October 26, 201510 yr Hi does any one on this forum know where i may be able to get the Specialised Turbo Flashed with the 48kph setting in the bikes firmware. I have spoken with my dealer and they are reluctant to do this for me even with a written waver that i will only be riding it on private land and not on the public roads. Is there any modders out there with the correct diagnostic tools required to carry out this modification or is my only hope to buy from Germany or Holland.
October 27, 201510 yr Can I ask where you've found some private land to ride this bike on? We've been trying for 12 months now and we can't find anywhere where its legal to ride these bikes in the UK where it would actually be worth having one. This is probably why the dealer won't supply you, because they can't see how you could use it legally and know they would be liable should you be involved in an accident. Its good to see Specialized are taking a stand on this, and not just making a fast buck and putting their customers at risk.
October 27, 201510 yr [quote="KTM Bike Industries UK, post: 281145, member: 8115" Its good to see Specialized are taking a stand on this, and not just making a fast buck and putting their customers at risk. More likely the dealer hasn't a clue how to do the job.
October 27, 201510 yr [quote="KTM Bike Industries UK, post: 281145, member: 8115" Its good to see Specialized are taking a stand on this, and not just making a fast buck and putting their customers at risk. More likely the dealer hasn't a clue how to do the job. You'd be surprised, most decent bike shops know how to do things, but also know that just because it can be done... doesn't mean it should be. Especially when it comes to risking your business.
October 27, 201510 yr More likely the dealer hasn't a clue how to do the job. You'd be surprised, most decent bike shops know how to do things, but also know that just because it can be done... doesn't mean it should be. Especially when it comes to risking your business. Most dealers are useless at anything even slightly complex when it comes to ebikes. There is no risk to their business. You think there is, or at least you persist in scaremongering. It matters not which. A Spesh dealer is big enough and ugly enough to make its own decisions. As are the rest of us.
October 28, 201510 yr Most dealers are useless at anything even slightly complex when it comes to ebikes. I suspect you've not been into as many shops as I have, or seen how much training Bosch and the other eBike brands are doing with retailers over the past 6 months since they took on specialist UK staff. There is no risk to their business. You think there is, or at least you persist in scaremongering. There is, and for you to suggest there isn't is the opposite of scaremongering, what ever that is A Spesh dealer is big enough and ugly enough to make its own decisions. ...and look what they decided to do. You say its because of incompetence, I'd say its because of competence. It would only take a quick phone call to find out.
October 28, 201510 yr Can I ask where you've found some private land to ride this bike on? We've been trying for 12 months now and we can't find anywhere where its legal to ride these bikes in the UK where it would actually be worth having one. This is probably why the dealer won't supply you, because they can't see how you could use it legally and know they would be liable should you be involved in an accident. Its good to see Specialized are taking a stand on this, and not just making a fast buck and putting their customers at risk. I have to agree with Rob on this one. The OP more than likely understands the risks involved, and I doubt whether the dealer's business is at risk either. You're more at risk of alienating potential customers from the KTM brand with the incessant comments about legality. Come on dude... Give it a rest.... Edited October 28, 201510 yr by Fordulike
October 28, 201510 yr I have to agree with Rob on this one. The OP more than likely understands the risks involved, and I doubt whether the dealer's business is at risk either. Come on dude... give it a rest... Still, that is just your opinion and you have nothing to lose. He says he has taken legal advice and they might be. I can see why KTM is banging his drum, and why the trade is worried about irresponsible people killing e MBs off at organised venues before they really get going. So he is entitled to make his points just as you and RobF are. I don’t see why he should just shut up because some members don’t like what he says. It’s a free forum. Once I would have said it’s a free country, but it isn’t anymore.
October 28, 201510 yr Still, that is just your opinion and you have nothing to lose. He says he has taken legal advice and they might be. I can see why KTM is banging his drum, and why the trade is worried about irresponsible people killing e MBs off at organised venues before they really get going. So he is entitled to make his points just as you and RobF are. I don’t see why he should just shut up because some members don’t like what he says. It’s a free forum. Once I would have said it’s a free country, but it isn’t anymore. I have no issue with any member stating the facts about the legalities of ebikes, but when the OP's original question was: Is there any modders out there with the correct diagnostic tools required to carry out this modification or is my only hope to buy from Germany or Holland then why not just answer the question, instead of going down the legality route yet again. Onto post #9 and the OP is none the wiser, which is probably why they haven't bothered posting again.
