Is This A Motorcycle?

[Yorick]

Is it an electric bicycle or a motorcycle?

Yesterday we saw a few. Fair shifting without pedalling. So it's a motor cycle surely?

They had no helmets either.

https://www.yamaha-motor.eu/gb/en/ebike ... easy-2023/

[Ian]

Depends,
If it's not limited to 15mph, you must wear a helmet, have insurance and a number plate, yes.
But I doubt that's what Yamaha or any other e bike manufacturer is aiming for I suspect they want it to be free from such encumbrances as insurance and number plates and ideally easy to derestrict because that's whats selling like hotcakes and that's what the environmentalists love
So my bet is bicycle.

I saw one recently going much faster than traffic, I want one of those

[Yorick]

If it is limited to 15 mph it'll be still legal to whizz along pavements I assume?

Could be lethal after a few bevvies.

If banned from pavements it could be even worse on roads after a few bevvies.

Gonna be a minefield to monitor them all

[Beancounter]

If it is limited to 15 mph it'll be still legal to whizz along pavements I assume?

Could be lethal after a few bevvies.

If banned from pavements it could be even worse on roads after a few bevvies.

Gonna be a minefield to monitor them all

It's relatively straightforward to derestrict ebike motors and increase their top speed, usually at the expense of battery life. Of course, batteries are getting better by the day so it might not be that much of a trade off.

Loads of them around nowadays where the pedals appear to be for show than go.

Could be lethal after a few bevvies.

Indeed, though most of them around here are Uber Eats/Deliveroo so the riders are more concerned with staying upright and earning. It's the scrotes on the proper electric motorbikes like the Sur-Ron which cause the most problems.

[Bustaspoke]

According to that link you posted to the Yamaha page you can buy it through the ride to work scheme,but you can't get one called the 'Booster' on the ride to work scheme.Maybe some are classed as pedal assist & other's as motorised?

[Skub]

KFB sez,'needz moar pink'.

[Mussels]

If it is limited to 15 mph it'll be still legal to whizz along pavements I assume?

Could be lethal after a few bevvies.

If banned from pavements it could be even worse on roads after a few bevvies.

Gonna be a minefield to monitor them all

Dunno about Spain but no bikes are allowed on UK pavements, not even kids bikes.
From your description these were motorbikes, for a long time EU law has specified that the motor should only work while the pedals are turning. Electric scooters are also motorbikes but nobody seems to care much about them.

[ZRX61]

Moped surely?

[Mr. Dazzle]

FWIW, driving an e bike/scooter after a few bevvies is not only dangerous, it's just as illegal (in the UK) as doing it in a car.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-g ... %20traffic.

[Yorick]

FWIW, driving an e bike/scooter after a few bevvies is not only dangerous, it's just as illegal (in the UK) as doing it in a car.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-g ... %20traffic.

Ironically she got a driving ban, but can still ride the lecky scooter

[Yorick]

Wonder what happens if a 15 year old gets caught pissed-up on one ?

[Mr. Dazzle]

FWIW, driving an e bike/scooter after a few bevvies is not only dangerous, it's just as illegal (in the UK) as doing it in a car.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-g ... %20traffic.

Ironically she got a driving ban, but can still ride the lecky scooter

You know...I'm not sure that's true! Strictly speaking you need a driving licence to legally ride an e scooter on public land. AFAIK you can only ride scooters which are rented from government backed schemes (Lime and people like that) and to use those you need a driving licence.

'course, the law is widely flouted/unenforceable

[Bigjawa]

E scooters are classed as off road motorcycles. If you get banned for your R1, you're equally as banned on an e scoot.

[Yorick]

E scooters are classed as off road motorcycles. If you get banned for your R1, you're equally as banned on an e scoot.

So what about the thousands of kids riding them?

Can a 14 y/o ride an e-scooter?
Or a lecky bicycle?

Etc..

[MrLongbeard]

E scooters are classed as off road motorcycles. If you get banned for your R1, you're equally as banned on an e scoot.

So what about the thousands of kids riding them?

Can a 14 y/o ride an e-scooter?
Or a lecky bicycle?

Etc..

In the UK;
No
Yes

[Yorick]

E scooters are classed as off road motorcycles. If you get banned for your R1, you're equally as banned on an e scoot.

So what about the thousands of kids riding them?

Can a 14 y/o ride an e-scooter?
Or a lecky bicycle?

Etc..

In the UK;
No
Yes

So how can they ban an adult from a riding a leccy bicycle if no license is needed?

Grey areas.

[Yorick]

So what about the thousands of kids riding them?

Can a 14 y/o ride an e-scooter?
Or a lecky bicycle?

Etc..

In the UK;
No
Yes

So how can they ban an adult from a riding a leccy bicycle if no license is needed?

Grey areas.

Peaky Rider

You can drink and ride a bike/ebike. There is no alcohol limit and you can't be breathalysed or blood taken. You won't get points on your driving licence or be banned from driving. As is mentioned above you can be prosecuted for riding furiously though.Apr 19, 2023

[MrLongbeard]

So what about the thousands of kids riding them?

Can a 14 y/o ride an e-scooter?
Or a lecky bicycle?

Etc..

In the UK;
No
Yes

So how can they ban an adult from a riding a leccy bicycle if no license is needed?

Grey areas.

Because there are electric bikes, and then there are electric bikes, In the UK there's a difference between those that have to be pedalled (bicycles) and those that don't have to be pedalled (motor vehicle)

[MrLongbeard]

In the UK;
No
Yes

So how can they ban an adult from a riding a leccy bicycle if no license is needed?

Grey areas.

Peaky Rider

You can drink and ride a bike/ebike. There is no alcohol limit and you can't be breathalysed or blood taken. You won't get points on your driving licence or be banned from driving. As is mentioned above you can be prosecuted for riding furiously though.Apr 19, 2023

The maximum penalty for cycling whilst under the influence of drink or drugs is a £1,000 fine. This is also the case for careless or inconsiderate cycling. The maximum penalty for dangerous cycling is a £2,500 fine.

You wouldn’t, however, get any points on your driving license should you have one, as it isn’t a driving offence.

https://www.slatergordon.co.uk/newsroom ... hen-drunk/

[Ian]

The genie is already out of the bottle and the police don't have the resources to put it back in.
There are e-bikes and scooters everywhere, and nobody riding them cares about the law.