E bikes rampaging Toronto streets

backmarkerducati said:
Seth (aka Bike Hacks, Berm Peak) had a good video on the subject:


IMO like I noted before the laws need to change and the loop holes need to be closed and enforced. Europe did a much better job than North America on the subject.
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For anyone who's like "Hey what kind of bike is that? I wonder what it costs and what it's pros and cons are, from a motorcyclist perspective."

First of all, good on ya for being curious and in such a specific way haha.

Second, I actually reviewed that exact ebike last month. Didn't bother posting it to GTAM because I figured it was too far removed from motorcycling to deserve a thread... but since that model's being shared anyway...

Here's what I loved and hated about it, and what it's like riding one through city streets and walking paths.

 
adri said:
For anyone who's like "Hey what kind of bike is that? I wonder what it costs and what it's pros and cons are, from a motorcyclist perspective."

First of all, good on ya for being curious and in such a specific way haha.

Second, I actually reviewed that exact ebike last month. Didn't bother posting it to GTAM because I figured it was too far removed from motorcycling to deserve a thread... but since that model's being shared anyway...

Here's what I loved and hated about it, and what it's like riding one through city streets and walking paths.

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You kept calling it an ebike. In Ontario (and I think all of Canada), it is not an ebike. It is an electric motorcycle. To be an ebike, it has to comply with every bullet point in the governments list. The max motor size to be an ebike is 500 watts so the 750 watt motor alone pushes it out to a motorcycle (even if it was turned down to 500, the definition is based on motor size not electric power supplied).
 
GreyGhost said:
You kept calling it an ebike. In Ontario (and I think all of Canada), it is not an ebike. It is an electric motorcycle. To be an ebike, it has to comply with every bullet point in the governments list. The max motor size to be an ebike is 500 watts so the 750 watt motor alone pushes it out to a motorcycle (even if it was turned down to 500, the definition is based on motor size not electric power supplied).
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I NEVER CLAIMED TO BE ANY GOOD AT MY JOB OKAY?






In all seriousness... Yes, fair point. Here, you're totally right. My audience is American. Canada isn't even second place. Ontario viewers wouldn't even make a geographic top ten list, so, gotta keep that in mind too. But like the guy in the video said, even the people buying them don't seem to understand the difference or what the laws are.

SCR-20250902-nmrd.jpeg

Random shot around the Don Valley, Chrawno.
 
Murphy said:
Why do I have to pay so much to ride a motorcycle...licence. insurance..training...when Toronto allows anyone to do the same on these with none of the above...and use roads and bike lanes.
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Not just Toronto but anywhere. Why, because 99.9% of Canadians are so nice to accept it. Not this guy though.

I have seen some of these e-bikes that are modified and going at high speeds on sidewalks and pedestrian trails in the city where bicycles are also allowed on.

No insurance, so how do you think I'll react if I get run into and end up walking with a limp for the rest of my life. Or if you fail to follow the rules and not stop at a stop sign and run into my sports car. It is not going to be a pretty sight.
 
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Well, I sold my Talaria MX5 today, womp womp.

Wasn't planning on it, didn't even have it listed. A friend was over, he had ridden it a couple times before. He was always kind of interested in it as there are woods with trails behind his property. He made me an offer, I shrugged it off, five hours later he offered me $1,000 more and I was like, sure. I only put about 200 km on it in a year so (this was a bad year for me), so, he'll make better use of it.

I don't know what's more surprising, the MX5 I was never planning on selling is gone, or people want to spend 6 hours with me. Fuckin crazy world we're living in.

dsc00257-jpg.75542



Guess I'll have to find something else to go rampaging on.
 
adri said:
I NEVER CLAIMED TO BE ANY GOOD AT MY JOB OKAY?






In all seriousness... Yes, fair point. Here, you're totally right. My audience is American. Canada isn't even second place. Ontario viewers wouldn't even make a geographic top ten list, so, gotta keep that in mind too. But like the guy in the video said, even the people buying them don't seem to understand the difference or what the laws are.

View attachment 75781

Random shot around the Don Valley, Chrawno.
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There was a movie shoot around the corner with paid duty cops manning the barricades. I got into a conversation with one of them and he told me the cops don't even know the laws. It never comes up in briefings.
 
nobbie48 said:
There was a movie shoot around the corner with paid duty cops manning the barricades. I got into a conversation with one of them and he told me the cops don't even know the laws. It never comes up in briefings.
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Honestly, somehow this leaves me more relieved than if they did actively know, worry, and got briefed about these things.

Not because as an e-rider I want the cops ignorant, but just because, I'd like to hope that these guys have way more important things to know, worry, and be briefed about.
 
adri said:
Honestly, somehow this leaves me more relieved than if they did actively know, worry, and got briefed about these things.

Not because as an e-rider I want the cops ignorant, but just because, I'd like to hope that these guys have way more important things to know, worry, and be briefed about.
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He admitted that cameras were all about fund raising.
 
