you feel hard done by the power limit law in your country?

monster

monster

100 kW
Joined
Jun 17, 2007
Messages
1,411
check out this forum for gas powered bikes, if you think we've got it bad look at them. they must be bricking them selves every time they see a cop. they have a whole section on laws and legislation. they advocate "hitting the kill switch every time you see a cop" LOL :lol: you would get crucified here in the UK for riding one of those things.

http://www.motoredbikes.com/
 
That site is awesome. I especially liked the guy this guy built. The exhaust has such a nice rumble yet it's on a girly pink bike. He can't stop it either. So he slow down and then flintstone it, eventually lifting the bike to stop hahahha.
http://www.motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?t=6830
http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a392/iRide_616/Magna%20Force/?action=view&current=MVI_2119.flv
 
I dont think that guy rides that pink thing any place but up and down the street. He said it was just an experiment so I'll withhold judgment on him.. Anyway, I've been reading up on the CA dmv rules and I do feel hard done by the power limits. One law reads that gassers get 30mph and EVers get only 20mph. That one doesn't make any sense to me. I've ridden in traffic pinned at 20mph, and having an extra 10 would come in handy.
 
I feel hard done by because even though my local law permits 750W on the streets the federal limit is 500W & you can't ride anything (legally anyways) without the Transport Canada sticker.
I paid the same price for my bike that's otherwise identical to the american version but I only get to use two-thirds of its function.

I'd like to take this opportunity to reiterate my hate-on for Bionx (aka EPS Energy and Propulsion Systems) & why I'll never buy a Bionx or recommend it to anyone else.
They, along with a contingent of stakeholders from la-belle-provance are the ones responsible in 2001 for lobbying le government du Canada to impose the 500W restriction.
The limit serves as a convenient trade barrier to protect the homegrown company's sales of their sub 500W product offerings.


http://canadagazette.gc.ca/partII/2001/20010411/html/sor117-e.html

The SAAQ, MMIC, Groupe Procycle Inc., EPS Energy and Propulsion Systems, and CEVEQ agreed with the proposal to limit the maximum power output rating of the motor to 500 watts
 
Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh
You LOCAL ordinances OVERRIDE the Federal ones. You are fine inside your own province.

(not a lawyer, not legal advise).

Call you dept of public safety.
 
reading through some of those forums - man a few ppl there get their bikes confiscated by police!!! or have police issues!.

I much prefer electricity, even if it does require recharging and a lower range. it doesn't smell and isn't noisy! :)
 
if the police confiscated my bike i would go out the next day and buy a $1000 50cc gas bicycle. ive spent $3000 on my ebike and if it is not stealthy enough to evade confiscation then stealth aint worth it, and cheap gas bikes would be the way to go. having said that i firmly believe in electric bikes and as long as i don't do any thing stupid then i will have years of happy cycling.
 
Lessss said:
Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh
You LOCAL ordinances OVERRIDE the Federal ones. You are fine inside your own province.
Click to expand...


Yeah, probably, although I don't know how that would work, to prove that I'm under 750W without a compliance sticker.
The couple of times I've been stopped I just point to the sticker & the cop sends me on my way in short order.

The ebike is supposed to help me get where I'm going sooner that I don't need the hassle arguing the point, for now anyway.

Have you heard of the Calgary rancher who had custom built a super stretch Hummer limo which has provincial approval but TC keeps hauling him into court for some federal violation.
He wins every time because like you say local laws rule the day but they don't let up on the harassment.
This along with their dealing with the Zenn EV shows that TC is a bunch of sore losers that are loathe to give up an inch of their control, real or imagined.
 
The main reason I kept my crappy chinese folding ebike frame when I converted it over to the 600 watt C-lyte was because of the "Federal Transport Sticker".I didn't want to be hassled by our friendly men in blue,and felt that sticker was my assurance to happy hassle free ebiking.

I have been pulled over a few times with the new setup and not once did that sticker have any relevance. The police were only interested in the novelty of the electric powered bike and the questions thusfar have been: how many batteries and volts,how far does it go on a charge,does it do regen,how long does it take to charge and they have asked how fast,to which I reply ~32km/h ( it will go 34). Then they send me on my merry way.Not once has anybody asked to see the sticker.

Eric
 
wow i've never been stopped by the cops in the UK. why do you get stopped -does your bike look funny or something?
 
