Why are all my ebikes banned in half the USA?

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shizzzon

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So I thought I did enough research before I bought 4 ebikes.
3 of them have 1000wrms motors (1400w peak) and the 4th has 1500wrms motors (2800w peak).

After owning them for couple months, I did more research and found this which doesn't make sense-

I'm in KY which thankfully I have no issue here.

In Indiana, Tennessee and 20 other states, they are banned on and offroad?!?!

All these sites say basically its fine in these states, etc.

However, when I go to the states actual .gov site, there is a small section that states-

Ebikes MUST retain a motor no larger than 750w.

What does the motor have to do with anything?

I have these bikes so I can traverse hilly terrain...
The controller is what limits speed so what gives here?

To me, that sounds like no engines on the road over 350hp... but we all are governed by the ECM and use common sense to obey traffic laws.

So I'm confused because my bikes are now considered more dangerous than ALL types of motorized vehicles even offroad.

I don't know if I should feel special owning such "dangerous" transportation or appalled at the lack of sense making this prohibition.
 
eBike laws are totally brainless. The so called legal eBikes are basically limited to toy status in big city's unless millions of dollars are spent on a separate infrastructure that doesn't go where you need to go.

The good news is the police in most localities in America ignore the letter of the law for eBikes, and instead concentrate of rider conduct.
 
There is a hodgepodge of state regulations. Plus county regulations over rail trails. But each trail can have have its own rules, such as only allowing Class 1 bikes, on a local trail here in NH.

These are standards promoted by a national ebike organization, to help legislatures draft regulations.
Are your bikes rated as Class 2 or Class 3? Most regulations use that terminology.
Class 1 has assist up to 20 mph, and no throttle.
Class 2 has assist up to 20 mph, and have a throttle.
Class 3 has assist up to 28 mph, and no throttle, I think.
I think there is a federal legal limit on the 28 mph assist limit.

My ebike kit has assist up to 28mph, and has a throttle. It has a 500 watt motor. I only ride rail trails in New England which are very busy with pedestrians, baby strollers, senior riders, etc, so I ride in the 10-13 mph when riding on a rail trail. If it is not busy I may cruise at 15 mph, but slowing down when passing walkers, etc.

To me it comes down to common courtesy on the trails. I have had fat tire e-bikes come flying past me without any warning, and had a rider yell at my group for not getting over quick enough to pass…our group riders move to single file when a bike wants to pass us. No legislation will control those people and there will never be any enforcement people around when that stuff happens.

So if e-bikes ride with courtesy for all trail riders, I would not be concerned with what Class they/we are riding.

Except for TN…riding in the woods there is risky. I lived there for 5 years. People go into the woods to shoot their guns all year long, any time of day. One guy was shooting at trees, accidentally shot and killed his own son in the woods. You hear gun shots when you go to public state parks there, with no gun range.
 
To me, it comes down to how you operate your ebike.
Ride recklessly and you are likely to get in trouble, even with ebikes that are legal.
Get yourself familiar with the legislations and just ride responsibly.
LEOs have much more important things to do than to stop & inspect ebikes for legality on public roads.
 
People should ride their ebikes responsibly....bikes as well. They should also drive their motorized vehicles safely and within speen limits. People should respect others.......not park in handicapped spaces unless you are handicapped. If your dogs poops in public.....people should pick it up. People should not drive drunk or high....they also shouldn't text while driving. If you are a gun owner you should understand gun safety.......we teach.....do not point a firearm at anything you do not want to kill. People should be held accountable for their actions. Feel the love!
 
KnurledNut said:
Can you list the 25 states that have banned ebikes? I won't travel to those states.

Thanks
Click to expand...
Here are 18 states I found so far-

Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin.

They didn't ban them, they prevent you from using one who has a motor that exceeds 750w which is a LOT of bikes.

Maryland prohibits over 500w..

So I guess these states want you to struggle uphill. That sounds safe.
 
LightningP38 said:
Except for TN…riding in the woods there is risky. I lived there for 5 years. People go into the woods to shoot their guns all year long, any time of day. One guy was shooting at trees, accidentally shot and killed his own son in the woods. You hear gun shots when you go to public state parks there, with no gun range.
Click to expand...
Wow! Quite an indictment of all of us who live in Tennessee.
 
My suggestion would be to go to your local office store and have some decals made that say “750 watts”, stick them on the bike, have a beer and relax. Nobody is going to take apart your bike and look up the motor part number.
www.etsy.com

Ebike Sticker Class Electric Bike Decal Bicycle E-bike Cyclist Gift Bicycle Sticker Ebike Sticker 250w 500w 750w Class 1 2 3 Lover Biking - Etsy

This Stickers item by WawonaWorldwide has 35 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Norcross, GA. Listed on Aug 12, 2024
www.etsy.com www.etsy.com
 
Atavar said:
My suggestion would be to go to your local office store and have some decals made that say “750 watts”, stick them on the bike, have a beer and relax. Nobody is going to take apart your bike and look up the motor part number.
www.etsy.com

Ebike Sticker Class Electric Bike Decal Bicycle E-bike Cyclist Gift Bicycle Sticker Ebike Sticker 250w 500w 750w Class 1 2 3 Lover Biking - Etsy

This Stickers item by WawonaWorldwide has 35 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Norcross, GA. Listed on Aug 12, 2024
www.etsy.com www.etsy.com
Click to expand...
...and THIS is why cops (usually) actually enforce the behavior, not the letter of the law.
Maybe it's different where cops have nothing better to do. For example, I read a post somewhere of a kid selling his eMoped that he got for college, because the university police hassled him and eventually put a lock on his bike. He had to sell it at a loss and downgrade to Class 1 or 2.

