Legal pitfalls

TwoWheels

New member
Local time
1:21 PM
Joined
Feb 25, 2023
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6
Hello everyone, I'm new around here but hoping that someone can offer me some help with legalities. I'm feeling slightly aggrieved because I bought a new E-bike from a local dealer earlier this week and, despite making it clear that I wanted it for road use, I now find that it's illegal on a road with registering with the DVLC etc. It's particularly galling in that he invited me to take it out on the road for a test drive and made no reference to the legal situation when I said that I'd come to pick the new one up on my old boke, which I part exchanged, and then ride the new one home. So, although he knew that I was about to break the law, he said nothing.

Looking at his website again, there is a page on the legal position but it's buried quite deep in the rest of the pages and this is the only place where it mentions that the bikes he sells are sold for off-road only unless registered etc.

Yes, I know all about buyer beware but, if you go to a car dealer to buy a new car, you don't expect to have to search the net to find out if the new car is road legal! You have to place some trust in the integrity of the dealer.

Anyway, sorry for the rant but the reality is that I'm here in this position and thinking about what to do including registering the bike with the DVLC etc. and wondering if there's anyone out there who's gone down that route and could give me some advice on how to go about it, what's involved and your experience of timescales. Selling it is also an option but one I'm reluctant to contemplate at the moment.
 
Where do you live? I find it amazing that you live in an area where this particular bike is illegal,I wonder what part of the bike is illegal, too much power? Is it a matter of registration and insurance? Where I live anything pretty much goes(mid Atlantic -USA)
 
Thanks for your reply, I'm in the UK and didn't realise that this website was USA until I'd posted. I guess you guys won't be able to help me much. Thanks anyway.
 
Wish you could return it, if you had to end up with a 250 watt midrive that wouldnt be such a bad thing, they seem to handle hills with aplomb.
 
Thanks for that, I'm not too bothered about going to 250W, my old bike was 350 and coped with the hills around here very easily. A refund does seem to be the way to go.
 
I like several things about the UK, nanny regulations are not one of them, hope you get satisfaction-Kevin
 
Thanks for your support, I too detest the personal restrictions placed on us by the nanny state. They seem to think that we're unable to make our own decisions.
 
Hey @TwoWheels Welcome to our humble Home :cool:

Thanks for your reply, I'm in the UK and didn't realise that this website was USA until I'd posted. I guess you guys won't be able to help me much. Thanks anyway.
We have people from all over the place and we'll do our best to help you with what we can :)
 
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