lot of people may buy a bike like this on line and not realise they have to have all correct tax,mot,insurance,helmet,etc,and abide by all the rules of the road IE no shared pavements or no cycle rout ?? and no parking in cycle racks cause there on the pavement so there are a lot of cons that you could be fined for??be very very careful as you could get in the !!!!.

 

[KirstinS]

eventually what?? There is no law that needs changing, or even creating. All that will happen, is the police are asked to start stopping people on eBikes because its an easy way so showing motorists they are doing something, and as both the cycle industry and motorbike industry are pushing for it you could find the push starts tomorrow. It might take a while, but its not something that needs a new law or anything, they are already illegal.

Sorry I was rushing and explained myself badly. Fully aware dongle etc are already illegal. No argument from me there !
What I struggle. to see is a pre election crackdown

The gov have to listen to the lobby, the gov have to lean on the police. The police have to put countless hours into stopping ebikers.
How many non ebikers will be stopped?
How many wrong doers will be caught per man hour of police time ?

How much negative publicity will be generated by a crack down on cyclists (that will be perception if not reality)

Government won't want to lean on police ahead of election on something so small in grand scheme. Particularly one that will have no real output to show for the man hours

The gov also won't want bad publicity anyway near cycling.

The police will think it a horrible waste of resource when they are so constrained

I just struggle to see any crackdown in the next 6 months at least. I'm not arguing over the legalities - think we all know the score there

 

[selrahc1992]

I can't believe that there's so many opinions against it. It looks like we're back to this thing where people want an electric bicycle to be the same as a non-electric one. In that case, get a non, electric one.

There's a whole range of electric bikes that give a range of power and speed from low to high. Different people have different requirements. As a general rule, increasing assistance brings increasing weight. You can't get something for nothing.

The aforementioned electric bicycle is not much different to all those bicycles that had a BSA Wing Wheel or the Velosolex, except that it's a bit faster, lighter and probably more reliable. Plus, it's zero emissions. Whether the 30 mph electric scooters are better is debateble. You can just as easily say that they're better than any electric bicycle. What's better depends on what anyone wants. Thankfully we have a choice.

strictly fo whatmy 2p is worth - having tried a few pedelecs (a woosh, kalkhoff and wildy overpowered homemade job) and having used ordinary bicycles (mainly carbon racers and a brompton) and having motorcyles before i realised that - for me - there is a kind of existential sweet spot - i label "around 25 mph constant with little effort" - that doesnt require leathers, a helmet and fierce concentration - or lycra and alternately freezing or becoming exhausted - which is why an ever so slightly illegal pedelec i think is absolutely perfect