Hi Andy. Thanks for the comment and sorry if my question is a wee bit confusing.
My eBike has 3 'assists'.
1. Walking Assist where if I press and hold the '-' key on the controller, the motor moves the bike at walking pace for me.
2. Pedal assist where the motor assists me as I pedal.
3. Throttle Only Mode. The bike has a separate twist grip throttle which is able to power the bike without me having to use the pedals. This is what I am beginning to call my 'Motorbike' mode as it can get me up to and keep me at around 10-12mph.
It is number 3 I was querying as I thought that this was illegal in the UK.
Firstly many thanks for the full explanation, perfect!
The throttle is on many bikes here and in the EU generally (EU’s EN15194 ), and reading the EU laws in German, it is very confusing, but I am of the opinion that newer bikes are now not allowed it.
So probably some of the local police are confused too.....
I have one (illegally or not) on my 2 year old e-bike and I find it occasionally quite useful, but if it wasn't there, I would still be perfectly happy with my bike.
I am sure that some other bikers here can give you a far better explanation as to its "current" legality within the EU and the UK.
I looked on the IoT and this would appear to NOT allow "Twist and go" in the UK anymore (my interpretation only!):-
Juicy Bike | Electric Bikes and E-Bikes Made for Hills
www.juicybike.co.uk
Where I found this:-
The UK electric bike industry and the Department for Transport have long recognised these 1983 UK regulations to be antiquated. In practice, UK police enforce the standards set by the EU’s EN15194. The EN15194 regulations stipulate that e-bikes may:
- Be fitted with a motor with a power of no more than 250w
- Provide a maximum assisted speed (i.e. the speed at which motor assistance is automatically cut off) of no more than 25 kmph (roughly 15.5 mph)
- Not be fitted with a full speed throttle that can work ‘independently’ (that is without the pedals ‘moving forward’). Start Up Assist throttles (those that assist up to 6 km/h) are allowed
- Be ridden without any minimum age limit
How Twist and Go throttles fit in with the new harmonised regulations
In fact, nearly all UK based e-bike manufacturers design their bikes to these EU standards,
with one notable exception: the historic use and acceptance of full speed throttles.
I hope this helps you further, and I exxpect there to be differences between police forces, sadly!
regards
Andy