Originally Posted by
mcmoose
There are many different vehicles classified as e-bikes. Mine is a Bianchi Aria-E, which is basically their Aria road bike with a 250W motor that I must pedal to engage. The motor assist cuts off at 20 mph, and the bike weighs ~27 lbs. You've ordered a 73 lb bike with a motor that can crank 1200W. So, while they're both e-bikes, they are very different beasts.
I'm very comfortable wearing my usual MIPS road bike helmet when riding the Aria-E. When I look at the helmets on the Super73 website, they look more, um, substantial. I think there's a reason for that. Remember that both mass and velocity factor into momentum and energy. Both have to be dissipated during a crash. Dress accordingly.
Happy New Years and Happy Trails!
The Bianchi Arie-E is a bicycle. The Super73-S2, on the other hand, is an "electric motorbike."
The Urban Cruiser
The S2 is a high performance electric motorbike designed for the urban adventurer, built with an aircraft-grade aluminum alloy frame and a fully adjustable air spring suspension fork.
High Performance Electric Motorbikes
The SUPER73 is a high performance electric motorbike that does not require a license, insurance, or registration. All bikes comes with a battery that you can easily charge with any standard 110v outlet. On this model, the battery is removable with a key, making it easy to charge both at home and in-between rides.
I'd call that a moped, or even an electric motorcycle. On its web site, Super73 shows owners riding them around wearing motorcycle helmets.
You aren't going to be doing any pedaling riding one of these, so the sacrifices bicycle helmets make in crash protection in the interest of light weight and ventilation aren't needed. IMHO, if you're riding a motorcycle, wear a motorcycle helmet.