Took the plunge

[suggy]

I have gone for this kit

EU No Tax 36V250W /36V350W TSDZ2 mid drive motor with torque sensor - PSWPOWER.com

www.pswpower.com

 

[sjpt]

Enjoy, but if you plan to use it on the road don't forget your license, road tax and insurance.

Riding illegal bikes can lead to being charged with driving offences.

Looks like the precedent has been set at the Old Bailey yesterday! https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7597315/Cyclist-appears-Old-Bailey-accused-killing-pedestrian-hitting-electric-bike.html&ved=2ahUKEwjgzraMua_lAhWwVRUIHWpVDKQQFjAAegQIAhAB&usg=AOvVaw04mutgRS8PkfCiYb8Tf_7K

www.pedelecs.co.uk

 

[soundwave]

Why can i not use it on road as long as it is restricted to 15mph

the law states if it has a of road switch ie you can change the settings in the display it is not road legal at any speed.

so thats 99.9% of all kits you can buy of ebay ect

 

[suggy]

the law states if it has a of road switch ie you can change the settings in the display it is not road legal at any speed.

so thats 99.9% of all kits you can buy of ebay ect

What about cycle paths

 

[soundwave]

just buy what you want just dont kill anyone and it wont be a problem i have had a dongle now for 5 years

 

[Deus]

What about cycle paths

You can not ride it anywhere the public has access to so that means private land only with no public access.

 

[sjpt]

Why can i not use it on road as long as it is restricted to 15mph

The law has LOTS of confusing parts, but the main two ones are 15.5mph max assisted speed, and 250w max nominal power. The nominal power is a slightly silly measure, but it is what the law uses. If it exceeds either of those it is not a pedalec and comes under the same rules as mopeds and motor bikes: allowed onroad with appropriate insurance etc, not allowed on any cycle paths

The road switch would not rule it out as a pedalec as long as it satisfied the above two constraints on all switch settings; but pretty unlikely anyone would want such a switch.

As soundwave says, if you ride sensibly you are very unlikely to be caught . BUT ... if something does go wrong the penalties could be quite severe (driving uninsured, etc). For example, suppose you are hit by a car while riding perfectly correctly in exactly the same way you might ride on any non electric bike. The police will be involved and might notice the technical illegality.

 

[vfr400]

The nominal power is a slightly silly measure, but it is what the law uses. If it exceeds either of those it is not a pedalec and comes under the same rules as mopeds and motor bikes: allowed onroad with appropriate insurance etc, not allowed on any cycle paths

You can't exceed the nominal power of a motor because the nominal power doesn't change, no matter what you do to the motor. You can only install a motor with the wrong nominal power.

 

[sjpt]

You can't exceed the nominal power of a motor because the nominal power doesn't change, no matter what you do to the motor. You can only install a motor with the wrong nominal power.

Sorry, I wrote ambiguously. By 'If it exceeds either of those' I meant 'If the nominal power of your motor exceeds 250w, or max assisted speed exceeds 15mph'. I'm pretty sure we agree. but good to be precise for others reading this thread. (I stand by nominal power being a slightly silly measure)

 

[Deleted member 25121]

just buy what you want just dont kill anyone and it wont be a problem i have had a dongle now for 5 years

Very few cyclists would deliberately kill somebody but things can go wrong, for example:

Cyclist accused of killing pedestrian by hitting her on electric bike

Thomas Hanlon (pictured leaving court today) from London is charged with count of causing death by careless driving, causing death while uninsured and causing death while unlicensed.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[soundwave]

Very few cyclists would deliberately kill somebody but things can go wrong, for example:

Cyclist accused of killing pedestrian by hitting her on electric bike

Thomas Hanlon (pictured leaving court today) from London is charged with count of causing death by careless driving, causing death while uninsured and causing death while unlicensed.

www.dailymail.co.uk

if ppl want to run in to the middle of the road then it does not matter what he was riding, when cars first came out just look how many ppl got ran over because they thought they was invincible and there right to walk in front of traffic going at speed lol

 

[Deleted member 25121]

if ppl want to run in to the middle of the road then it does not matter what he was riding, when cars first came out just look how many ppl got ran over because they thought they was invincible and there right to walk in front of traffic going at speed lol

Exactly my point, no matter how carefully you ride things can go wrong. If you've riding an illegal bike and things go wrong you're in BIG trouble, the Hanlon case is being heard in the Old Bailey and you can't get more serious than that.

Thanks.

 

[Nealh]

Every one is jumping on Suggy !!!
Yet he hasn't actually told us if he bought the 250 or 350w version ?

 

[Deleted member 25121]

Every one is jumping on Suggy !!!
Yet he hasn't actually told us if he bought the 250 or 350w version ?

He asked "Why can i not use it on road as long as it is restricted to 15mph" which suggests that he bought the 350W version, doesn't it?

 

[soundwave]

Every one is jumping on Suggy !!!
Yet he hasn't actually told us if he bought the 250 or 350w version ?

the fact that you can change the speed limit means it is not road legal same as a dongle or of road switch via the settings in the display/software so the power of the motor even if 250w you can set a higher top speed via the settings means it is not road legal.

 

[sjpt]

I'm pretty sure when I first responded to his first post that the post said the motor was 500w/1000w, and that was why I posted as I did.

I see Suggy's original post was edited yesterday afternoon. I hope that he accidentally posted wrong in the first place and that the motor is indeed just 250w, or even that he managed to change the order? I'm sure he didn't intend to order an kit illegal for pedalec in the first place.

I'm never quite sure what the dual 250w/350w refers to. It's a shame so many of the Yose and Pswpower kits are technically 350w; and even Woosh's BPM kit (which is why I didn't choose one).

 

[Nealh]

He asked "Why can i not use it on road as long as it is restricted to 15mph" which suggests that he bought the 350W version, doesn't it?

No, because the 250 and 350 can probably both be adjusted except one will deliver a bit more power.
The motor winding may be different or the controlle amps will be different.

 

[vfr400]

Most of these 250w motors have no power identification on them. Without any markings on the motor, it's virtually impossible to prove whether it is or isn't a 250w one. If you put a Q128 (800w) next to a MXUS XF07 (250w), I bet even a knowledgable ebike enthusiast couldn't tell which is which.

When motors are listed as 250w/350w, sometimes they're referring to whether you run them at 36v or 48v, other times it's just to satisfy whichever market they're selling to.

 

[Woosh]

If you put a Q128 (800w) next to a MXUS XF07 (250w), I bet even a knowledgable ebike enthusiast couldn't tell which is which.

some may, the '128' is a clue.

 

[Nealh]

Don't Wisper use a AKM128 250W ?