Police ebike checks.

Would you let police ride your ebike to check for irregularities and illegalities?

  • Yes. I have nothing to hide and I believe that my bike is perfectly legal.

  • No. It could be a scam to steal my expensive ebike.

  • I don't know what I'd do.


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soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
15,973
6,292
DSC_0176_01.JPG

upgrade time :D
 
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flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,763
30,349
this is the EN15194 label on all Woosh bikes:

it is weatherproof and always affixed to the seat post.




Pretty good and far better than most suppliers do. You don't need to declare the assist speed limit of course.
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flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,763
30,349
He's just as bad, always laying down the law. Anybody would think that he'd made a living out of it! :D
I don't lay down the law to anyone, you can all do as you please with my blessing.

What I do is provide a service ensuring all pedelecers do know what the law is, and not what their fertile imaginations make it.

Remember, my advice is also in pedelecers favour, such as showing them that pavement cycling when necessitated by dangerous traffic conditions is legal.
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aardvark5

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 25, 2014
267
83
65
ST3 Blurton
Three years ago I had a bad accident when a Nurse pulled out of a hospital exit and drove straight into me.
The West Midlands Ambulance Service was a few yards away and 6 Paramedics & two Coppers were having a break and witnessed it all.
My front wheel motor was a right off but they checked the bike over to make sure I was legal and just before I went off in the ambulance to A&E, which was 200 yards away, they said I was legal so wouldn't be taking it away.
 
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gw8izr

Pedelecer
Jan 1, 2020
224
240
Three years ago I had a bad accident when a Nurse pulled out of a hospital exit and drove straight into me.
The West Midlands Ambulance Service was a few yards away and 6 Paramedics & two Coppers were having a break and witnessed it all.
My front wheel motor was a right off but they checked the bike over to make sure I was legal and just before I went off in the ambulance to A&E, which was 200 yards away, they said I was legal so wouldn't be taking it away.
Ouch.. I hope there was no lasting damage to you?

If the motor was a 'write off' I presume they would have struggled to prove anything about it other than maybe it had a label on it.
 
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aardvark5

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 25, 2014
267
83
65
ST3 Blurton
Ouch.. I hope there was no lasting damage to you?

If the motor was a 'write off' I presume they would have struggled to prove anything about it other than maybe it had a label on it.
Three broken ribs and a dislocated right arm, funny thing is I'd been in A&E on business earlier.
The Paramedics kept me on the road for 30 minutes because they saw me fly through the air and land so thought I was worse.
Passers-by then told them who I was "He works in Clinical Negligence" so they all joked and got away from me until I mentioned I worked for the NHS.

Yes, I think they just read the wattage on the motor.
 

Bobajob

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 1, 2019
313
140
Cornwall
T
I don't trust British police and I wouldn't let them near my bike without a warrant and a lawyer present.
The problem is British police can do what they like. They can flout the law so easily without any redress. The best thing to do is let them ride it as most are so unfit they’d have a difficult job getting the bike up to 15mph even with the motor on lol.
Seriously it saves a lot of hassle if you just let them ride it and save yourself all the crap that will come your way if you didn’t.
Worth just say you’ll pump up the tires a bit before they set off to see if the get the **** take lol
 

LeighPing

Esteemed Pedelecer
Mar 27, 2016
2,547
1,944
The Red Ditch
The best thing to do is let them ride it as most are so unfit they’d have a difficult job getting the bike up to 15mph even with the motor on lol.

Seriously it saves a lot of hassle if you just let them ride it and save yourself all the crap that will come your way if you didn’t.
If I ever get pulled for suspected speeding on my ebike, I'm just going to turn the motor off before anyone else tries to test ride it. Maintaining that I was riding it unassisted and was on my way to the bike shop to have it fixed, because it keeps going too fast when the motor's switched on. I wouldn't want to be intentionally breaking any laws. :oops:

With the motor off it's a regular push bike and riding it in excess of 15. 5 mph isn't an issue. Right? :cool:
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,763
30,349
With the motor off it's a regular push bike and riding it in excess of 15. 5 mph isn't an issue. Right? :cool:
Not always. If it's capable of assisting at over 17 mph when switched on it is never a bicycle in law.

Many drivers have been convicted of drunk driving after being found sitting in their parked car with the engine not running, even without the key in the ignition. If the key is in their possession the capability is there and they get convicted.
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D

Deleted member 25121

Guest
With the motor off it's a regular push bike and riding it in excess of 15. 5 mph isn't an issue. Right?
Wrong.

It's illegal to ride an ebike whose motor is capable of providing assistance above 15.5mph, as previously mentioned many times on this thread alone. It doesn't matter whether the motor is turned on or off, whether the battery is charged or not charged, whether you're riding at 5mph, riding at 15mph or riding at 30mph.
 
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LeighPing

Esteemed Pedelecer
Mar 27, 2016
2,547
1,944
The Red Ditch
Not always. If it's capable of assisting at over 17 mph when switched on it is never a bicycle in law.
And if it's a legal ebike being ridden with the motor off. Would that be considered as a bicycle in law?

Wrong.

It's illegal to ride an ebike whose motor is capable of providing assistance above 15.5mph, as previously mentioned many times on this thread alone. It doesn't matter whether the motor is turned on or off, whether the battery is charged or not charged, whether you're riding at 5mph, riding at 15mph or riding at 30mph.
Yes, we know that by now I'm sure. :)

But what if it's a legal ebike, doing 25 mph downhill with a tail wind, with the motor turned off. To all intents and purposes the police, or anyone else, may think that it's an illegal ebike speeding along, when that wouldn't be the case. Or would it be just another cyclist riding along at their best speed, yet still under the 30 mph road speed limit for a built up area?
 
D

Deleted member 25121

Guest
Yes, we know that by now I'm sure. :)

But what if it's a legal ebike, doing 25 mph downhill with a tail wind, with the motor turned off. To all intents and purposes the police, or anyone else, may think that it's an illegal ebike speeding along, when that wouldn't be the case. Or would it be just another cyclist riding along at their best speed, yet still under the 30 mph road speed limit for a built up area?
Most of us know the law concerning ebikes, it's yourself who seem to be struggling with it. To answer your questions:
1. It would be legal irrespective of whether the motor is turned on or off and irrespective of what bystanders might choose to think.
2. The 30mph limit doesn't apply to riders of push bikes and legal ebikes.

I hope this helps...
 
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Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
19,991
8,173
60
West Sx RH
No but furious riding is.
 
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LeighPing

Esteemed Pedelecer
Mar 27, 2016
2,547
1,944
The Red Ditch
Most of us know the law concerning ebikes, it's yourself who seem to be struggling with it.
I'm not struggling with anything yet. :)

To answer your questions:

1. It would be legal irrespective of whether the motor is turned on or off and irrespective of what bystanders might choose to think.
I'm starting to struggle a bit with that answer. o_O

2. The 30mph limit doesn't apply to riders of push bikes and legal ebikes.
And now I'm definitely struggling. :eek:
 

Wicky

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 12, 2014
2,823
4,011
Colchester, Essex
www.jhepburn.co.uk
Yes, we know that by now I'm sure. :)

But what if it's a legal ebike, doing 25 mph downhill with a tail wind, with the motor turned off. To all intents and purposes the police, or anyone else, may think that it's an illegal ebike speeding along, when that wouldn't be the case. Or would it be just another cyclist riding along at their best speed, yet still under the 30 mph road speed limit for a built up area?
African or European and carrying a coconut or unladen?
 
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soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
15,973
6,292
i ride my bike where i want as fast as i want and no one cares same as smoking weed.

and if i get sent to prison ill have crack on tap :p
 
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