103Alex1....I do think you are have a somewhat obtuse argument in comparing a KTM dongle modified bike and a Kalkhoff BS10. The KTM left the retailer as a road legal bicycle,the fact that someone decided to 'dongle it' and make it illegal is beyond the control of both the retailer and/or KTM.
But the Kalkhoff was sold by the retailer with the knowledge that is is illegal as a bike,the day it left the shop it is known by the retailer and the manufacturer as illegal in the UK,I am very surprised that Kalkhoff are happy about this. I believe it is impossible to make the BS10 into a uk road legal bicycle. I suppose it would be possible to make it into a moped,in fact somewhere else on this forum is a member who made his S class bike into a moped,it took him 18 months and the end result is a very strange looking machine and you need tax,insurance and a crash hat!
I have been involved in the ebike industry for over 3 years,as a retailer/distributor, it is very frustrating that these S class bikes are allowed to be sold in the UK. Over 50% of enquiries are for bikes that are either derestricted with illegal speed and/or illegal power, that is a market that only one retailer seems happy to satisfy and they are succesfull on the back of it,which is clearly wrong.
The new London Electric Bike Company shop in West London is only selling legal bikes,they get many enquiries every day for illegal bikes and customers cannot understand how another retailer can sell 28mph,400 watt bikes and LEBC cannot. Despite some lovely bikes from Kudos,KTM,BH and Haibike which are all road legal bikes they lose sales because they won't sell illegal bikes,it is very frustrating for the company who have invested considerable monies in stock to do a good job of supplying ebikes.
Something must be done about this it is clearly unfair trading practice,I have been tempted to produce a 750 watt x 28mph bike,it could be easily sold for £1000 and would be blindingly fast but it would be illegal and somewhat hypocritical of me to do so.
The industry had lengthy conversations about these bikes at the NEC,taking one of these bikes out on the road breaks so many uk laws..
Riding an unregistered moped
Riding without a crash helmet
No tax
No insurance
Failure to display a numberplate
Incorrect lighting
No indicators.
etc etc
I don't think any Pedelec member would take a brand new motor bike out on the road without registration,tax or insurance but because it looks like a bicycle it somehow is ok-the police would soon prosecute any motor bike doing the same.
It can only be a matter of time before some observant policeman spots one of these bikes,probably as a result of an incident and then there will be a knee-jerk reaction against all of us,including legal bikes,that will spoil the freedom of use that we all currently enjoy.
This subject of illegal bikes divides this forum like no other subject.
If you feel that S class bikes should be legal in the UK then lobby your MP,maybe get a vote going on the Prime Ministers listing. But if you feel strongly against illegal bikes then write to the Dept of Trading Standards at Kingston upon Thames to register your disapproval,they have a file on this subject but are of the mind that all S class bikes go to export and none are being used on uk roads,we all know that is patently not true.
The guys at LEBC have a plan to roll out good shops with good stock in other locations in the UK but this illegal bike problem is restricting their expansion plans.
KudosDave