electric assist bicycles?

[Nakin]

Interesting thread. I think if it's an electric vehicle than it's considered a motorcycle-like vehicle.
I wasn't interested in such e-bikes. But now I think it's a great alternative vehicle.
Bike with fat tires is amazing. I really like it. Looks like moped or motorcycle.
Maybe it will be my next purchase)

 

[mallardsx2]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pcqr1ykScVQ

 

[mallardsx2]

I found this VERY interesting.....Apparantley these guys don't give a crap.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrhVlYsRNIA

 

[trkytrack2]

I have no clue about them. The places I hunt are horse or foot traffic only.

 

[ore hunter]

so why do feds feds have it designated as a bicycle at 750 watts or less federally?oregons own statute 814.405 designates it as "not a motor vehicle" and yet the Arizona blm and forest service say its a motor vehicle?does it need a atv class 3 sticker or not?feds and Oregon both say its a bike,,,no helmet,no insurance,ect needed?

 

[ore hunter]

if it is a bike,as far as ive checked,it does not fall under the class 3 atv clasifications?there fore it shouldn't need class 3 atv sticker?

 

[mallardsx2]

What I want to know is why this guy is driving an Electric Bicycle on Public Lands in Colorado and why he hasn't gotten in trouble for it. (Or maybe he has)

I hate people that have an unfair advantage. Its a pet peeve of mine...

 

[ColoradoV]

Haha yea those bikes will open up your eyes.

 

[ore hunter]

so,,as long as you use pedal power only and not the battery assist,i would think they would be ok to use as a bike when in places for nothing motorized? they look like a neat set up,,just tryin to find out the issues and rules/laws pertaining to them.if used on atv trails and forest roads it appears they don't need registration below 750 watts?750 watts seems to be the break between bike and motorcycle it appears?

 

[mallardsx2]

Seems to me that the law on FS and BLM is black and white. They are NOT allowed.

I really feel like 99% of the hunters don't realize how this will impact hunting in the west. Be it for the better or the worse. Its happening.

There are guys incriminating themselves and using these things all over Colorado and Wyoming and posting the videos to Youtube.

I really raised my eyebrows with this topic and I feel it definitely isn't getting the attention it deserves.

I even recognized one of the trails that the guy as using his "Quiet Kat" on and I live 1500 miles away from there. It is certainly not open to electric bikes nor ATV's....Ticks me off.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Seems to me that the law on FS and BLM is black and white. They are NOT allowed.

Am I incorrect on what I am reading?

Depends.....

Not all FS & BLM rules are created equal. We have areas here in the NF where motorcycles are legal on the trail system. So if a motorcycle is legal, I would guess elec bicycles are too. My point is that each NF and BLM region can (and does) set there own rules, which my be very different from the region next to it. Check each areas Travel Management Plan.

 

[mallardsx2]

Well I can certainly understand and appreciate that if a motorcycle is legal then the E-bike should be legal.

My complaint is about the trails that are open to Foot, Horse, and Bicycle traffic only. And for that matter off the trail as well. There are guys riding these things out the hiking trails to go hunting from them...This is disturbing...

Bottom line is that it is an unfair advantage. UNLESS they allow everyone to do it...

That would open a whole other can of worms that I guarantee you people would not be happy about.

I guess I don't feel like anyone who works hard to get to a remote area by foot or horse or pedal bike should be hassled/encumbered by someone who wants to ride an electric bicycle because they are lazy. Then there will be a complaint from the people who say that is an e-bike is legal that they should be able to ride their motorcycle there too....snowball effect...

And BTW this is coming from a guy who took a side by side 12 miles into the National forest on an approved road then hiked 2.5 miles further to set up a 14 day elk hunting camp. I appreciate the access but I assure you that I wasn't the only one with that idea. lol

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I have a lot of mixed emotions & thoughts about how we get /use our public lands. I am 75 and when I was young I hiked & backpacked all over the High Sierras in California. I spent 2 months backpacking the John Muir trail when I was in school with a couple of friends. Back then the only way into the backcountry was hike or ride horses. It is so different today with so many different types of assisted travel (bikes, motorcycles, atvs, etc) that it is hard to keep up with everything new that is used.

I can't do what I could when I was a kid, but still hike the trail system around my home. I still can't get used to having to deal with bicycles and motorcycles on the trails. Just doesn't seem right to me. But things change and everyone pushes the envelope using all this equipment. I use an atv, but stay on approved 2 tracks & routes. Our NF rules allow game retrieval off these routes which is a blessing for sure, at least for me.

I know I got off the post's subject, but to me if it has an electric motor to assist pedaling, it is motorized.....period. If it has a battery that is used for anything other than lights, it is motorized. Pretty simple, no splitting hairs for me.

 

[tim]

mallard

the forest circus is not cut and dried like you think it is. Each region is run differently and it is also up to the interpretation of the local law enforcement. I do know there will be more issues with the advance in technology in transportation. Personally I think municipalities need to clarify these things before the forest service.

but with that said, I have had issues with the local fs law enforcement because the cop was to stupid to know the difference between an ebike and a bike. the cop thought I was on an ebike on a gated forest service road. I was not on an ebike, but a normal mountain bike. The ebike was illegal on the gated road but my bike was not.

now a tracked 4 wheeler does not follow the same ohv rules as a wheeled 4 wheeler. With tracks, they are over the snow vehichles and can go behind gates here(region 1 of the forest service). But a wheeled 4 wheeler can't . Most of the time , the law states wheeled motorized. tracks are not wheels. I stay out of this one, but this is an example of how, not cut and dried things are out here.

 

[ore hunter]

it would be nice if this federal "bike" designation below 750 watts is cleared up? national forest that is federal statement on e-bike travel contradicts the federal 750 watt or lower designation on e-bikes,designating it as a bike?if its designated as a motorcycle,it would need class 3 atv tags here in Oregon?hard to get a clear cut answer from anybody,i think its gonna depend on the local travel rules,,yet is it a bike or not?

 

[mallardsx2]

" up to the interpretation of the local law enforcement"

Thats a scary thought. lol

 

[ore hunter]

just like the tracked over the snow or wheeled rules with quads,,,not a clear answer.even if it is a very small amount of folks,seems like the rules and signage cannot keep up,or even public notices for that matter on rules on some of this stuff.