Taintkick

So before i spend a ton of money on this bike (https://www.stealthelectricbikesusa.com/) I thought that I would make sure I was allowed to ride it on the side of the road. This is what i got for a response. They pretty much don't have any idea if i'm allowed to ride it to work.
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"Thank you for contacting the Motorcycle Safety Program about the electric bicycle you are considering purchasing. Ideally you should contact the Maryland State Police or local law enforcement to see if this type of vehicle can be operated on public roadways.

It might be considered a Moped as described under Maryland Vehicle Law Section 11-134.1 since it has pedals. To operate this type of vehicle you must have a license of some class or a moped operator's permit."

Regards.

Motorcycle Safety Program

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I am Corporal Mills with the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office Traffic Safety Unit and we have received your e-mail in reference to the requirements for Stealth Electric Bikes. You are absolutely right in reference to this bike being in a gray area of the law. We are not familiar with them but just in reviewing some of the specs and the abilities the bikes have I am leaning toward them needing to be registered. In the response the company even provided on it's forum & blogs it states "Similar to two stroke motor cycles in the U.S." which would lead me to believe it would need to be registered like any other motor cycle utilized on the highway. In reviewing the specs and other data on the bikes some of them can travel approximately 50 mph which is another factor that leads me to believe it would be required to be registered.

Highway - is edge of asphalt to edge of asphalt which includes the shoulder.
Roadway - is white line to white line.

The bikes may under ones interpretations fall under scooter laws, however effective October 1, 2012 it appears the Maryland Legislature will be passing a new law requiring all scooters to be registered. I will forward the information onto the Office of the Attorney General to get an opinion but I am unsure how long that would take to get a response, in the mean time you may want to contact MVA who is the final authority on registration requirements. Additionally, I will reach out to the local State's Attorney's Office to get an opinion from them as well. Once I receive the responses from the Office of the Attorney General and local State's Attorney's Office I will forward their responses. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact me.

powell

Do they really need 3000W to get to 32mph
My Eplus draws just 1300W of power at 52km/h
And China brand motor on such expensive ebike

EBikeFL 

I like Stealth Electric Bikes but you could spend half the money and easily build a bike that goes 35 mph with an additional 48v 15Ah battery to get you close to 40 miles at top speed. You could get close to 60 miles doing around 20 mph with lite pedaling. What's better than having one 35 mph e-bike...two. You could build two 35 mph e-bikes and have one as a spare.

Here's a YouTube video of just how fast 50 mph on a bicycle looks like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4VRhIQPrtg

Here's a YouTube video of what 35 mph looks like on a bicycle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfCxL...ure=plpp_video

Good luck.

profstack

Wow, I sure don't want to go 30+mph on an e-bike. The 16mph limit that Europe has is a lot safer in case you crash.

People going much faster than that should consider using a full-faced helmet, like:



I've gone down on a motorcycle at 25mph and still have a jaw because of full protection.

EBikeFL 

I agree, I'm quite satisfied with going 31 mph...though I have one last modification to make that will bump me up to 34-35 mph. The faster you go the more protection you should have on. I like that helmet.

fietsbob

Its a motorcycle electric bike in a bicycle forum.. [high 5's withheld]

dgk02

It's for someone who wants a motorcycle but lost their license. Some are more bike than others but the lightest seems to be 75 lbs.

SpecialX

Those "bikes" as others mentioned are really more motorcycle than bicycle...
There is no way you're gonna get around at 30+ mph "bicycle" and not get the attention of Leo...
I would go with a sub 30mph (preferably about 20) pedal only electric bicycle...
That would be relatively "stealth" as if Leo sees you doing 30mph+ on the road and you're not pedaling, eventually you'll get pulled over and then you're pretty much screwed...
UNLESS, you have a license and then you're good to go..
But I would guess, you don't have one, as you're asking the "legality" of them.

crackerdog

Someone riding one of these should have a license and insurance. I don't want to share the road with someone who has lost his license and riding something this dangerous.

Allen

That thing would be off road legal only. To ride it on the road it would need to be tagged as a moped or motorcycle (along with having turn signals, fenders, brake lights, etc.).

Just because someone slaps pedals on a frame doesn't make it a bicycle.

gjuro

bikes are nice but the price is insane!

Taintkick

That's why i wrote the police and the MVA to find out. They don't even know, and that's why they are writing the Attorney General. It's more of a bicycle with a big ass battery slapped on it and that's why it's so heavy.

I was looking at electric motorcycles too. Like this https://www.zeromotorcycles.com/. But if I don't have to go through all the BS of getting a motorcycle license and then having to take a class every 2 years to ride it on base then I will go with the e-bike.

Allen

In Maryland one must have a moped/motorcycle license to operate any motorized cycle on the roads.
You do not have to wear a helmet.
Nor does one have to have insurance or tags so long as the vehicle has a motor less than 50 cc and or less than 1.5 brake horse power (the horse power rating applies to electric vehicles too).

Gas or electric your speed limit is 30 mph.

Reference