Increase in seizures of illegal ebikes

[classic33]

But no numberplate so not legal?

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]

Why on earth are the suppliers of these things not being knocked off for use, cause or permit?

 

[Alex321]

Why on earth are the suppliers of these things not being knocked off for use, cause or permit?

Because they are legal to sell, and to use on private land.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Why on earth are the suppliers of these things not being knocked off for use, cause or permit?

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]

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.

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]

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)

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.

 

[Anthony-C]

The Police Officer seems to be saying that you can have a throttle as long as it does not exceed 15.5 mph when using it
[...] They should know that this is almost certainly illegal just by having a throttle

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.

 

[Drago]

Because when someone buys them they mutter "but you won;t use it on the roads will you"

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.

 

[Anthony-C]

e.g. selling a 1000W ebike to a farmer to get around his farm would be OK - with evidence that he IS a farmer

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]

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.

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

 

[presta]

Police in Kilburn seizing illegal bikes & scooters. From the size of the truck they've brought to cart away the spoils, it looks as if it's like shooting fish in a barrel.


View: https://x.com/UB1UB2/status/2042561383653388372

 

[Dogtrousers]

I've got my wife trained now. We were walking along today and she managed to spot someone freewheeling and accelerating uphill.

 

[Jenkins]

It's not just illegal ebikes that are being seized. How about a 50mph mobility scooter!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz78gqrq4p1o

 

[classic33]

It's not just illegal ebikes that are being seized. How about a 50mph mobility scooter!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz78gqrq4p1o

And it's one of those that folds up.

 

[TheDoctor]

Colin Furze has entered the chat