Motorcycle With Pedals

[MichaelBarb]

We went to the Hersey show and I saw a bunch of the fat tire e-bicycles. I had to ask myself, are these bicycles or motorcycles with peddles?

[bigb56]

Originally Posted by MichaelBarb

We went to the Hersey show and I saw a bunch of the fat tire e-bicycles. I had to ask myself, are these bicycles or motorcycles with peddles?

Did they have hand throttles or pedal assist only?

[Alpine36]

Well, the short answer is bicycles with pedals, until you reach the class 3 designation. Some states have different laws/regulations. Class 3 can be considered an electric motorcycle in some cases. And then there’s California lol…
Here’s a quick look at how they’re classified.
FWIW, I have a class 3 with pedals and a hand throttle, no one has ever questioned its legality on public bike paths. Just ride with common courtesy.

https://www.juicedbikes.com/pages/e-...lassifications

[bigb56]

Originally Posted by Alpine36

Well, the short answer is bicycles with pedals, until you reach the class 3 designation. Some states have different laws/regulations. Class 3 can be considered an electric motorcycle in some cases. And then there’s California lol…
Here’s a quick look at how they’re classified.
FWIW, I have a class 3 with pedals and a hand throttle, no one has ever questioned its legality on public bike paths. Just ride with common courtesy.

https://www.juicedbikes.com/pages/e-...lassifications

Since my bike has pedal assist up to 28 MPH but no hand throttle I guess it's a class 3.

[RV Vagabond]

Will be subject to local laws, based on horsepower or engine size, safety road worthiness, etc.

[Flyer15015]

E=bikes get the best of both worlds.
Ride'em on a bike path or a city street.
And Lord help your bank account if you ever hit one.

Back in the late '50's I had a Schwinn Wizzer that I rode all over town for $.19 per gallon. Now they are $4000.00 and up for a real one. There are Chinese copies out there now, but I don't know their price.

Mike in Colorado

[Cumminsfan]

Yeah sorta. I have class 3 E bikes with thumb throttles. Very rarely ever use the hand throttle. Only when accelerating from a red light/stop sign in traffic. Pedal speed is maxed out around 28-29 mph in level 5 because of gearing. I simply can't pedal any faster. A different rear cassette and I could easily do 30-35 mph. Our Ebikes are a cross between an MTB and a road bike. Seating position is more upright but the bikes have front shocks and knobby tires. Out on the dirt trails they do feel like a lightweight motorcycle. The DW and I have ridden MC's of all types for years off and on so they have a feel of a dirt bike for us. Or even an adventure tour type MC.
Lots of misconceptions about E bikes because of riders overusing the E part and making them a hazard. Too bad because the majority of riders I see are mostly older and just want to get out and ride where they couldn't ride a regular bike. We used to ride human powered MTB's but age and lack of riding time caught up. Too hard to go out on occasion and ride the trails. E bikes help out big time.

FWIW we have to pedal to go faster as we have torque sensors vs cadence where you just barely need to pedal and you go a certain speed. Are the motorcycles with pedals? Maybe, just depends on how you ride them and what type of E bike you own.

[Old-Biscuit]

1970's gas crisis.......hello Mopeds

[Jay D.]

We have a pair of elct. bikes they both have pedal assist and hand throttle speed is about 20 or so. i use to race motocross and cross country, now my grand son is taking up the sport. we were at a near by track and watched a guy ride the pro 250 class on an electric bike, the gas bikes didn't have a chance he took all 3 motos. VERY FAST!
Jay D.

[MCCOHENS]

There are classes depending on watts of power, hand throttle and top speed. But I have not run into any situations where the class was checked by anyone or use limited die to class. I have seen some idiots(mostly in FL) ride too fast without pedalling at all on a bike path. This is not safe and gives ebikes a bad rep IMHO.
So bottom line if they have pedals most would call it an ebike, but that is a generic term right now. What do we have? Recumbent trikes, with throttles. One has a top speed of 20 one 30 and no we don't go that fast!

[Jay D.]

Originally Posted by MCCOHENS

There are classes depending on watts of power, hand throttle and top speed. But I have not run into any situations where the class was checked by anyone or use limited die to class. I have seen some idiots(mostly in FL) ride too fast without pedalling at all on a bike path. This is not safe and gives ebikes a bad rep IMHO.
So bottom line if they have pedals most would call it an ebike, but that is a generic term right now. What do we have? Recumbent trikes, with throttles. One has a top speed of 20 one 30 and no we don't go that fast!

here in Oregon i have heard that some state and privet parks are watching to see if your peddling or not. they are suppose to be peddle assist only. i'm sure the idiots will ruin it for everyone else.
Jay D.

[Alpine36]

Originally Posted by bigb56

Since my bike has pedal assist up to 28 MPH but no hand throttle I guess it's a class 3.

Yeah, it’s probably a class 3…or is it?
Mine is branded as a class 2 on the frame ID tag, but advertised as a class 3 by the manufacturer on their website. It has a 750 watt motor, 52v 15.6 ah li battery and has a branded top speed of 20mph. A few keystrokes of the LCD controller unlocks it to 28-30mph. They also sell a performance upgrade controller that makes it faster than I’d ever want to go on 20” fat tires. Me, an old fat guy, rides mostly in eco mode to get some exercise.
Sure is nice to have e options on those trails, beaches, hills and wind though.
I think we’ll probably see more ebike regulations as they gain popularity. (and those idiots…)
Get out and ride!

[AllegroD]

We love our Magicycle Cruisers. Pedal assist, 52v, 750/1000w, 4" tires. great for some off road and the beach. We have reached 29mph. Very sturdy but has some weight, 76lbs (with battery). We purchased a Hollywood hitch, to hold 2 ebikes, 4 inch wheels.



They have a fair assortment of styles, including folding and step through.


https://www.magicyclebike.com/

[NLOVNIT]

To answer the OP's question, probably not, but some e-bikes are classed high enough to qualify as motorcycles.

I've had a folding e-bike for 6-7 years. I've probably put nearly 1k miles on it, mostly on rails to trails. I like the folding aspect because I can easily fit it in the back of my SUV or, if I'm not towing, it fits behind my pilot's seat, between the seat back and the slide out.