I sold my first eBike over 30 years ago and have worked on hundreds of different models since then.
In that time, I have seen some, shall we call them shady bike brands that have been selling illegal ""eBikes"", that truly are just motorcycles in disguise.
I relocated my business to Mount Shasta, California in 2008 and since then, I have always had a street legal eBike demo available for test riding at The Bike Store.
In 2015, California led the way with AB 1096. This rewrote the CA Vehicle code to define what an electric bicycle was and to create a 3 class system.
Class 1 eBikes can offer assistance up to 20 miles per hour and can not propel themselves faster than 3.7 m.p.h. without pedaling.
Class 2 eBikes can provide assistance up to 20 miles per hour via pedal assist or with the use of a throttle.
Class 3 eBikes can give assist up to 28 miles per hour, but they must be pedaled and can not have a throttle installed.
There are many grey area ""eBikes"" currently being sold in the United States. Many of them are outright illegal and should have been stopped at the border.
In this video I talk about eBike classes and discuss the recent lawsuit filed in Marin County, California against Super73 eBikes.
In the lawsuit, a mom from Marin alleges that Super 73 Bicycles sold a bike as an eBike in the state of California that goes too fast to be legal to ride on the road.
I use the Way Back Machine to look in on the Super 73 Bicycles website prior to the lawsuit and take note of how it has changed since receiving the law suit.
In addition, I will take a look on Amazon's website and check out a few eBicycles they have offered for sale to see if they meet the legal standards to be sold in California?
I also peek at the Bafang BBSHD 1000W motor page for giggles. I have installed these units on customer's bikes, but have always advised them that what they purchased was not designed to be legal to ride on the roads of this country.
If you own one of these illegal bikes, I would like to hear from you in the comments with your opinion about this shady advertising practice used by these foreign countries to sell dangerous and illegal products to American consumers?
What would Ralph Nader do?
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro to Why is my new eBike Illegal?
00:30 California AB1096
01:10 California SB1271
01:50 Spreadsheet of all state eBike laws as of 2024
02:45 Marin County California eBike Lawsuit against Super73 Bicycles
03:15 Super73 Bikes on the Internet Archive's Way Back Machine
04:30 Super 73 Bicycles modified website as of January, 1st 2025
05:35 Amazon eBike reviews to check for legality
07:35 Amazon eBike Death Trap Machine
09:00 They are all Illegal!
09:25 Thanks for watching! Please comment with your thoughts.
Links:
California Assembly Bill 1096: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1096
California Senate Bill 1271: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB1271
Ebike laws all states spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SV92tuelPv7CfyihO9PJYel37L33ewiJl5ngaEQb-pk/edit?pli=1&gid=0#gid=0
Bicycle Retailer Super 73 eBike Lawsuit Story: https://www.bicycleretailer.com/industry-news/2024/12/31/super73-sued-over-legality-its-e-bikes-california
Anapol Weiss Files Complaint Against Super73: https://www.anapolweiss.com/blog/california-news-anapol-weiss-files-complaint-against-super73-on-behalf-of-california-mom/
Way Back Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20240910135959/https://super73.com/products/super73-s2-se?from=s-series-bikes
Super73 Bikes: https://super73.com/products/super73-z-adventure-le?from=electric-bikes
Amazon Wehry Folding Bicycle: https://www.amazon.com/WERHY-Electric-Removable-Pedal-Assist-Bicycles/dp/B0DHTTY2J9
Amazon Wooken Bicycle: https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Mountain-Suspension-Removable-Professional/dp/B09KMWGHFB
Amazon TST Bike: https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Commuter-7-Speed-Removable-Suspension/dp/B0D3KDP92T
Amazon Vivi Fat Tire Bike: https://www.amazon.com/Vivi-Electric-499-2WH-Removable-Commuter/dp/B0CRKVD4YX
Amazon Happyrun Moped: https://www.amazon.com/HAPPYRUN-1500W-Moped-Electric-eBikes/dp/B0CM3MWX77
Amazon Bafang BBSHD e-Bike Conversion Kit: https://www.amazon.com/Bafang-1000W-Drive-Battery-Optional/dp/B09P3JYPZ1
When in Mt Shasta, we would love you to visit us at:
The Bike Store
https://www.thebikestore.com
101 E. Ivy Street
Mt Shasta, CA
As always, ENJOY THE RIDE!
-Mike
#ebike #AB1096 #SB1271 #illegal