Which Class of Ebike Do You Have?

This year Florida passed legislation making E-Bikes the same thing as a regular bicycle. No permit or special license required. Legal to go on any road, trail, or path designated for regular bikes, including non-motorized vehicle routes.

When I was 13 in the ‘60s my buddies +I rode 50cc mopeds and Briggs+Stratten 2.5hp motors on diy tube frames. No license, No traffic. It was 🤩 fun, no hassles

In reality law enforcement will probably never bother you,unless you are grossly violating the laws or you get in a serious accident,so ride safe and keep the rubber side down. Great video,very informative.

My local grocery stores are slightly down hill from me. When I'm loaded with groceries, my nearly 70 yr old behind has a little difficulty getting up the inclines. Adding pedal assist means I now maintain a regular speed. I'm better balanced, safer. I only turn it on when going up hill, so my battery lasts a very long time.

I went to a council meeting dealing with the new (at the time) federal bicycle law and how it will relate to bicycle and walking trails in the area. None of the council members had ever been on those trails. They wanted to ban e-bikes from use on those trails. Because none of them had ever been on those trails they never experienced Roadies on expensive road bikes riding in groups riding a lot faster than 20 mph. I explained it was doubtful they would ride at maximum speed as that depletes the battery faster than just cruising at typical manual bicycle speed's. I then let them see a video of a group of Roadies riding past at high speed on a popular section of the trail everyone would recognize. The result was the posting of 15 mph speed limits on the trails and no longer worrying about e-bikes on the trails.

Great info. I have a Class 3 and am restricted from most bike paths. In my opinion, they should set speed limits instead restricting class 3.

Does the government have anything else more important to do rather than bothering eBike owners and manufacturers? My gosh!

Who in the hell will enforce any of these laws, with people being beaten in the streets?

Great break down of each class! Thanks for taking the time to make this video and educate us on the lesser known details of the classes.

It makes sense that a motorized bicycle that can exceed the speed limit (25mph) should have a speedometer.

Is that 750w nominal or peak? It’s so crazy we have power laws for bikes, but there are no power laws for cars. Just stick to speed laws and let us ride any power motor we want.

Thanks! I am a retired TIG welder, and want to make myself a comfortable e assisted bike to ride since I'm too sick to pedal my own MASH themed bike anymore. Thanks for letting me know this so I have an idea of what my motor limits are and I dont go ham on that part.

The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), supercedes any state law, if you are disabled, you don't need to disclose your disability to police. You cannot drive on a freeway, or breakdown lane of a highway, but driving to a store is completely legal (the definition of electrical walking aid is extremely vague)

Most police dont even care about how fast a e-bike rider goes.

Never knew their was such a thing. I swear a bunch of people jump to do something and here comes big brother with rules regulations.

That is why ,rather than modifying my Ebike,I've chosen to carry in my wallet, several different stickers, at any given time ...😎

Thank you for educating me about the different classes of ebikes. I live in Idaho and have a SurRon and a SONDORS XS. I ride the SurRon more. I bought the XS to get a little more exercise. My only complaint about the XS is the throttle is an on/off switch. No gentle ramp up. And denial of any issue from customer service. This is my third SONDORS ebike. Never had any issues before and I’m a stockholder in both the ebike company and his electric car company so I don’t want to trash SONDORS on line but am really disappointed in customer service. Thanks for letting me rant(gently).

Great video. Sounds like the manufacture and sell of e-bikes is going to get much trickier to avoid lawsuits from the government and consumers when they get injured at higher speed.

I have a Class 2. This video was extremely helpful. Thank you!

The equivalent of California's "moped" category is "low speed motorcycle" in some states, doesn't require pedaling. Here in Wyoming, you can get a restricted motorcycle endorsement, I think, that is limited to this category (and is generally easier to qualify for).

I like the static f104 star fighter in the background

28 mph is almost exactly 45 km/h, the speed limit on European speed pedelecs. I doubt that that is a coincidence.

I ride a peddle assist e-bike and I live in AZ. I ride on national and state forests trails A LOT. Happened to stop and chat with some officials with the State forest District. They were riding regular mtb's. They mentioned to me that it is illegal to ride my e bike on state forest trails. They said they felt the reason e bikes have been banned is because of ignorance of the law makers; that they make uninformed decisions. She suggested we (mtb ers) work to educate. She concluded our chat with the words, "If you ride responsibly and with care, you will be okay. Enjoy the rest of your ride." By the way, I did not know they were with the Forest District till the end of our discussion.

