Bicycle engines and Darwin awards

ED E

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Presumably the electric bikes work the same as the petrol bikes - you can choose to let the motor do all the work, or just to help you out.
So therefore it is an MPV?

Depends on the bike.

Some eBikes(pedelecs) turn 20kph into 30kph but wont engage until you're already moving, no torque to do so.

Others will big motors and large lipo packs are totally MPVs.

ED E

https://www.joe.ie/news/gardai-issue-warning-stopping-dangerously-modified-mountain-bike-irish-roads-595586

Kaisr Sose

In the wider scheme of things that saddle angle is so wrong...

Cookie_Monster

Borderfox wrote: »

Well they are openly for sale on adverts.ie with the seller saying nothing needed to drive them except a large set of testicles.

fully legal to use, just not on public roads. Nothing stopping you using one on your own property...

Canis Lupus

I bought and installed a Bafang electric mid drive onto my Thorn Sherpa that was lamenting away in my shed. Absolutely love it and it's replaced my motorbike for commuting. Was fairly straightforward to install although getting the cabling to look nice is mission impossible but the unit and battery is all things considered fairly discreet.

It cost a fair amount but ultimately a fraction of a new dedicated electric bike. Only real concern is the how long it will last but time will tell and they seem relatively easy to fix. It's pedal assist only although I still opted for a motor that's not road compliant here in Australia but at 36 and not looking like a degenerate youth I'm unlikely to be stopped. I only use a lower setting of assist and toddle along at 25kph on average either way.

Borderfox

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

fully legal to use, just not on public roads. Nothing stopping you using one on your own property...

I understand that but that's not how they are used

punisher5112

I emailed the gardai last year and their answer was they couldn't do anything about these bikes.

Things have obviously changed as they didn't even understand they were illegal.

Funny isn't it.

cython

Borderfox wrote: »

I understand that but that's not how they are used

So it comes down to a question of enforcement, as so many of these issues do, rather than an issue in legislation. In that case, there's little point in introducing another law that outlaws the use of these contraptions in more locations, only for the same lack of enforcement to render it completely ineffectual like the current law.

rubadub

cython wrote: »

So it comes down to a question of enforcement, as so many of these issues do, rather than an issue in legislation.

they are effectively uninsured motorbikes, I guess people can buy a scrambler motorbike and only use it offroad and not need tax & insurance etc.

The difference here is that it is actually easier to spot them and so should be easier to enforce. Imagine all a garda had to do was give a 1 second glimpse at a car or regular motorbike and instantly be 99% sure that it was on the road illegally. Also if gardai could throw a car in their boot (like these bicycles) it would be much easier to get it off the road immediately.

SCOL

I have been using one of these for about 3/4 years with no problems. My commute is about 30Km each way even got through
a few check points.

ED E

SCOL wrote: »

I have been using one of these for about 3/4 years with no problems. My commute is about 30Km each way even got through
a few check points.

You'll get a very rude awakening some morning.

schemingbohemia

SCOL wrote: »

I have been using one of these for about 3/4 years with no problems. My commute is about 30Km each way even got through
a few check points.

You do realise you could end up being done for
- no insurance
- no tax
- no helmet
- no licence (possibly)

If you have a driving licence you would likely be automatically disqualified from that.

A legal pedelec/e-bike requires none of these.

ted1

SCOL wrote: »

I have been using one of these for about 3/4 years with no problems. My commute is about 30Km each way even got through
a few check points.

It's always grand till you get caught.

Kaisr Sose

punisher5112 wrote: »

I emailed the gardai last year and their answer was they couldn't do anything about these bikes.

Things have obviously changed as they didn't even understand they were illegal.

Funny isn't it.

No surprise they don't know what is legal and illegal. Even with certain SI defining all of the following as offences, I see Gardaí ignoring vehicles parked in cycle lanes in town, taxis turning a clearway into a rank, where it is also the only vehicle lane and are parked within 50m of a junction (middle abbey st), vehicles parked on footpaths (everywhere) and vehicles parked on double yellow lines.

Gardaí just walk or drive on by...what hope for enforcement on these motor-bikes?

SCOL

On my commute on it I go through 3 towns and never had any problems, I sometimes turn off the engine and
cycle if there is heavy traffic but I do help it along by cycling most of the time.

punisher5112

SCOL wrote: »

On my commute on it I go through 3 towns and never had any problems, I sometimes turn off the engine and
cycle if there is heavy traffic but I do help it along by cycling most of the time.

Soon to be in court with bike taken off you.

If you have a license for a car or motorbike you are looking at a ban also.

No insurance is a big no no.

Korvanica

amcalester wrote: »

Damn motorists.

and they don't even pay footpath tax ! :mad:

ED E

As expected the traffic corps are starting to cotton on.

DMR Traffic Electric mechanically propelled scooter stopped on public road No Insurance/Licence Scooter seized & prosecution to follow

seamus

And the same idiots are out on Twitter asking Gardai to chase the "real criminals" and asking, "Won't someone please think of the children?"

These are probably the same people that let their 12 year old sons rally a wrecked 1995 Micra around a local field.

I have to laugh at that thing though. It's barely even attempting to look like an adult scooter. It's basically a moped with the fairings removed.

magicbastarder

heh, we passed one of these yesterday and i was wondering aloud to my wife whether the recent tweet about the chap on the M11 has reminded other gardai that they might want to keep an eye out for them.

Alanstrainor

I saw an interesting DIY e-bike during the week. The guy sped past me at a good clip, maybe 40km/h. The bike was a old cheap early 2000's style MTB. Had a battery strapped to it with duck tape, lots and lots of duck tape. It had some crazy front hub that I assume was driving it, but I'm not too sure! I got chatting to the guy who reckoned it had 30km range, and a top speed of over 50km/h. Perhaps a bit under the radar for cops to spot.

All that being said, I wouldn't want to ride that yoke in the rain, I reckon it's a shock hazard!

ED E

Alanstrainor wrote: »

I saw an interesting DIY e-bike during the week. The guy sped past me at a good clip, maybe 40km/h. The bike was a old cheap early 2000's style MTB. Had a battery strapped to it with duck tape, lots and lots of duck tape. It had some crazy front hub that I assume was driving it, but I'm not too sure! I got chatting to the guy who reckoned it had 30km range, and a top speed of over 50km/h. Perhaps a bit under the radar for cops to spot.

All that being said, I wouldn't want to ride that yoke in the rain, I reckon it's a shock hazard!

Those kits are 300-500 USD and are pretty messy in terms of cabling.

The wheel indeed houses the motor:

Dave_White

Shout out to the dude with bright green contraption with mag wheels I keep on seeing on Clontarf road, and once in Pheonix park. Stay safe.

johnk123

ED E wrote: »

As expected the traffic corps are starting to cotton on.

If this is the same incident I saw, it happen on the canal around HX. The funny thing was, a massive flat bed recovery truck appeared to take it away!

To add, my general observation from Dublin over the last couple of months has been an increase in gardai awareness on these 'engine' bikes. I can think of a couple of times I have seen people stopped with them.