ebike good and bad in BC. | Page 4 | GTAMotorcycle.com

ebike good and bad in BC.

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mimico_polak said:
Doesn’t look that bad. Hell I’d buy one.

But someone could theoretically report him to Kijiji I guess for misrepresentation.
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It is a cool looking bike and would work great for an urban commuter but there is no legal way to ride that thing. It is not an ebike and you can't get plates or insurance. You might as well ride a pocket bike and get more cheers from spectators.

EDIT:
Motor is likely 4 KW. Anything over 500 W is by definition not an ebike.
 
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GreyGhost said:
I had a cop laser me on a bicycle long ago on Kingston road (IIRC) coming down a hill. He gave me the slow down motion.
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Glad I haven't been radar'd. 50 mph in a posted 30 zone would make an interesting court case. :)



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Just so you know....
You can get a speeding ticket on a pedal bicycle, and it will stick.
You won't get points, but a ticket will show on your driver's abstract.
 
So - What do you do now?

Almost none of the e-bikes that have been sold in the past decade meet what I think was the actual intent of an e-bike ... a bicycle, that you pedal, which won't go anywhere unless you are pedaling, but with a motor that helps out on hills.

Changing the definition of an e-bike to more closely represent its original intent, screws over the people who bought electric scooters and motorcycles that have vestigial pedals (i.e. most "e-bikes" that have actually been sold).

Perhaps ...

Those electric-powered skateboard things should not be on public roads in traffic. Never were legal, shouldn't be legal. (Brakes? Lights? What happens when you cross a streetcar track at an angle?)

Change the definition of an e-bike so that an original-intent e-bike (you pedal, it helps, no go unless you are pedalling) is subject to the same situation as now. No license needed, no insurance needed, no power assistance over 32 km/h, same rules of the road as a bicycle, because it is a bicycle with a motor that helps on hills.

Make a new sub-category of low-speed electric vehicles that don't need pedals. Max 32 km/h same as e-bikes now, require them to be licensed and have a license plate but make the license free.

Anything that can do more than 32 km/h under power is a "low-speed motorcycle", an existing category that needs a license plate and insurance. They can delete their useless pedals.
 
Brian P said:
So - What do you do now?

Almost none of the e-bikes that have been sold in the past decade meet what I think was the actual intent of an e-bike ... a bicycle, that you pedal, which won't go anywhere unless you are pedaling, but with a motor that helps out on hills.

Changing the definition of an e-bike to more closely represent its original intent, screws over the people who bought electric scooters and motorcycles that have vestigial pedals (i.e. most "e-bikes" that have actually been sold).

Perhaps ...

Those electric-powered skateboard things should not be on public roads in traffic. Never were legal, shouldn't be legal. (Brakes? Lights? What happens when you cross a streetcar track at an angle?)

Change the definition of an e-bike so that an original-intent e-bike (you pedal, it helps, no go unless you are pedalling) is subject to the same situation as now. No license needed, no insurance needed, no power assistance over 32 km/h, same rules of the road as a bicycle, because it is a bicycle with a motor that helps on hills.

Make a new sub-category of low-speed electric vehicles that don't need pedals. Max 32 km/h same as e-bikes now, require them to be licensed and have a license plate but make the license free.

Anything that can do more than 32 km/h under power is a "low-speed motorcycle", an existing category that needs a license plate and insurance. They can delete their useless pedals.
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I was hoping government was smart enough to take that step at the end of the pilot project. Yes, it sticks some people with useless wheeled things but it was a pilot, it was never guaranteed to be permanent. Instead, they doubled down and made it permanent and I still don't know why (Emmo threw money at the Libs?).

The practical solution to fixing it is definition changes to pedelec (power assisted pedelling, no power only drive) as of Jan 2022. No sales of new bikes not meeting the new definition after that point (with huge penalties for non-compliance). That gives stores a season to clear out the non-complying ones. Grandfather ones that exist until Jan 2027. At that point, they are all off public roads (or LSM's if someone wants to figure out how to do insurance but I suspect that will be financially non-viable).
 
These aren't just sold in Ontario. I suspect the issue with how these vehicles are defined is across North America. None of those manufacturers would tool up to build something to sell it only in Ontario (and, evidently, British Columbia).

The existing scooter- and motorcycle-style "e-bikes" mostly don't appear to have lighting that is compliant with CMVSS (I will grant that some might), and therefore could not be re-categorised as "low-speed motorcycles". But they were originally not supposed to be able to do more than 32 km/h.