Hello I just find out your video and thank you for the content, it’s very informative. Also I have a question, Segway came out with eMoped C80 that I will say it classifies in the class 2 since it has pedals and a max speed of 20mph. Would you confirm if I am correct and may not need to get any insurance or registration, etc?

I have a class 1 emtb. I ride it anywhere bikes are allowed. If a regular bike is allowed but no ebikes, then I ignore that as I would any other law that makes no sense. My road bikes both go over 30mph, so technically illegal. Another thing to ignore :)

I just bought an ebike for the freedom and to save a trip or 2 locally a week in my car.Hopefully dims leave them alone--you would think folks would be happy that this is catching on.I even plan on getting a solar powered power source to charge it up.

Imagine if car laws were like this. "You aren't allowed to buy a car unless it has less than 50 horsepower and if it goes over 50, it requires a clutch and a sticker on your car that says it has a clutch."

Interesting and quite different from rules in Denmark. We have two classes of e-bikes: 1. Regular E-bike. 250W motor max. Assist mode ONLY. Topspeed 25kph (15.6mph) 2. Speed-pedelec 250w motor max. Assist mode only. Topspeed 45kph (28mph) Must have front and rear lights on all times. Must wear helmet. Must have insurance. (if you hit a pedestrian, regular bike or regular e-bike, responsibility will automatically fall on you) Both types of bikes can of course drive faster, just not with motor assist. However I have yet to see any e-bike be pulled over by the police to check for anything, which is kinda sad. There are plenty of people riding around on obviously tuned e-bikes (+30mph) on bike paths in a city with tens of thousands of bike riders and it's just not safe. There was recently a case about a e-bike doing 70kph (+43mph) in a city, which is insane. Some people forget they only have bicycle brakes on their bike.

I have read the California law several times and never found any statement of "no throttle" in the text of the law. It states that class I and III ebikes must be pedaled to provide power. So if the controls require pedaling to enable the throttle this meets the law and still allows a throttle on class I and III ebikes.

Omg I've been looking for a vid like this. Ty for the education.

I have a class 3 Cheeta like the one behind you. The laws in my region (BC Canada) allows me to ride on multiuser trails and the public roads. Max road speed under the bikes own power is 32kph (20mph). The e-bike regulation reminds the reader they must adhere to the regular rules of the road like any other bike. Thanks for the informative video.

Starting on 12/02/2020, we can ride e-bike in trails in Federal parks where regular bicycles are already allowed -- including class-1/2/3.

Any time the government (federal or local) gets involved in anything you can pretty much count on it going to hell pretty quickly. The same thing is taking place with camera drones. If they can figure out a way to generate revenue out of it they'll milk it for all they can get out of it.

We are still stuck in the dark ages here in the UK 250w, 15.5mph max no throttle just pedal assist.

Very informative, thank you for your detail on class 1, 2, and 3.

Thank you for clearing all the doubts. I think the laws are quite clear and makes good sense except the wattage. Confusion between continuous and peak. Anyways, your ways of explaining stuffs is phenomenal. Keep it up. Love from India.

Interestingly enough, where I live in Canada, my ebike I bought 2 years ago would be California compliant. I made sure it was within the laws of the province I live in. It has to be 500w or less and can't have a top speed over 30 kmph (which is slightly under 20mph.) It also has to have working pedals; if it's not, then it's probably going to require a license. I don't think it's a problem, but mine can go a little bit faster: 32kmph or 20mph.

I like this guy, but a really don't give a f--- about the law. It goes fast and looks like a bike, and Florida cops don't give a s--t.

Very informative!! I checked this out to research ebike laws and you've simplified everything I'd end up finding. Along with all of the requirements, a helmet should be a "suggestion" for every class of ebike 👍

so what if you have front and rear 750 or 1000W motors 2 independent systems with 2 throttles which class is it? is the wattage added for collective output or looked independently because all we are doing is doubling the torque not the speed. controllers can be programmed to control the speed.

Thank you for the video...Have a blessed day..

I’m old enough to remember when America was a free country.

Good video... it's funny to think about how often ebikes aren't in line with the laws, like models out there that have 1000+ watt motor, not to mention the DIY builds!

