Is BBSHD 750w or 1000w?

[WoodlandHills]

I was wondering why my BBSHD was stamped 750w on the casing, but all the advertising says that it is a 1000w motor? If it is 1000w do I need to buy insurance? More importantly, over 750w is not a legal bicycle in CA so what if the cop or ranger looked online at the ads before citing me?

I am getting a lot of scrutiny from MTBers in the park where I ride, I thought I was CA Class 1 legal, but if the motor is over 750w then I am not. No matter that I may be in compliance in every other way. The NPS Rangers did an inspection of my bike this weekend and pronounced it Class 1 legal based upon a visual look over. My fear is that a disgruntled MTBer will go online, read the ads touting the 1000w BBSHD and send them to the ranger office in an attempt to get me (and all other eBikes!) banned from the parks.

If the BBSHD is certified at a lower V or A to keep it below the 750w limit am I then illegal if I run mine at 52v and 30a? I seem to be the first eBike known to be riding in this park and I want to be prepared if anyone tries to make me a Test Case..... Some people are very very determined that NO eBikes will ever have access to MTB trails.

Please don't advise me to put fake labels on my battery or motor......

 

[MrZo]

It was stamped 1000w but its stamped as 750w so it can slip under the radar.

 

[WoodlandHills]

Well, that was interesting! I hooked up the watt meter, it showed 57.1v before I plugged in the motor side, then it went to .02a draw when I switched on the display, then went BANG and sparked and smoked. Serves me right for buying direct from China........ BTW I checked twice: I connected it correctly!

 

[WoodlandHills]

It was stamped 1000w but its stamped as 750w so it can slip under the radar.

If Bafang are allowed to rate their motors at 36v? and my battery is not marked with its V then I cannot prove I am in compliance. Then again, neither can the Rangers prove that I am not, but they could impound my bike and check the battery with a voltmeter or just carry one with them.

Or, they may not care at all as long as I meet the visual requirements of having no throttle and a max speed of 20mph on the flat w/motor only. I just wonder what will happen if some gov't agency starts to look closely at this new industry with a view to enforcing the existing regulations. Is this the eBike business' Dirty Little Secret? Along with the widespread industry practice of not shipping batteries as Haz-mat, of course..... :wink:

Anyone can sell any motor of any power to anyone. And it is up to the buyer to ensure legality when they use them, but if many folks are not doing so it cannot be good for the image of eBiking in the public mind. A muckraking 60Minutes style scandal over this would not be a good thing, especially if there was a lawsuit over injuries incurred when operating a motor with a higher wattage than marked.

Publicly flouting state and federal laws may not be harmful at the birth of an industry, but I cannot see how that can be compatible with long-term growth and acceptance by the general community. When an industry widely promotes their 750watt product as having 1000w of power with bursts up 1500w one has to ask: "How long can they get away with it and what happens to those who bought them when they get caught?".