Increase in seizures of illegal ebikes

[Dadam]

The police don't need to check that the bike is capable of faster than the legal speed limit for an e-bike to be legal.
If it goes more than walk assist speed, with no input from the rider, it's illegal.

Agreed, no arguments there.

What speed would two motors get you up to? One on each wheel. It seemed to be standard on the mountain bikes used in the town centre. Before they were seized and removed from the pavements.

Irrelevant. The bike shown has no front wheel motor.

If your issue is with the reported speed and the way they were tested, check some of the videos from Leeds police. They show a display fitted to the handlebars which gives the speed. I believe in the city centre a dynamometer has been used to get the speed.

As I've said, twice now, I've no issue with the test. My issue is the sensationalised way the test has been reported in that article.

Cough. Cagiva Mito. Cough. Aprilia RS. Cough. Nineties Suzuki RG. Cough. Mito Evolutione . Cough.

All ton+ 125s, at 101, 104, 105 and 107 respectively.

OK, I was wondering whether a bike expert was going to chip in there. Fair enough but my point still stands. I don't believe most 125s on the road can do it, aren't they restricted by law on that class on licence? The point is 100mph is the territory of proper motorcycles, it needs another league of power, 25-30 kW, not 500W, or 1000W or 5000W.

I guess I'm being naive in expecting factual reporting from anybody these days.

 

[raleighnut]

Been wracking my brain all night but there was one 125 in full power trim was supposed to be able to breach 110, as you say, with a suitably svelte rider. I thought it might be the RR version of rhe Aprilia but dant find anything,

It'll probably come to me later when im on the bog.

Certainly race 125s can reach insane speeds. Early in his career Rossi managed 155 on an Aprilia 125 race machine. Rotary disc valve, lateral carb setup, reverse cylinder arrangement, probably on such a knife edge it barely lasted one race.

Yep, I used to spend a fair bit of time in the paddock at race meetings as a friends husband raced sidecar outfits, Derek* was pretty good and even raced in the Sidecar grand prix at Silverstone, Donnington and Assen as a 'wild card' borrowing a 500cc TZ motor to replace the TZ 750 he used in his Windle outfit in the British Championship and Clubman racing.
Anyhoo I used to wander round the paddock watching what was going on and back in the mid 80's there was a Clubman class the was GP 125's Proddy based 250's (LCs and a Gamma or two ) and 4 stroke 500's (Manx Nortons, a couple of G50 Matchless' and one nutcase on an XT500 Yamaha taken to 'Supermoto' spec. Lunchtime was a hive of activity with bikes being rebuilt after the morning free and timed practice/qualifying and often fresh engines being fitted especially to the 125's with old Morbidelli twins (later called MBA) and Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha singles. Often the 125's were the fastest but very fragile leading for a lap or two before expiring in a cloud of smoke as they holed a piston.

*Derek had his own roofing company 'Blackbourne Bitumastic' employing 10-12 people and Sidecar Racing was his hobby with an old Bedford coach converted to a race transporter.

 

[Drago]

I guess I'm being naive in expecting factual reporting from anybody these days.

You said "125", not "learner legal" 125.

If anything my pedantry was eye wateringly factual.

 

[Dadam]

You said "125", not "learner legal" 125.

If anything my pedantry was eye wateringly factual.

Apologies that comment was not aimed at you, it was the wider context about the article.
I said road legal 125 but yes learner legal 125 would have been more correct. I did say I'm not a motorcycle expert,

 

[Drago]

I did say I'm not a motorcycle expert,

Nor me, I just happened to have been around at the time.

 

[Dadam]

Well I was around too, but had no interest in motorcycles.

 

[Drago]

I did at the time. I went straight from a 125 to an 1100 and somehow survived unscathed.

 

[raleighnut]

Owners of the Yamaha RD 125 twins and later 125 LC's were coining it in as they were still legal and at least doubled in value when the restricted 125 law came in, pretty much as happened when the restricted 'slopeds' were introduced and the older FS1E and AP50 (along with the Garelli/Gilera and the odd Fantic) were suddenly desirable. A lad in our village had a tuned ;Fizzie'* that'd do 70-75 mph but that used to vanish down holes in it's powerband with the 4 speed gearbox.

* Micron 'peashooter' exhaust, bigger Carb, ported and with 'Ace' bars and a Bikini fairing.................blew up every month though

 

[CXRAndy]

My motorcycle progression 50cc limited 30mph. XL185cc Honda trail bike, GPZ750...................

Long period no bikes.

Then FJR1300 and VMax 1700. Still own these last two

 

[ade towell]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd7z8p1vnz1o

Nottingham police have now got a portable machine which tests bike speed but it looks like it only measures bikes with a throttle. So bikes which can be pedaled over 15.5mph assisted but don’t have a throttle can’t be tested, or am I missing something?

“Police said the "compact dynanometer" examines the top speed of bikes and e-scooters, helping officers confiscate vehicles from people who should not be using them.

The equipment was acquired from Switzerland using funds from the office of Nottinghamshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, and allows an accurate testing of a vehicle's top speed when unaided by cyclists "without needing a full test track or laboratory".”

 

[classic33]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd7z8p1vnz1o

Nottingham police have now got a portable machine which tests bike speed but it looks like it only measures bikes with a throttle. So bikes which can be pedaled over 15.5mph assisted but don’t have a throttle can’t be tested, or am I missing something?

“Police said the "compact dynanometer" examines the top speed of bikes and e-scooters, helping officers confiscate vehicles from people who should not be using them.

The equipment was acquired from Switzerland using funds from the office of Nottinghamshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, and allows an accurate testing of a vehicle's top speed when unaided by cyclists "without needing a full test track or laboratory".”

Throttles aren't legal on e-bikes* under the current UK regulations.

*Excluding those with one covered by the previous regulations, which also have a lower assist speed.

 

[ade towell]

I get that, just saying they can only test bikes with a throttle, many e-bikes can go way over 15.5mph with pedal assist

 

[Anthony-C]

Throttles on ebikes aren't legal if "fully acting" but they are provided they don't assist above 3.7mph unless pedalling, and not above 15.5mph of course.

 

[raleighnut]

Throttles on ebikes aren't legal if "fully acting" but they are provided they don't assist above 3.7mph unless pedalling, and not above 15.5mph of course.

They are if the bike/trike was built before the regulations changed.

My trike has throttle only for the assist but only so I can choose when to use power and when not to, It also keeps the installation as simple as possible with far less to go wrong. no 'sensors' anywhere and speed limited by the frequency the 3 phase 'Hall Effect' controller will put out

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

As said before bike with power assist can have a throttle is they were made before 2016
but they have to comply with those regulations fully - which gives a max power of 200W rater than 250W

They are still limited to 15.5 mph

BUT I believe that you can also get single vehicle approval from the DVLA for a throttle on a legal bike which makes it legal to have a throttle
but this is very rare