Why were Full Throttles banned in 2016?

[StuartsProjects]

Not legal, since to be a pedelec exempt from motor vehicle law, there cannot be any assist power when pedalling stops.

That I realise.

But for example, on the very common KT controllers is easy enough to turn that feature on or off.

Does the fact that you could (easily ?) disable the motor cut off when you stop pedalling make the bike not legal ?

 

[saneagle]

That I realise.

But for example, on the very common KT controllers is easy enough to turn that feature on or off.

Does the fact that you could (easily ?) disable the motor cut off when you stop pedalling make the bike not legal ?

We've had all these discussions before. Just about every ebike can be derestricted or adjusted by some means or other to change their legality. Some can be done through an LCD, some by a phone app and some by pc cable. Technically, none are legal, but most of them are certified as complying with EN15194. The only thing you need to worry about is whether your bike is legal at the time you're stopped. The only exception would be if you had a big red switch on your handlebars that was marked "Off Road Switch" or "Derestrictor" or "Illegal Throttle operation", etc.

If you're worried about your KT controller, put a password in the settings, then nobody will be able to see that it's possible to change anything, and if they ask you, tell them that somebody else put athe password in it and you don't know what it is.

 

[Woosh]

I think you misunderstood my question. What I'm saying is, If I'm using the throttle as well as pedalling I can stop pedalling and keep the the throttle pressed, which keeps the motor going for as long as I've got the throttle pressed. Is that legal? The reason I'm asking is your post seemed to say the motor should cut out when the pedals are stopped even with the throttle pressed.

Hello Jimod,
On your bike, the throttle is set for timeout by the brake sensors.
if the software decides to time out the throttle active time by say 10 seconds, the motor will stop after 10 seconds after the last pedalling pulse. Setting the run off time will cause an annoyance to the user because the power goes off without warning, which can be an unnecessary distraction. If you want the software to have a throttle timeout, I can ask my suppliers for that.

 

[flecc]

That I realise.

But for example, on the very common KT controllers is easy enough to turn that feature on or off.

Does the fact that you could (easily ?) disable the motor cut off when you stop pedalling make the bike not legal ?

No, that doesn't make the pedelec illegal in practice. As Saneagle says, it doesn't qualify as an Off Road Switch. Altering in that way is the software equivalent of using tools to physically alter the machine.

As I said in my long reply to Jimod, we need to accept some flexibility in the way we view these legal situations. Strictly speaking laws are being broken, starting with the DfT doing it 20 years ago and continuing to in order to accommodate a difficult situation.

We can't expect those involved, the DfT, the Home Office and those who sell pedelecs to openly say, yes we are breaking the law. So we should allow them wriggle room, since after all, they are only doing it to provide what so many of us ask for and some need.
.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Wisper will upgrade any of their bikes to full throttle for £300. They claim that they are fully road legal in the UK.

Full Throttle Option

Full Throttle eBikes add excitement to your rides. With a top speed of 15.5mph without pedalling, zip around town or trails effortlessly.

wisperbikes.com

Hi Nigel, we dont just claim they are legal. We state that they are legal!

All the best, David