Legal ramifications of removing pedals from electric scooter
 

This came as quite a surprise to me considering the number of pedal-less scooters I've seen riding around. Does anyone know if it is common in many jurisdictions that removing the pedals changes the class of vehicle?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...ls-ruling.html

Interesting. I guess that would mean that straddle bikes for children may not be bicycles. In NC, scooters do not need to be licensed but there is strong pressure to do so because of their popularity with the impaired crowd.

-G

this was discussed here at the time of implementation. There is a class of electric scooter that tries to skirt the licensing laws by having pedals which are easily removed. I don't think it makes sense to treat these scooters as bicycles. Electric bikes are a different matter.

Most of what they say in the report would be true in PA as far as mopeds and motorcycles go. A moped is excepted from a lot that a motorcycle has to have, but it has to have working pedeals. These electric "bikes" are not bikes they are motor scooters (motorcycles) that are built to fit the moped type laws, without working pedals they are no longer mopeds and are motorcycles.
They say in the report that they then don't fit the bill to be motorcycles and can not be used on the road.

You've got to draw the line somewhere. Making things with pedals one thing, and things without pedals something else, is one way to do it.

My guess is that by removing the pedals, said scooter would have to be re-classified as a motor vehicle. Then it would require a number plate and valid insurance. In my opinion, those things SHOULD be required to have a plate and insurance, as the primary source for propelling the scooter IS the electric motor, unlike a motor assisted bicycle, whose primary power source is the rider.

I saw one of the electric scooters being pedaled up a hill once, didn't look like fun. I guess the battery died

Why would people remove the pedals? If the battery dies and there are no pedals, you're stuck. Whereas if there are pedals, you can pedal it home.

I think the pedals are essentially unusable on some models, and are there only to get around the laws.

there is a storage unit for the cranks so you can always reinstall them. It is possible to pedal these scooters, just not much fun

I saw one that had an entirely enclosed body, the pedals had to be like three feet apart. I can't imagine how that would even work.

I have a moped, there I said it, I have a moped.

Just as I said in
my post above, the pedals are required by law (in PA and Canada at least I guess) to fit
the requirements of a moped. There is no way in hell you're going to pedal a moped any distance. If you run out of gas and have a block or two to go maybe, but
they are there to fit the qualification of a moped.

My moped is very much a mini motorcycle and very far off from a bicycle.

I also have an electric Surly Big Dummy which to an LEO with an attitude may be considered a
moped. The Big Dummy is very much a bike and quite far from a modern moped.

I have a moped, which is very much more like a bicycle than a motorcycle. But because Texas is run by complete idiots who want to force everybody to own a car, they've made it so that my 69lbs. 0.75hp moped is legally - the same thing as a 1200cc Harley V twin. It has to be registered, insured, and inspected, and I have to wear a helmet or take a $300 motorcycle safety class, most of which is likely not applicable to a moped since it lacks nearly all of the controls of an actual motorcycle.

And yet they've created special laws to make Go-peds road legal. It's completely insane.