Increase in seizures of illegal ebikes
- Thread starter Dogtrousers
- Start date
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But no numberplate so not legal?
Alex321
Guru
- Location
- South Wales
If it is a "legal EAPC" then it doesn't need one.
classic33
Leg End Member
Even with a numberplate it'd fall outside the current UK EAPC regulations.
A 1,000 watt motor and top speed of 28mph, on 4" tyres, puts it well outside the regulations.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Why on earth are the suppliers of these things not being knocked off for use, cause or permit?
Alex321
Guru
- Location
- South Wales
Because they are legal to sell, and to use on private land.
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
Because when someone buys them they mutter "but you won;t use it on the roads will you"
at a volume that only a microphone owned by the CIA and MI5 would be capable of picking up
It is time that selling ANYTHING that a reasonable person would think was going to be used illegally is a crime of some kind - unless there was a good reason for thinking it was OK
e.g. selling a 1000W ebike to a farmer to get around his farm would be OK - with evidence that he IS a farmer
but selling it someone who lives in the middle of a housing estate and last saw a field when he was 5 - not so much
Alex321
Guru
- Location
- South Wales
Yes, it isn't actually a legal EAPC. Not sure which model that one is, but most of the Jansno ones have a 750W motor, which immediately takes them outside the regulations, even if limited to 15.5 mph (which the X50 is, the X70 isn't)
classic33
Leg End Member
Which is why I put it as "Legal EAPC".
It's this one.
Note the difference in the saddle, as supplied and as fitted to the one in the picture. If you were pedalling it, the last thing you'd want is hard plastic rubbing in your groin area.
No mention of any limiting the top speed to 15.5mph. They only list the top speed of 28mph.
I didn't phrase my previous post all that clearly. Throttles are legal on EAPCs but power must stop when you stop pedaling if the bike is doing more than 4 mph.
The regulations don't stipulate how the rider obtains motor assistance so it can be through the act of pedalling itself (PAS or Torque Sensor), or by any other means (such as a throttle) subject to pedalling being necessary. A "fully acting" throttle acts without the need to pedal, so for it to be legal you have to put the bike through SVA if it was sold after 2015. "Walk assist" (permitted) is essentially a fully acting throttle or button limited to 4mph.
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Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
That wont save them any more than "he promised he had insurance" would save them if they lent their car to someone. The problem is no one seems willing to taken them to court to begin with.
Its like these "shiw use only" number plate sellers. There was no exemption in the law for that and once a few got financially arse reamed in court the majority suddenly stopped doing it. They'd only have to stiff a few illegal ebike suppliers and the rest would soon stop.
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Perhaps that's a way forward, treat them like alcohol with sale requiring either evidence that it's for private use or that it's registered and insured beforehand, with the seller being obliged to keep a copy of the evidence.
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
Yes - exactly
There was a shocking programme on the telly last night about knives - including so-called Zombie knives
they had thousands on show - and most came from the same supplier
One of the mothers - whose child had been killed with one of them - contacted the owner of the company asking him to stop selling them so no other Mother went through when she did
his response was that they were sold to people who just collected them for display
The Police literally had examples - including CCTV - of them being used to kill people
OK - that is more extreme - but the same concept applies
if you sell something under circumstances where any reasonable person knows it will be used illegally
then you should share some of the responsibility for what they do with it
