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Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on April 8, 2015 at 3:24pm

Leave it to legislators to create a definition that flies in the face of history.  By definition, bicycles are human-propelled.  When a two-wheeled vehicle is powered by a gas engine or electric motor, it ceases to be a bicycle.  In my opinion, a vehicle with a Copenhagen wheel (just in case they actually are ever distributed) is not a bicycle.  So-called "electric bikes" are just small motor scooters that do not have to be licensed.      

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Permalink Reply by Mike Keating on April 9, 2015 at 9:18am

Jim, I happen to agree with you. If I remember correctly, the law was changed because electric assisted bicycles were becoming more popular. I think that this bill (now 6 years since passing) was well intentioned in addressing electric ASSISTED bicycles. However, the drafters of the bill maybe missed the mark in focusing on SPEED instead of what you point out: what exactly does the motor do. If an electric motor assists the regular pedaling of a bicycle, that's one thing. But when a bicycle is propelled solely by the power of a motor regardless of speed, that's a motorcycle.

Perhaps the simple thing to have done was they could have broadened the legal definition of "moped" or some other term, even "motorcycle", but left "bicycle" solely to human powered, two wheeled vehicles.

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