FYI - Motorcycles no longer have the distinction of being the most dangerous two-wheel conveyance per miles ridden. The highest is rental electric scooters. A Travis County study by the American Journal for Emergency Medicine showed, “There were 160 confirmed e-scooter injuries identified by the e-scooter injury investigation, with 891,121 reported miles of e-scooter travel during the study period. This produces an injury rate estimate of 180 injuries/million VMT (MVMT)". Another national study revealed that e-bikes were second, “The 115 injuries per million e-bike rides beats out the estimated 104 injuries per million motorcycle rides, 15 injuries/million bicycle rides, and eight injuries/million passenger car rides."

Excellent explanation on the ebike laws, Thanks! Oklahoma goes to 1000W and 30MPH, Otherwise, pretty much the same except, All ebike riders must have a drivers license! So, no-one under 16 can legally ride any ebike. Here in Oklahoma it's a $500 fine to violate any of the very stringent e-bike laws. I'm going to look into e-moped laws tomorrow. 1st edit 10/1/22, Section 11-805.2 - Operation of Electric-Assisted Bicycles Notwithstanding any other provision of law, operators of electric-assisted bicycles, as defined in Section 1-104 of this title, shall: 1. Possess a Class A, B, C or D license, but shall be exempt from a motorcycle endorsement; 2. Not be subject to motor vehicle liability insurance requirements only as they pertain to the operation of electric-assisted bicycles; 3. Be authorized to operate an electric-assisted bicycle wherever bicycles are authorized to be operated; 4. Be prohibited from operating an electric-assisted bicycle wherever bicycles are prohibited from operating; and 5. Wear a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet which meets the standards of the American National Standards Institute or the Snell Memorial Foundation Standards for protective headgear for use in bicycling, provided such operator is eighteen (18) years of age or less. (no helmets for adults) Section 1-104 - Bicycle, Electric-Assisted Bicycle, and Motorized Bicycle A. A bicycle is a device upon which any person or persons may ride, propelled solely by human power.... B. An electric-assisted bicycle is any bicycle with: 1. Two or three wheels; and 2. Fully operative pedals for human propulsion and equipped with an electric motor: a. with a power output not to exceed one thousand (1,000) watts, b. incapable of propelling the device at a speed of more than thirty (30) miles per hour on level ground, and c. incapable of further increasing the speed of the device when human power alone is used to propel the device at a speed of thirty (30) miles per hour or more. An electric-assisted bicycle shall meet the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards as set forth in federal regulations and shall operate in such a manner that the electric motor disengages or ceases to function when the brakes are applied.

As he rides away, without a helmet, on his Class 3 ebike! 😉

In my younger days I used to time trial and my best time over 25 miles was 1 hour, leg power alone, that was up and down hill as well. Now add 750W to that! And no I didn't weigh 170lb= 77 kg, I was 65kg. You could probably break 30 minutes maybe, if the battery has the endurance. Now imagine downhill in a sprint if you have the gearing for it and 80+ mph is conceivable. That may seem ridiculous but I personally took my bike out past 65, it was a very long steep hill. Make it a prone three wheeler with a fairing and you'd have a rocket. It'd be quite conceivable to cruise constantly on the flat at 70+.

Love the F104 starfighter statue in the background great plane

Great info! I appreciate it because I will be riding my new Cheetah all around the country. By the way, the Cheetah is FANTASTIC! It is the most comfortable bicycle I've ever had and it grabs attention like crazy! Such a great addition to your lineup! Thanks Kyle!

Great to know the law. Nice video. Thanks.

Wow great info video. I wish I would have seen this yesterday. Just bought an ebike. I will see what I get. Cheers Jeff

Do you have any information on mobility scooters for people or person who use Walmart type scooter or the Lark electric scooters? Most scooters can go as fast as 7 to 11 MPH and have no turn signals or headlamp. Some models do have a night time headlamp. Mine has a 6 sided slow vehicle Orange device on my Segway and trike.

Damn! Do I need to hire a lawyer before I ride my bike? There are so many other problems in this country, yet we have to regulate electric bikes. I'm not mad at you, I'm just mad that our country has come to this. Just found your class 4 stickers...gonna get some!

thank God i live in Puerto Rico no law's on ebikes just obey basic street laws ☺

I've got a Ecotric Rocket Super ebike with rear turn signals and a front light .....and I've adjusted it to go up to roughly 25 to 28 mph and I live n California

Greetings, you seem very knowledgeable I currently use a class 2 Ebike in Arkansas and was wondering my bike comes with passenger pegs but was needed to know about adding bmx pegs on front or back wheel bolts… does that change the class of bike or affected by laws? I thought I heard it was illegal or something

Very nice presentation of a complex issue. More complex than it should be. Thank you!

