Twangman.
You specifically did ask the question!
When it comes to the fun police on the forum, I wonder how many are car owners and how many times they have gone over speed limits in their car?
You even ended your post with a question mark. So please don't complain when someone responds
I fully appreciate this comment, and I do agree everyone is free to make their own choices, and if those choices involve breaking the law - you're then liable to the consequences of those choices.
I must admit I'm getting a bit sick of the Punch and Judy show of you and Old Tom popping up putting the same old record on every time someone mentions derestricting. Very few people when they buy a bike wlll not know that the bike they purchased is limited at 15.5mph or what the position is re the law, we are all adults and can make our own choices.
All I'm saying is that its in everyones interests to ensure these choices are educated ones, and not made on the back of ignorance of the laws you're breaking.
However....
When you say things like this,
Col, As you very well know shop sold bikes which the owners have either derestricted or added a dongle as opposed to some DIY kit bikes are not the same as a motorbike no way can they achieve the same power/speed. At best you could class most derestricted bikes as a lower powered moped which enables the rider either by peddling or throttle to go as fast as your average fit cyclist.
your argument of about adults being entitled to make informed choices.... relies on those choices being informed. Therefore each time someone posts something on a public forum that is simply incorrect (like this). Its right that others post the correct information so that any third party reading the post can see that a mistake has been made.
There is no grey area in the UK, and whilst you might think that "at best you could class most derestricted bikes as a lower powered moped" I'm afraid its simply not up to you.
This website / forum is called pedelecs. There is a very clear definition of what a pedelecs is in the UK Law, and it has 250w and a top assist speed of 15.5mph. Anything over that... IS A MOTORBIKE. This isn't my opinion or a grey area, its simply a fact.
So if you're using a derestricted bike, you ARE riding a motorbike. The fact its currently pretty much impossible to register, tax, MOT and insure these motorbikes - means you're riding it illegally.
If you were to say... I know I'm riding an illegal motorbike and I have looked at the risks and decided I'm happy to break the laws and take the consequences should I be caught or involved in an accident, then I'd have no argument with you. Especially if you were trying to educate others about the risks they were taking.
However you're not, you're saying that we're just the fun police, when all we're trying to do is make sure people are actually educated on the risks they are taking, because there are lots, possibly yourself included who don't understand what you're doing and the risks.
What's a bit frustrating as a seller of e-bikes is that KTM have some very sexy S-class bikes listed in £ in their 2016 range price list. Unfortunately we are not allowed to sell these bikes in the UK.
KudosDave
We've got them in the pricelist and brochure, because we can sell them. There is nothing illegal about selling them, and our dealers can sell them.
We've actually had quite a few dealers try to order them. However due to the liability passing up the supply chain should one of these bikes be involved in an accident - we have one rule that must be adhered to before we sell one of these bikes in the UK.
The rule is, the customer must be able to prove they can use the bike legally.
So far we've not been able to sell a single one.
