Please don't muddy the definition of bicycle, but instead look it up in your local Vehicle Code, so it is clear what is required and what passes for a bicycle. Some states do require pedals, others don't. Some states require the pedals to work to propel the bike to qualify it as a bike or else it is a moped, others don't. Some states have two classes of motorized bicycles, one that can reach 30 MPH and is equal to a moped including the requirement for registration and licensing and another class that contains the typical e-Bike that can reach no more than 20 MPH and is considered equal to a bicycle, exempt from licensing and depending on municipal code should be registered as bicycle or is exempt just like a bicycle. Since those are considered bicycles, the max speed of motorized bicycles that you can find in bike lanes is 20 MPH since the first variant that can go 30 MPH must act like a moped, which typically rides in the traffic lane. California Vehicle Code on motorized bicycles: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/pubs/vctop/vc/d1/406
Note that it is easy to get confused between the motor cycle: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/pubs/vctop/vc/d1/400 the motor-driven cycle (which is a light motorcycle of 150cc or less http://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/pubs/vctop/vc/d1/405 The motorized bicycle http://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/pubs/vctop/vc/d1/406 The motorized quadricycle http://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/pubs/vctop/vc/d1/407 and the motorized scooter (which *may* be designed to be propelled by human power!) http://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/pubs/vctop/vc/d1/407.5 And to top it off, there is the definition of the bicycle itself http://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/pubs/vctop/vc/d16.7/39000 and then each State can enact their own deviating vehicle code and parts of code for bicycles depends on you Municipal code as well... Cor van de Water Chief Scientist Proxim Wireless office +1 408 383 7626 Skype: cor_van_de_water XoIP +31 87 784 1130 private: cvandewater.info www.proxim.com This email message (including any attachments) contains confidential and proprietary information of Proxim Wireless Corporation. If you received this message in error, please delete it and notify the sender. Any unauthorized use, disclosure, distribution, or copying of any part of this message is prohibited. -----Original Message----- From: EV [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of EVDL Administrator via EV Sent: Monday, September 14, 2015 8:36 PM To: Electric Vehicle Discussion List Subject: Re: [EVDL] EVLN: Questions answered> Should you buy an electricbike? On 14 Sep 2015 at 21:27, Peri Hartman via EV wrote: > Those are certainly bike characteristics but do they really make it a > bike? If you use only the throttle and don't pedal, are you riding a > bike? One can certainly design a scooter with pedals, small bike-like > disc brakes, and spoked wheels. Is it a bike? I'd say yes. I'm pretty sure the Quando is a bike with an electric motor added - that is, the fundamental design is "bike." It looks the part. The battery is mounted to the seat post, so not that conspicuous. The hub motor is subtle, too. As long as I pedal even a little, I doubt that anyone watching me realizes it's anything other than a folding (pedal-only) bike. On the other hand, I think it's possible to design from scratch for electric drive and still have a bike rather than a scooter. IMO, it's a "look and feel" thing. Take, for example, the e-bikes with batteries INSIDE their tubular frames. And on the third hand (or left foot), consider the Electroped I owned for a while back in the 1990s. the poor thing had an identity crisis. It had a bike frame, with moped tires. The front brake was a moped type, but the rear brake was a bike coaster hub. The name suggested "moped," but it had no VIN and no place to mount a registration plate. Thus it was arguably a bike in legal terms. It had pedals and in fact I HAD to pedal to start out, because it had no controller. The motor drove the front wheel with a friction puck, and if I didn't pedal, the puck would shred the front tire. Even with all that, it STILL didn't feel like a bike. It just didn't ride like one. A lot of the reason was its weight. Two U1 size wheelchair batteries (24lb each) were mounted (too high) on either side of the rear wheel. A friction puck drove the front wheel. The total was perhaps 75-80lb, but it felt like much more because the center of mass was high. I've never owned a motorcycle. I've been a passenger on a few, and once rode a friend's (about a 175, I think). I remember them as being rather heavy and uncomfortable to handle, compared to a bicycle. The Electroped reminded me of that impression. Legally, I guess it was a bike; but in use, it was just too awkward to really qualify as one. > The new all-terrain bikes have fat tires the size of motorcycle tires. > Are they bikes? Why would anyone doubt it? <puzzled> > > These are subjective viewpoints and open for disagreement. That's no doubt true, unless / until the traffic code says otherwise. It's off topic, so please don't comment on this, but this discussion reminds me a little of the chats I've had about what classical music is. Everybody agrees that Mozart and Brahms are classical composers. Most think Stravinsky and Poulenc are, even Schoenberg. But then you get to John Cage and Eliott Carter, and thought the academics say they are, some listeners aren't so sure. How about Terry Riley and the other minimalists? Are filmscores by John Williams and Rachel Portman classical? What about the legions of pianists who compose their own new-agey instrumentals and call themselves classical musicians? There's no really good definition, so it's down to how it sounds to you, and something you think sounds like classical music might not to me (or vice versa). Similarly, it might be that whether an electric-powered 2-wheeler is a bike or a moped or a scooter depends on how it rides for you or for me. What I say is a bike, you might say is a scooter. In the end, though, what counts is what the DMV says. David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA EVDL Administrator = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = EVDL Information: http://www.evdl.org/help/ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Note: mail sent to "evpost" and "etpost" addresses will not reach me. 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