October 28, 201510 yr Well its a drum we're going to continue to bang as loudly as we can. If you don't like it, that's fine. http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/brands-must-be-tough-on-e-bike-modifications-says-supplier/018585
October 28, 201510 yr So it doesn't matter then that the OP posted in the correct section of the forum asking a perfectly reasonable question, you(Ktm ) still feel the need to lecture us yet again. What is the point in having the s-pedelecs / off road section if when someone asks a question all you do is trot out the same lecture, which had no relevance to the OP 's original question?
October 28, 201510 yr I've been involved in the MTB community for 25 years and seen the fight for access rights slowly being won, so I believe I have a right to question and continue to fight the case for what I believe in. If you don't want me to keep replying, there is a simply answer... don't keep making me reply Carton Reid, one of the most established cycling journalists in this country felt strongly enough about my open letter written yesterday to share it, and added the comment when he shared it with his 17,000 followers. "Risk isn't just that e-MTBs will be banned, risk is that *all* MTBs will be banned. Slippery slope, in many more ways than one." There is a good reason we're all worried, and yes we will continue to post about it.
October 28, 201510 yr I have no issue with any member stating the facts about the legalities of ebikes, but when the OP's original question was: Is there any modders out there with the correct diagnostic tools required to carry out this modification or is my only hope to buy from Germany or Holland then why not just answer the question, instead of going down the legality route yet again. Onto post #9 and the OP is none the wiser, which is probably why they haven't bothered posting again. Well, to be fair he was talking about using it in the UK on private land and that was why the dealer was not happy to do it. The point being that it really is almost impossible to find private land in the UK which does not have public access via footpaths and suchlike. So in practice the dealer knows it can’t be used here legally and doesn’t want to get involved. Which is the answer to his question BTW. Perhaps he hasn’t come back because he didn’t really understand the private land thing? Most people who are new here and ask questions about deregulating their bikes say they want to use them off road and are completely unaware that is just as illegal as on the road. Someone further up wrote that most people understand the law in this regard, but I don’t think that’s true at all. Most new e bikers don’t seem to have a clue and still cling to the off road idea, and off road buttons. Not helped when eBay sellers and some dealers set out to mislead them. So pointing out the law to those who don’t know is doing them a favour. If they then carry on and buy and use their bike illegally that is up to them. No one is lecturing existing users of illegal bikes as far as I can see. Although some of them do get their knickers in a twist rather easily when the legalities are mentioned….
October 28, 201510 yr Well, to be fair he was talking about using it in the UK on private land and that was why the dealer was not happy to do it. The point being that it really is almost impossible to find private land in the UK which does not have public access via footpaths and suchlike. So in practice the dealer knows it can’t be used here legally and doesn’t want to get involved. Which is the answer to his question BTW. They didn't ask the question whether it was legal or not, just that the dealer was reluctant to flash it to the alternative mode. I'm sure the dealer told them the reasons why they wouldn't do this, so the OP probably knows the legalities already. Perhaps he hasn’t come back because he didn’t really understand the private land thing? No, they haven't come back, because instead of a straightforward answer, all they are getting are answers that are unrelated to the questions they've asked. All I can see are questions about flashing the bike and whether any of the forum members can help in doing so. No one is lecturing existing users of illegal bikes as far as I can see. Although some of them do get their knickers in a twist rather easily when the legalities are mentioned…. Not knickers in a twist, more like mildly peeved. I'm sure the reason why we had the extra topic heading of 'UK off-road, S-Pedelecs and overseas' added, was so that we could chat freely about bikes that are obviously not legal, without getting the riot act read to us in nearly every thread. Edited October 28, 201510 yr by Fordulike
October 28, 201510 yr This reference to private land is becoming something of a joke....we all know that nobody would buy an S-class e-bike to use it on private land.....who would buy a 45kph specialised turbo to ride it round their farmyard and make sure that they dont cross any bridleways,even on their own land. I see these bikes riding past on a daily basis when 50 cycles were up the road,we found it amusing when customers came in to service one then realised they had come to the wrong shop,hehe. Just come clean guys you intend to ride them on the road,up bridleways,across the downs and along promenades in exactly the same way as a legal pedelec is used. If you are intending private land use only I would love to know where this bit of private land exists. Many of the postings on this bit of the forum talk about using it on private land then forget and talk about riding through Glasgow or up the Manifold valley. Keep it honest even if it is illegal, I dont suppose the police are going to read pedelecs. KudosDave
October 28, 201510 yr This reference to private land is becoming something of a joke....we all know that nobody would buy an S-class e-bike to use it on private land.....who would buy a 45kph specialised turbo to ride it round their farmyard and make sure that they dont cross any bridleways,even on their own land. Totally agree Dave, the private land/off-road references should have been abolished yonks ago. It's totally misleading, especially for newbies to the scene. Just come clean guys you intend to ride them on the road,up bridleways,across the downs and along promenades in exactly the same way as a legal pedelec is used. I'm man enough to admit that I do exactly this
October 28, 201510 yr OP could be young Harry wanting to ride about on his granny's land ;-) Doubt it, Harry's a Haibike Xduro fan
October 28, 201510 yr Col, The protection for the retailer is possession of the modified bike is not illegal, only use of it. Thus it is not illegal or any risk to the dealer to sell/mod the bike. I'm sure some of your dealers can race prep a KTM motorbike. Are they all living in fear of the customer choosing to test it on the M1? There are any number of other examples. Your local garden centre will sell you a ride on lawnmower. Is their business at risk because you might decide to use the mower to go shopping? Of course it isn't. If ebike dealers want to busybody over customers wanting non-legal bikes, that's fine, their choice. But that's all it is, busybodying.