I've never been hassled in my medium sized city riding at 30-32 mph in the car lane on streets up to 35 mph posted. I stay out of the way of faster traffic though, use turn signals and lights, etc. Cops are busy chasing real thugs. Worrying more about drugs, robbery, etc. (and occasionally speeding)
 
shizzzon said:
Here are 18 states I found so far-

Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin.

They didn't ban them, they prevent you from using one who has a motor that exceeds 750w which is a LOT of bikes.

Maryland prohibits over 500w..

So I guess these states want you to struggle uphill. That sounds safe.
Click to expand...
The big question is who is enforcing those laws? In most cases no one. Just ride responsibly and keep an eye open for LEO on the road you should be fine. Of course these states could require annual inspections at some point I suppose.
 
To my knowledge eBikes are not banned in any state. The 750 watt laws are to define the bike category for an eBike. Over 750 watts, and the eBike falls into the next category, like maybe a motorized bike, or even a motorcycle, and must meet the criterial for that category.

Of course eBikes, or any bike for that matter, can be banned on certain trails or areas, but no state completely bans an eBike, to my knowledge. Someone can prove me wrong.

I am in California and have a 1000 watt motor. Thus far, I have only seen a handful of trails showing only category 2 eBikes are permitted. I have ridden on the street and BLM trails with no issues. Interestingly, the vendor of my 1K watt motor sent me a sticker indicating my motor is 250 watts! And you can buy them on amazon.
Create idea 10pcs Mid Drive Motor Sticker 48V 250W Motor Waterproof Sticker Decal 30x30mm Motor CE Label Tags Compatible with BAFANG BBS02B BBS01 https://a.co/d/eUvQHVT
 
Links to Amazon may include affiliate code. If you click on an Amazon link and make a purchase, this forum may earn a small commission.
shizzzon said:
Here are 18 states I found so far-

Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin.

They didn't ban them, they prevent you from using one who has a motor that exceeds 750w which is a LOT of bikes.

Maryland prohibits over 500w..

So I guess these states want you to struggle uphill. That sounds safe.
Click to expand...
My bike has a motor that's 750w and I don't struggle uphill? But I do have to assist the bike with pedaling which I am fine with because it's exercise. If you do want to go up a hill just under power and not pedaling then I guess that's different. But if I'm not pedaling and getting some benefit I might as well just get on my motorcycle. I don't know a whole lot about e bikes and the motors but since they are fairly new and varied regulations are going to be problematic for a bit.
 
popekr said:
My bike has a motor that's 750w and I don't struggle uphill? But I do have to assist the bike with pedaling which I am fine with because it's exercise. If you do want to go up a hill just under power and not pedaling then I guess that's different. But if I'm not pedaling and getting some benefit I might as well just get on my motorcycle. I don't know a whole lot about e bikes and the motors but since they are fairly new and varied regulations are going to be problematic for a bit.
Click to expand...
A portion of the eBike market IS people who want to pedal very little, but not face the tags, registration, insurance and licensing requirements for a motorcycle.

I know a few people of the "younger generation" which got eBikes because the costs associated with Cars and Motorcycles were beyond their finances. Their eBike IS their daily driver.

And yes, there are those like me, who want something which allows them to ride without getting sweaty and physically stressed.
 
shizzzon said:
Here are 18 states I found so far-

Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin.

They didn't ban them, they prevent you from using one who has a motor that exceeds 750w which is a LOT of bikes.

Maryland prohibits over 500w..

So I guess these states want you to struggle uphill. That sounds safe.
Click to expand...
Actually, I just checked the Iowa law, and Iowa does not prohibit e-bikes. They follow the standard classification system, of class 1,2, and 3. If your motor is over 750 watts, it is not classified as a bicycle.
You will find the 750 watt threshold to be very common in those states using the standard classification system.

So you aren’t really riding an e-assist bike, you are riding an electric bike, which will be classified as some sort of motorcycle in those 18 states you have listed.
 
topstone said:
You Americans are lucky, our ridiculous e-bike laws in the UK, say no motor more powerful than 250W rms, no throttles, and its limited to 15.6 mph. Live the dream lads..!
Click to expand...
We certainly realize this. I cannot imagine "conquering a hill" with a 250 watt hub motor. Yes, it would help, but if you have a kilowatt or three on tap, hills simply means you may lose a few miles per hour of speed.

I don't know when this will end, but I view this a lot like the blissful first days of dating someone new, when all is gold. Sometimes you must simply enjoy the moment.

To quote a fictional character in a Marvel movie: "Something is not beautiful because it lasts".
 

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