Toronto's micro-mobility enforcement blitz was a farce as expected. The headline is 3500 tickets issued, the small print is 179 tickets were for micro-mobility devices (ebikes, scooters, etc). It would be easy to hand out more tickets than that in a single day on the island or at any downtown intersection. So their "blitz" involved very few officers for very little time. More theatrics, no results. Big surprise.

toronto.citynews.ca

Over 3,500 tickets issued during back-to-school, micromobility vehicle enforcement campaign

Toronto police have laid over 3,500 tickets to drivers during an increased enforcement campaign for micromobility vehicles and back-to-school safety.
toronto.citynews.ca toronto.citynews.ca
 
I'm glad you shared this. It speaks volumes, but, I'm not sure of what...

Does 179 tickets in their "blitz" show that Toronto police are using their best judgement on who aaaactually deserves to be ticketed on micro mobility machines, and leniency towards people just getting around respectfully?

Does 179 tickets in a two week blitz show the force really is more focused on more important things than this ******** witch-hunt?

Does 179 tickets in 14 days show TPDs incompetence at catching even the slowest criminals on wheels?

For perspective, in 2011-ish, my girlfriend at the time was ticketed for 42 in a 40 on trethewey during a blitz on her little cbr125... 42. In a 40. The cop said he wasn't allowed to make any exceptions because they were doing a blitz.

So I really don't know how to digest this number. Some ways I look at it, it gives me faith, other ways, my inner pessimist roars. Who tf knows, I guess 🤔🤷‍♂️
 
adri said:
I'm glad you shared this. It speaks volumes, but, I'm not sure of what...

Does 179 tickets in their "blitz" show that Toronto police are using their best judgement on who aaaactually deserves to be ticketed on micro mobility machines, and leniency towards people just getting around respectfully?

Does 179 tickets in a two week blitz show the force really is more focused on more important things than this ******** witch-hunt?

Does 179 tickets in 14 days show TPDs incompetence at catching even the slowest criminals on wheels?

For perspective, in 2011-ish, my girlfriend at the time was ticketed for 42 in a 40 on trethewey during a blitz on her little cbr125... 42. In a 40. The cop said he wasn't allowed to make any exceptions because they were doing a blitz.

So I really don't know how to digest this number. Some ways I look at it, it gives me faith, other ways, my inner pessimist roars. Who tf knows, I guess 🤔🤷‍♂️
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When my late brother was a cop he would occasionally call me warning of a blitz. Most of the blitz was for statistics.

If seeing a lot of cops around how does it affect crime rates, collisions etc.
 
adri said:
The prospect of getting old just got a lot less upsetting. Thank you lol
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When doing high speed wheelies on a mobility scooter on public roads, I feel a helmet would be a good idea. Looks like fun though until the cops catch you and give you all the tickets. Grind hard plumbing co made some awesome power wheels on a similar vein. They basically all end up as a powerwheels body over a custom racing four-wheeler. They are proper fast.
 
Reminds me of Ed March's mini jeep:

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Underbody is basically an ATV chassis lol

He also has it wired up for remote control via a video game controller because sometimes it can't get through thick snow with his weight on it.

Guy is a maniac. He's my engineer girl's second favorite youtuber. At least, I tell myself he's second...

 
In our area there are a bunch of kids (minors) riding what are basically multi-thousand dollar electric dirt-bikes, well above 35 kph and no pedals etc. to be found. Constantly flying around in bike lanes, doing wheelies on the street, etc...

The parents obviously bought the kids these bikes, that are not street legal in any way and not licensed, insured. etc.. That should make the parents liable when someone gets run-over or otherwise seriously hurt, should it not? One has to prove the parent did not exercise reasonable supervision and control over the child, buying them an illegal bike (or not knowing the law) and setting them loose on the roads I think proves that.

Not that we did not do stupid stuff when we were kids but our parents did not bankroll the stupidity...
 
I had to buy my own. I got a crashed Rupp Roadster from SnoCity, worked cleaning up their yard when I was 12, the owners gave me a new crashed bike that I had to fix.

We would ride the Don River from Donn Mills to down town to hit the pinball alleys. Cops on horses couldn’t catch us.
 
backmarkerducati said:
In our area there are a bunch of kids (minors) riding what are basically multi-thousand dollar electric dirt-bikes, well above 35 kph and no pedals etc. to be found. Constantly flying around in bike lanes, doing wheelies on the street, etc...

The parents obviously bought the kids these bikes, that are not street legal in any way and not licensed, insured. etc.. That should make the parents liable when someone gets run-over or otherwise seriously hurt, should it not? One has to prove the parent did not exercise reasonable supervision and control over the child, buying them an illegal bike (or not knowing the law) and setting them loose on the roads I think proves that.

Not that we did not do stupid stuff when we were kids but our parents did not bankroll the stupidity...
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We have a handful in our area that ride the scooters like idiots. Blowing through stop signs, passing all cars, and driving on the yellow line between both directions of traffic.

Hell I almost killed one when he made a wide turn and almost clipped me as he couldn’t pull it back in until the last second.

Almost saw 2 12 year olds get hit in a parking lot as they were ripping between parked cars into a travel lane.

Zero helmets. All laughs at their close calls.

I don’t think they understand the ramifications of potential injuries. But if they hit someone, it’ll be the cars fault of course.

Parents nowhere to be found.
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