October 28, 201510 yr They didn't ask the question whether it was legal or not, just that the dealer was reluctant to flash it to the alternative mode. I'm sure the dealer told them the reasons why they wouldn't do this, so the OP probably knows the legalities already. No, they haven't come back, because instead of a straightforward answer, all they are getting are answers that are unrelated to the questions they've asked. All I can see are questions about flashing the bike and whether any of the forum members can help in doing so. Not knickers in a twist, more like mildly peeved. I'm sure the reason why we had the extra topic heading of 'UK off-road, S-Pedelecs and overseas' added, was so that we could chat freely about bikes that are obviously not legal, without getting the riot act read to us in nearly every thread. Yep, of course the dealer told him the reason he wouldn’t do it and that’s why he offered a so called waver about using it on private land. Which the dealer would know was daft. So it does come down to legalities. Besides the OP’s fall back is to buy one from Germany or Austria as far as I can make out. So apart from the private land stuff he knew the score on the rest. So to repeat, the clarification in the following post by KTM was to the OPs misunderstanding of private land and was not aimed as far as I can see at people who know the law but choose to ignore it. So there really is no reason for you or anyone else to be peeved every time a newbie has to be told that his understanding of off road is nonsense.
October 28, 201510 yr John, The waiver, while a bit over dramatic, was not daft. As I said, possession/sale of the modded bike is not illegal. The waiver, presumably saying the buyer would not use the bike illegally, does offer the dealer extra protection. Not that the dealer needs it.
October 28, 201510 yr Maybe the OP should pose their question again, but this time omitting the info about contacting their dealer. Then they might get the answer they are looking for and this thread would save some server space. To the OP. I have spent some time this evening searching the web for the answer you are looking for, but I'm sorry to say that I didn't come up with anything useful. You might want to pop over to Endless Sphere and pose your question there, as they are less likely to jump onto you like a pack of bloodthirsty hounds about legalities. Edited October 28, 201510 yr by Fordulike
October 28, 201510 yr John, The waiver, while a bit over dramatic, was not daft. As I said, possession/sale of the modded bike is not illegal. The waiver, presumably saying the buyer would not use the bike illegally, does offer the dealer extra protection. Not that the dealer needs it. Rob....I got my legal guys to look at the possibility of getting the customer to sign a waiver if we sold illegal S-class bikes. The problem is testing,if we allow a customer to test such a bike any waiver is redundant,the action of allowing a customer to test such a bike on the highway is making the dealer liable....he is an expert in law and if he watches a customer riding such a bike then he is communicating to the customer that the e-bike is OK to use on UK roads. I just couldn't see how any S-class customer would buy such a bike without test riding it and no proper private land is available to offer a legal test,so it became a bit of a non starter. Some dealers just take the risk and cross their fingers!!! KudosDave
October 29, 201510 yr Rob....I got my legal guys to look at the possibility of getting the customer to sign a waiver if we sold illegal S-class bikes. The problem is testing,if we allow a customer to test such a bike any waiver is redundant,the action of allowing a customer to test such a bike on the highway is making the dealer liable....he is an expert in law and if he watches a customer riding such a bike then he is communicating to the customer that the e-bike is OK to use on UK roads. I just couldn't see how any S-class customer would buy such a bike without test riding it and no proper private land is available to offer a legal test,so it became a bit of a non starter. Some dealers just take the risk and cross their fingers!!! KudosDave Selling an S-Class bike is of no risk to you David, its just like any motorbike shop selling a motorcross bike. They can't be used anywhere apart from private land, but they are sold every day with no issue for the retailers. The only issue is most MX customers won't use their bike on the road, and certainly wouldn't take it to their local forest park to ride around the woods.
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