I've never been stopped by cops either, and been ebiking for 8 years. But after reading this post and the other "motorbikes" forum, I'm going to stamp "400 watts" on the motor casing of my new build with machinists metal stamp, which punch impressions into the aluminum motor housing :|
Thanks "Monster", for the link to that "motorbiking" forum, lots of really cool stuff. They dedicate time & energy to cosmetics and just awsome looking bike projects. Very inspiring to motivate me to dedicate time to good looks (besides power) for my next build this winter.
A couple of ebikes on this forum are somewhat industrial looking, which would attract cops much more so than a sleek, and inconspicuous ebike would. Although i like the rugged appeal of some of them, it would definately be a cop magnet if police got a memo to look for violators. All it takes is a couple complaints to city council. So lets not give them a reason to complain. 8)
 
Thanks for the link on the motorized bicycle. Found some post relating to the Schwinn Stingray Spoiler. I had no idea they actually sell that model. Only thought they had those kiddy one without disk brake. Thanks to that site i got some inspiration on converting one to electric.
 
Ahhh...Yup my bike does look a tad odd,you can see it if you click the link in my sig.It's not like I'm being pulled over on a regular basis. The few times that I have been pulled over were because something else was going on.One time the police had shut down a main road and were redirecting traffic to go another way,I just happened to be there in that flow of traffic.Another time we have what's called a R.I.D.E. program (reduced impaired driving enforcement) where the police set up a barricade and check everybody going that way for Drinking & Driving and yea I was going that way.

My experiences with the police have been good although I was expecting the worst.I took the "Yes Sir,No Sir,Three bags full Sir" :D approach to answering their questions and then I was told to get going.I have never felt that they're out to get me,I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Eric
 
Yup.
Limits should be on speeds only. Cdn/EU etc 500w limit penalizes large folks, folks that live in hilly and windy areas etc. Restricts vehicle designs to aero tradeoffs, as less aero vehicles are more affected by power limit... Power limits also introduce gearings (complexity) etc to compensate, so more parts and lower reliability.

500w is an appreciable amount of power for a two-wheeled vehicle but a 750w or One Horsepower limit would make a far more practical and attractive option to many more people IF any power limit MUST be set.

750w would put Canada in line with the US at a Federal level definition sort of. Hopefully toward a less fractured North American market for builders/sellers...
tks
lOCK

ps. In another way I am all FOR power limits.
Because it's limits that humans strive to get around and overcome, and so they innovate. :twisted:
 
i think we should get 1hp. its a nice round number.

do horses need insurance, tax and MOT? -if not then 1hp Electric bikes should need no insurance too!
 
"do horses need insurance, tax and MOT? -if not then 1hp Electric bikes should need no insurance too!"

When you think about it, horses are a lot more dangerous. Good point, monster.
 
Gee,
I have never been stopped by our local police!!!
Maybe that's becasue I am one? Lol!
Actually passed our cleaner riding to work this morning, on his bike.
His comment when he got in to work?
"Wow!, you really took off on your trike when you passed me! It's almost like you had a motor!
I just laughed and said, yes I do have one!
He just said I didn't hear a thing.
Yep, it's electric!
"Where can I get one?"
Power limt?
Yes we, do have a wheezy one, but the trike is pretty stealth, and 350 -400 watts isn't really that much, but more than enough to get me to work without too much fuss.
Cheers!
 
Eric G said:
Great neighbour too! :D
Click to expand...

I would think having a cop as a neighbor would be kind of handy.

*knock knock*
"Yes?"
"Um, there's a guy robbing my house. It's right next door."
"Just a sec, lemme get my badge."
"Okay. Thanks!"

Dr. Shock said:
"do horses need insurance, tax and MOT? -if not then 1hp Electric bikes should need no insurance too!"

When you think about it, horses are a lot more dangerous. Good point, monster.
Click to expand...

Yeah, a bike won't trample you (on it's own, anyway). Given that they don't crap all over the place, I think we should be allowed another 250 watts :D.
 
Oddly enough, I remember reading arguments from the late 19th century in favor of cars because they polluted less than horses. We don't think about it much today, but horse urine and waste was a major problem in cities before cars became popular.

Not to offend the horsey set, but they are bat-crazy things to ride, and it is highly ironic that the legislators will let you gallop around on a thousand pound animal uninsured, helmetless, seatbelt-less and with only a couple of leather straps in the thing's mouth to stop it, but heaven help you if you want to overvolt your ebike or ride it without a helmet.
 
Dr. Shock said:
Not to offend the horsey set, but they are bat-crazy things to ride, and it is highly ironic that the legislators will let you gallop around on a thousand pound animal uninsured, helmetless, seatbelt-less and with only a couple of leather straps in the thing's mouth to stop it, but heaven help you if you want to overvolt your ebike or ride it without a helmet.
Click to expand...

Well put. It doesn't matter how much you provoke an ebike, it's not going to haul off and run you down. Well, most people's anyway 8).
 
I have yet to be stopped by a cop while on a bike, but I suppose not having converted mine yet could be a factor. :wink: Being in a college town, I suspect the authorities are more concerned that I'm sober while driving than what I am driving. :p
 
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