Anyone who has hot-rodded or de-restricted one, is going to be on their own.
 
Brian P said:
These aren't just sold in Ontario. I suspect the issue with how these vehicles are defined is across North America. None of those manufacturers would tool up to build something to sell it only in Ontario (and, evidently, British Columbia).

The existing scooter- and motorcycle-style "e-bikes" mostly don't appear to have lighting that is compliant with CMVSS (I will grant that some might), and therefore could not be re-categorised as "low-speed motorcycles". But they were originally not supposed to be able to do more than 32 km/h.

Anyone who has hot-rodded or de-restricted one, is going to be on their own.
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Its easier than that - reclassify them as mopeds.
Make them have a plate, insurance and some kind of operators' permit.
Then at least the cops could bust all the DUIs that aren't playing fair.
It worked in the 1970s, it can work again.
 
TK4 said:
Its easier than that - reclassify them as mopeds.
Make them have a plate, insurance and some kind of operators' permit.
Then at least the cops could bust all the DUIs that aren't playing fair.
It worked in the 1970s, it can work again.
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Cops can already busy the dui crowd but don't give ****. If you have a dui you can't ride a ebike. Cops are to lazy to bother as usual.

Sent from my KFONWI using Tapatalk
 
When i visited shanghai couple years ago, EVERYONE was on an electric scooter - there weren't any gas powered ones and they had curbed off ebike lanes that were pretty much one car lane split in two (two way traffic).

I wonder if you are required to have a license for one there. They're pretty damn quick and i did see one pedestrian get smoked by a careless rider, who kept on riding after picking up their bike when they fell over.

Here, they're way too fast for the safety of the riders, and most don't have the skills to manage them. I'm sure an ebike can do much damage if they ran into a car or motorcycle. needs to be some better ruling....
 
Scuba Steve said:
Cops can already busy the dui crowd but don't give ****. If you have a dui you can't ride a ebike. Cops are to lazy to bother as usual.

Sent from my KFONWI using Tapatalk
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Also money from a stone for much of the ebike crowd. Unless the cops are given the power to seize property (which as with 172 I strongly disagree with), wasting time on handing out useless pieces of paper doesn't make a lot of sense. If you aren't renewing a drivers license, what mechanism is there to get the fines paid? Maybe seizure if they ticket you with outstanding fines? No idea. Gov't should never ever have allowed DUI mobiles. The log of the lobbying to get 250 lb "bicycles" approved would be interesting to read.
 
Cities, municipalities and every level of government will be salivating at finding new sources of revenue. This could be the time for this type of legislation where these e-bikes start showing up on the radar.

lots of riders, lots of possible revenue streams for it:
- licensing
- insurance
- registration
- fines for non compliance

I’m typically against govt intervention and more regulations, but these things skirt the law on purpose and if I get smoked or my car gets hit I end up paying.

Perfect example. Last Thursday an ebike wiped out at Queensway and Dixie. If there was another involved vehicle who pays that damage if the rider was deemed at fault? under no fault I guess everyone’s insurance pays them out anyway but I’ll guarantee the ebike rider will go after the car driver.
 
New hipster coffee shop/cafe racer ebike store opened in Toronto. The vast majority of ebikes make a mockery of the term. They are clearly LSM's powered by a battery.

www.blogto.com

Good Good Coffee

Good Good Coffee is a takeout coffee shop, serving single-origin cups of Joe, just as they are, without the theatrics presented at specialty coffee shop...
www.blogto.com www.blogto.com

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Ugh. If it takes more than 15sec to pour and serve a coffee, it's bs.
 
GreyGhost said:
Espresso takes ~20 seconds to pull a shot, add grinding/tamping/purge you are normally over a minute. Done properly I really like it. Done by most machines, blech.
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Ya. Everyone has thier own taste. It's just frustrating when there is a lineup of 10 people and the guy in front orders a latte blah blah blah blah.
I know, cranky old man.
 
Wingboy said:
Ya. Everyone has thier own taste. It's just frustrating when there is a lineup of 10 people and the guy in front orders a latte blah blah blah blah.
I know, cranky old man.
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I'd be ok with an express line. If you want something you can pour yourself, stay left. If you want us to make something for you, stay right. Self checkout on drip coffee is probably going to collect 99% of the money and free up the employees for the pita expensive drinks.
 
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