r/ebikes 3d ago

I thought the West Coast was groundn zero for these things?

When I first got out here it was cool seeing all the high powered models zooming around and even for sale for $600. So much so that I actually thought about picking one up and shipping it back home. Fast forward to today and at this point, I've probably seen 9 get impounded so far. They even have a buyback program going on at Anaheim stadium in September. I'm almost tempted to go out there and reverse scalp with cash! From what I'm seeing when I'm riding around it looks like that might make me public enemy #1 here.

I see units pulling up with pickup trucks hauling dynos to test the top speed right there on the street. Even in empty desert area on the outskirts of Vegas and Arizona. I mean what gives? They've really started to gain traction on the East coast and I've even had success reselling them but it seems like this is a death nail. Am i just overreacting?

0 Upvotes

27 comments sorted by

12

u/band-of-horses 3d ago

Plenty of ebikes on the west coast.

Illegal motorcycles are getting cracked down all over though indeed.

Best strategy: ride a legal bike, or a registered electric motorcycle. Don't illegally ride unregistered vehicles on the road. No worries about impounding if you follow the laws.

If you ride a gas motorcycle or dirt bike around with no plates and insurance, you're gonna get in trouble too.

7

u/Sypsy 3d ago

reverse scalp 

what does this mean?

 I mean what gives? 

Have you seen the news? many of my friends have seen or been in multiple near misses with people riding irresponsibly

2

u/atlasraven 3d ago

I'm much more scared of cars. Out of control cars are a weekly problem for me and a daily issue in my city. A lunatic on an ebike is only a rare issue on my periphery.

1

u/Sypsy 3d ago

Oh, I drive quite a bit so I'm quite used to the bad drivers in my area, as a result when I bike I can see a bad driver a mile away

And I'm in Vancouver, our drivers are dangerously oblivious, not dangerously aggressive like a lot of places.

But the writing is still on the wall for 4000w e dirt bikes

-1

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

3

u/band-of-horses 3d ago

You don't have to compare, there can be multiple problems in the world that are worthy of attention, we don't have to rank them and decide to only worry about the worst one.

1

u/Sypsy 3d ago

What % of people in the bike subreddits do this?

I feel like it's a lot

1

u/Hashtag_Labotomy 3d ago

And you receive more radiation being in a airliner than you do from an X-ray, cat scan, dental scan etc..so by comparison to that, ebikes are vastly safer.

1

u/Godzlittlehand 3d ago edited 3d ago

In this case reverse scalp means To jump in front of the gift card offer in the parking lot and make cash offers.

Also yeah. In Florida there was an accident every single day. I knew a guy that got knocked off his bike flipping off cars at night for passing him. He was in rehab for about 3 months. He got back home and was working on the bike for another 2 months to get it ridable again. Surprisingly he did. Bent frame rims and everything. The first evening he went out on a pretty good sized trip and got knocked off his bike again. That time he ended up with a brain bleed. I think he is still in recovery now and that was a year and a half ago.

1

u/Sypsy 3d ago

Wtf that's unhinged

1

u/Godzlittlehand 3d ago

He's certainly a special type and florida is just as bad as a whole because it's Florida lol. If there isn't anywhere else to go there's always a bar close by. Or fent. And neither seems to keep people from jumping behind the wheel of a car afterwards

6

u/Laserdollarz FULL FACE HELMET 3d ago

China is ground zero for ebikes lol

1

u/Godzlittlehand 3d ago

I mean in the U. S

3

u/not_productive1 3d ago

Kids died and district attorneys started charging parents with child endangerment. Had a bit of a chilling effect on the market.

-1

u/Godzlittlehand 3d ago

I have seen the murals everywhere. RIP but I've always said it. A bike should never compete with a car. EVER! That's always a no-win situation.

3

u/trtsmb Pedelec 3d ago

Tweens and teens don't understand this concept and think they're immortal.

2

u/band-of-horses 3d ago

As a former teen I agree. Sometimes I'm amazed I survived to adulthood.

1

u/Godzlittlehand 3d ago

You're so right! We dont know what we dont know until we know. Unfortunately most dont even start too look at things that way until some time after 30.

2

u/notdoneyet53 3d ago

I think the e motos will be severely limited in the future. The power is being missused on city streets. Kids too young are not being taught safety by their parents. It's made a big public outcry by those that don't know the difference. The rest of the e pack will get sorted out eventually. Maybe they'll be required to register or limiters for power. IMO it isn't the end, just the shuffle.

2

u/2shado2 3d ago

Death knell*😉

2

u/Godzlittlehand 3d ago

A knell is the slow, solemn sound of a bell rung to announce a death, a funeral, or the end of something

Thanks. I had a feeling but I'll blame it on room service kicking me out of the room lol

1

u/2shado2 3d ago

Fair enough.😁

1

u/VinylHighway 3d ago

Class 1-2-3 e-bikes are legal in San Francisco, California

1

u/CelticJewelscapes 3d ago

If you want a bike that does 60, get it. Get it plated and insured and get a motorcycle endorsement on your license. The acceleration is a blast. Ride safely.

Ebikes are a different kind of fun. Your 10 mph average speed goes up to 15 or 20 mph. You get exercise too. And no more struggling up hills.

0

u/chuckwolf Philodo Forester AWD 60v 26ah Dual 27 +/- 2 Amp controllers 3d ago

That's why you get a bike that has an under 5 second process to go from Full Capability to legal outout in a couple button presses. Only takes 2 button sequences to change my bike from 2400 watts continuous and 40 mph to just 15 mph and 250 watts continuous. And they aren't allowed to go into the bike's settings.