The next step !!

[overlander]

80cc ENGINE KIT FOR YOUR ELECTRIC BIKE MOPED BICYCLE on eBay (end time 14-Jan-11 12:43:56 GMT)

 

[Synthman]

Seems impressive, especially for the price. More interested in the free book they are advertising "The Truth about Electric bikes" and top 5 reasons to ban them.

 

[Mussels]

Seems impressive, especially for the price. More interested in the free book they are advertising "The Truth about Electric bikes" and top 5 reasons to ban them.

I've just signed up for it, I will of course share.

Edit: It's here.
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=5p0ER&m=1mNaIKS0XOGw8f&b=yuWPpjaT7otQhSeUCrOh6g

 

[NRG]

. These have come up on the forum in the past, ask the seller about the legality of it and SVA!

 

[Deleted member 4366]

They forget to mention that it can't be used off-road except on private land with the owners permission, and to use it on the road you would need a motorcycle licence (car licence no good) because it's more than 50cc. Also it would need to be inspected, registered and insured. Before that you would have to make it comply with the motorcycle construction and use regulations, which means indicators, brake light, speedometer, etc, etc. In summary, if you used one on anything other than private land with permission, it would be confiscated, and if you used it on the road, it would be confiscated and you would get at least 6 points on your licence and a hefty fine. Unfortunately a lot of people are naieve or ignorant about the law on these conversions, which would be treated by the police the same as mini-motos, which they are clamping down on, so you don't get any warnings.

 

[eddieo]

Just scanned through the linked document and for bare faced cheek and withholding of facts it takes some beating....

But that it the thing in the UK, you can sell anything you want, and the numpty that goes out and uses it (taking garbage like this at face value) gets nicked not the seller

 

[EdBike]

Just scanned through the linked document and for bare faced cheek and withholding of facts it takes some beating....

But that it the thing in the UK, you can sell anything you want, and the numpty that goes out and uses it (taking garbage like this at face value) gets nicked not the seller

Despite the contradictions, spelling mistakes and distortion of the truth, the guy is clearly trying to point out every possible flaw with an electric bike so he can sell an alternative. I think e-bikes have moved on from the heavy, lead-acid days with the lighter, lithium-based bikes on sale today.

He does make some fair points about electric bikes however:

1. Limited range (more so thanks to battery aging, speed, temperature and weight)
2. They're slower (in a straight line, yes)
3. Charging can be a complete pain (so is a mobile phone?)
4. Rain and Cold temperatures mean you can't ride it (no, just less appealing)
5. They cost loads more (than an bicycle yes, but a bargain compared to a car? But then again, lots of things are.)

 

[eddieo]

I can assure you sitting on a motorbike in sub zero temps at speed aint no fun either...at least peddling and going slower you have half a chance of survival .


range good enough for most journeys and improving all the time

The only reason they are slower is that is what the LAW dictates

There are plenty of electric motorbikes out there now that are really fast (and expensive like e cars) as well, so more rubbish I believe

Cost, to some of the mean old tight wads on here yes, BUT another myth me thinks.......... a decent downhill mountain bike costs £1500 - £3000 + and I know teenagers who ride these

 

[Scimitar]

I've just signed up for it, I will of course share.

Edit: It's here.
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=5p0ER&m=1mNaIKS0XOGw8f&b=yuWPpjaT7otQhSeUCrOh6g

Wow. What a load of utter rubbish, outright lies and misrepresentation.
I seriously hope his cheap and nasty engines all explode.

 

[averhamdave]

I think the product is probably rubbish. The concept is fair enough. I have always liked the "magic wheels" that are used on the continent - in some countries, without restriction.

Just playing devils advocate, what's wrong with his listing? I know he is rubbing us e-bikers up the wrong way but having read the listing twice I cannot see anything that is clearly misleading.

I don't think its a scam. He has 100% feedback and does make it clear that the thing will require "VOSA" approval etc etc before it can be used on the public highway.

 

[BLACKPANTHER]

Here it is, the VERY LAST paragraph.


"" UK Customers: will now have to register the vehicle as a moped if to be used on british roads, this involves reg, tax and insurance and a vehicle saftey check by VOSA. "

They talk about zipping along at 30mph, and don't mention they're completely illegal for use on public roads. Quite amusingly, they managed to spell 'safety' incorrectly...maybe they don't know the meaning of the word? Also mentioned is that it's a 'lifesaver' if you've lost your license! Imagine being caught on the road with one of these things whilst already banned.

BTW, one of the many 'evils' mentioned re electric bikes....you cannot charge them up as soon as you get home as you need to leave them to cool down or it knackers the battery? Is this true????

 

[CJB]

I paticularly like the "impulse buys" comment!

I'd imagine these things are quite noisy as well, all the better for the boys in blue to take notice

 

[Mussels]

BTW, one of the many 'evils' mentioned re electric bikes....you cannot charge them up as soon as you get home as you need to leave them to cool down or it knackers the battery? Is this true????

I've never heard of that myself and frequently charge mine as soon as I get in.

 

[NRG]

It's rubbish in fact with SLA the recommendation is to charge straight away.

As the engine size is stated as 80cc (in fact just under 70cc so the advert headline is already misleading) it can't qualify as a moped so would have to go through type approval for a motorcycle. So do you have a bike license, insurance (getting this will be fun), road fund license etc...

Type approval in itself will prove to be an interesting exercise in itself...

http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/repository/Application for Ministers Approval Certificate for Vehicles (MSVA 1).doc

http://www.vca.gov.uk/additional/files/vehicle-type-approval/vehicle-type-approval-for-motorcycles/vca039.pdf

 

[Bikealot]

This advert is a bit like a fast food joint giving a free booklet with every 'Bigwhoppermac' with fries entitled, "The 10 things they do not tell you about trying to lose weight".

 

[Mussels]

I got another newsletter through.

We sincerely hope you found Top 5 Reasons To Ban Electric Bikes tobe both informative and useful. Because while electric bikes may appear to be a great idea, they are actually quite unreliable, expensive, and downright dull to drive. Today, however, we wanted to take a moment to talk about one of the biggest myths about motorized bikes which loosely translates into: Too difficult tomaintain/set-up.

The rest of it is just standard waffle with no substance.

 

[Trevor Holloway]

"Today, however, we wanted to take a moment to talk about one of the biggest myths about motorized bikes which loosely translates into: Too difficult tomaintain/set-up."

I wonder how easy it is to maintain / set up a really cheap motor compared to a standard Honda moped engine.

When I showed my converted bike to a friend of my wifes his reaction was "why dont you put a proper motor on it ?", I tried explaining that at least mine was fully legal and a motor would be illegal the response was "well the kids round our way are always on them !" and he would not be told.