What I learn is that my 1,500 w motor is illegal but atleast I have a class 2 sticker. ;)

Thank you for this video, what would a bike like the Sur Ron X class as?

I lived in China for 3 years, owned a couple different model eScooters (no pedals, much faster than eBike) I ALMOST bought one here in the states (you can buy them online) when I got back but was paranoid about laws... so I bought a Radwagon 4 instead. It arrived last night, will be assembled today.

If I can modify my bike by installing a motor, batteries, and a throttle, it should be no one else's business unless I'm riding it on sidewalks or pedestrian pathways.

I guarantee you you would have to have a smog test to an electric bike in California

The reason the law on stickers requires the wattage is for multi-drive bikes. I have a Rad Runner first generation, it's a class 2. If I put a front wheel drive conversation kit on it and make it a 2 wheel drive, it would be legally a motorcycle at over 1000W. If I had a 250W bike and put a 250W second drive it could still be a class 1. It's so an officer on scene can do the math if he has to.

Thanks for this info. I live in Michigan, and will look up our laws after watching this. I learned a lot from your video.

under federal law a pedaled bicycle CAN NOT be restricted by displacement wattage speed or subject to state regulations.🍻

Do i need to follow the ebike laws during a "peaceful" protest? Which reminds me, can I mount a molotov cocktail launcher on my ebike?

Do you have a video with information on bikes like the surron? Im also in northern California and want to get one but not sure if I can use it in locations I want to use it.

A terrific video - many thanks for clearing up so much of the mystique surrounding the differences between the various e-bike types and classes. I have some follow-up questions for you: What about 2 people riding on a Class 2 or 3 e-bike? In other words is a passenger allowed? Also what about class 3 operating on bike paths - is it still allowed? Perhaps you already covered that and I just missed it. - what about riding class 2 or 3 about on hiking trails? Finally, If you register something and get a plate can you still ride it on bike paths and trails? Many thanks again.

You'd have to make this as several part series to do all the laws for all 50 states for e-bikes

Great video! Thanks to you I now know that Ohio slightly edges out California in being e-bike friendly, with no throttle verbiage in the law about e-bikes. Woo hoo.

That’s funny that chopper timed it perfectly I was like eh he said e bike that thing is sounding like a 2-stroke 😂

I want to modify a 4-wheeled surrey bike to have 2 rear hub motors. Will I need to register it as a motor vehicle with a VIN number? What wattage can I use if it has 4 wheels?

Ok so following the federal laws, as a larger person who weighs roughly twice the 175lbs, I should be able to use two 750w motors an go 40mph. Right?

Did you see the the Forest Service is taking comments on allowing e-bikes on bike trails through 10/26?

in maryland and DC the sign i see on trails that say "no motorized vehicle allowed" does this include my ebike?

The Ariel rider "Kepler" (which I just ordered, but won't be available

As long as you're at less than the speed of light it's legal.

I dot really care about the law. I live in England and I always fly on the road more than 35+ mhp

I have an old chromed out lowrider bicycle, is it possible to use a bafeng or bosch center motor assist with it? Thank you!

What brand of bike is that in your video please, and where did you get the saddlebags?

"California" and "law" don't belong in the same sentence anymore. Might be a good idea if you relocated your business elsewhere like everyone else. You can't prosper in california anymore.

It depends on the Police Officer, and what kind of mood they are in. They're all legal once you take them above 20 miles an hour.

Great vids. Thanks for the info.

That was an excellent presentation of some very confusing regulations! Fun with your government involvement! Thank you!

Dude on my regular pedal bike I usually go about 35 mph. Is that even legal? My bike has no gas or electric motor just pedals.

I always heard 750w is all max, but heck, I want to start at 7500 watts! Haha. I was thinking about converting a 50cc scooter, to about 5kw, I'm thinking though, maybe a 3kw hub, with 2kw mid, and maybe a 500watt front! With its own throttle!

Any idea if I can put a controller on that allows multiple pre sets. Like one for law and other for offroad/heavy load ?

