The Onyx Moped Electric Bike

[Bigwheeler]

And now direct from San Francisco via Indigogo the latest in eBike craze e nous that even eBikers won't love, The Onyx

https://electrek.co/2019/02/08/onyx-...ic-mopeds/amp/

Although they call it a moped and it has a VIN it doesn't meet the DOT requirements, that mopeds are regulated by not the CPSC that eBikes are, such as a full lighting kit, head, tail, brake, turn signals, horn and mirror with DOT stamped rims and tires. Far exceeds the power and speed regs for mopeds in any state or country on Earth also. But still wildly popular with over the top crowd funding.

The usual off road only rider written in the small print but this is some good fuel for the e naysayers to gripe about and even though I like eBikes in general I won't blame them.

 

[CrossRoads]

can't you just reg' it as a motorcycle?

 

[CrossRoads]

this is by far the classiest / sexiest design aesthetic i've seen. and for a pretty darn fair price too.

 

[biknut]

I don't see many Onyx on the street anymore. At first it looked like they were going to take over, but then SurRon came along and stoled their thunder.

 

[Smaug]

I just checked their website. The CTY is discontinued. The price on the follow-up CTY2 has doubled, compared to the first iteration. The nominal power is 3800 W, which is 5X the legal limit for a street legal eBike. If your local law allows the power SETTING to be considered, rather than max capability, it will only go 15 mph.

This is now a Super73 competitor, which is only legal offroad. That's relevant because states are starting to crack down now.

CTY2

ONYX is the most fun ride on two wheels. We build electric daily commuter pedal-assist bikes with dirt trim options. Redefining the motor pedal world for all. MicroMobility, Micro-mobility. Electric Bike, ebike, moped, wheelie bikes, dirtbike.

www.onyxmotorbikes.com

 

[Mr EBIKER]

I think ONYX is one of the bikes that has a VIN so it can be registered with DMV. After the stealth bomber bikes got popular.
I have been registering Chinese ATV and Bikes and very succesfull at it by making sure an "Officer" does the inspection.

 

[ElHegpah]

Having a real VIN is a massive feature. There are other needs for registration as a road vehicle, but without a VIN on the frame it is absolutely not possible. The others you can somewhat finagle around.

Have seen several with the "boardtrack racer" kinda vibe, none have lasted as long as Sur-ron, which is badass but has no pedals. Not sure if those have a VIN or not.

 

[Voodoochild]

I heard DirtLegal may be able to help people out.

Dirt Legal - Register Any Vehicle Nationwide

Register your vehicle for street legal use nationwide with Dirt Legal. Reliable way to save money and avoid the DMV.

www.dirtlegal.com

 

[biknut]

Fast eBikes are safer, and more practical than the so called legal eBikes, which will get you killed in traffic. They make more sense too, because they can go just as slow as any other bike on a trail, but in traffic they give you a fighting chance of not getting mowed down from behind. The eBike laws will be forced to change eventually to recognize this fact, and also because if they don't change everyone will just ignore them like they're doing now.

 

[Smaug]

Fast eBikes are safer, and more practical than the so called legal eBikes, which will get you killed in traffic. They make more sense too, because they can go just as slow as any other bike on a trail, but in traffic they give you a fighting chance of not getting mowed down from behind.

I'm of two minds on this, biknut. Before I was an eBiker, I was a motorcyclist. I crashed 3 times in my 21 years at it. All were my fault. That crash in 2009 that broke my leg in three places would have hurt a lot less if I were going 25 instead of 45.

I've been riding bicycles on the street since I was maybe 7, so 40 years. Never been hit or even clipped, amazing as that sounds. I did have one carload of teenagers run me off the road on purpose for a laugh.

Not all riders are like us, who will automatically go the right speed for locations and conditions. There will be rich, spoiled teenagers going 30+ on crowded multi-use paths. Clueless dogs and toddlers will get mowed down and we will all suffer. Some of the YouTube channels I watch have reviewers approaching a stop sign at high speed, then the footage magically jumps ahead. Ride fast by people on MUPs, etc.

The eBike laws will be forced to change eventually to recognize this fact, and also because if they don't change everyone will just ignore them like they're doing now.

NEVER gonna happen. eBikers are already getting killed in NYC, and even with evidence that it was the motorists' faults, they blame the eBikers for going too fast: https://electrek.co/2023/07/30/the-new-york-times-attacks-e-bikes-while-ignoring-car-danger/

I think our country will unravel itself before we get sensible with bike lanes and start holding motorists fully responsible. For now, this is the best we can do:

10 tips for riding electric bikes around cars (and living to tell)

If you frequently ride around cars, these are several tips that can make your journeys safer and more relaxing.

electrek.co

 

[Brucegordon]

Na, Laws will change to make street use illegal. So much easier to do that. From what I see on YT seems People are going to just keep on ignoring.