I used to ride a Honda Express Moped back in the 1980s and according to New York law where I am based, any "vehicle" with a 49CC engine that you DO NOT have to pedal has to be licensed, insured, and you have to carry a valid driver's license to operate it on the street!! PLUS you have to wear a helmet!! On the other hand, back around the same time period (in the 1980s) if you owned a true "Moped" that had working pedal, you didn't need a driver's license to or a helmet to operate it on the street, as that was considered a "motorized bicycle" and you also DID NOT need insurance or registration to ride your moped on the road!! The difference was if you have actual working pedals or not is my point!! The Honda Express I used to ride, had NO PEDALS at all, and I was required to have the bike licensed, insured and I needed to carry at least a valid driver's license to operate it and a helmet! BUT a friend of mine at the same time had a Puch moped and didn't require any of the same things I did, because it was considered a "bicycle"!

All things considered, I think we can rest assured that wearing a helmet if you are going over 28 MPH (pedaling or not) will afford safety from the law and perhaps, to your head.

I’m thinking you did a good job describing a very fuzzy law. I haven’t ever been given a definition for fuzzy logic but after watching this video I think I understand both the Ebikes law and fuzzy logic. Does that sound about right ???

So in class 2 and 3, what are the wattage and passenger weight restrictions in federal?

Give me a break!!!! The place to go is to the DMV web site for your state. Here in CA, the DMV.CA.GOV specifically states the max legal wattage is 750W and the max speed is 28 mph. I don't even consider bike trail rules, --- no cop is going to stop anyone on a bike (except perhaps at the beach, like Newport Beach or Manhattan) and verify the class, etc. --- unless they're being reckless, and on a bike trail at crowded Newport Beach or Manhattan, you'd absolutely be reckless to ride over 20 mph (but I swear some rollerbladers do go over 20 mph). On the street, if you ever were stopped, the cop might look for some sticker, but again, only if you're speeding (pretty difficult on an ebike), and first, they won't stop you unless you violate something other than ebike laws -- like running a stop sign, red light, not wearing a helmet (YES, it's the law in CA even on a regular bike - if you're on a public street). Of course you can ride without a helmet around your trailer park all you want, but I'd recommend not crashing.....and best of all - you don't have to buy auto insurance and get a license plate and pay yearly registration fees with an ebike. But you do with a gas powered scooter........even if you're parked, or not going over 20 mph.....

Thank you for helping me to decide that I will buy a scooter long before I ever will an ebike , when I was growing up we all had bike with lawn mower engines and back then police usually would like that a kid could build something on our own ingenuity and back then we respected the police not resist them .

Fortunately I live in New Hampshire, where class two and three ebike laws are light years ahead of other states. They’re basically considered regular bicycles on multi use paths and roads, and require no registration or fees. Helmets are not required over the age of 16, however I choose to wear one myself. Where in neighboring Massachusetts, their ebike laws are draconian to say the least. Class two ebikes are on the same level as mopeds, requiring a drivers license, annual registration fees, and helmet for all ages. They are also prohibited from multi use paths, trails, and state parks. For a state that brags how progressive they are, green energy transportation is made expensive, difficult, and over regulated. Living on the border of the two states I have no desire to cross into Massachusetts anytime soon. I’m a bit disappointed the federal government hasn’t eased restrictions on national parks and forests, and developed nationwide reasonable ebike laws which would more encourage clean daily commutes back and forth to work, school, or everyday errands.

Very informative. In Maine and the town I live in Waterville we can legally use sidewalks. I found that interesting as some of the fat tire bikes weighting in at 50 plus ponds are tanks going down a skinny sidewalk and I as a pedestrian might find them intimidating. Still it's the law. Also I don't know about your state but drivers are jerks and intentionally place bike riders in sometimes very tricky situations because they feel inconvenienced. One of my classic questions is how does one determine the degree a given hill is? 25, 30 degrees etc. Never saw a hills degrees listed out in all my years on the road and have no idea how to visually judge a hills degree.

Can someone tell me where I can buy this Luggage carrier bags? Or just the model?

So my throttled BBSHD with a 3-speed IGH and a 52T / 22T ratio tops out at 47mph on the flat. What class would that be Kyle? ;~) BTW, my local police were so impressed they asked me to modify all of their bikes the same way! Which I did of course at a tidy profit + some new influential friends haha!

you NEVER talked about class 4!!!!! I ONLY GO 88!!!!! XD

Massive "DO NOT BLOCK" sign ...🤔 "I'll film my safety and law video here!" 😂