Why You Should Wear Motorcycle Gear When Riding Powerful E-Bikes
E-bikes are an altogether new form of transport, usually featuring a lithium-ion battery and a powerful electric motor strapped to a conventional frame.
It’s not unusual to see kids and adults whizzing around on e-bikes at high speed, wearing nothing more than shorts, a T-shirt, and sometimes not even a helmet. However, you should wear full motorcycle protective gear when riding an e-bike, especially a powerful one that can reach high speeds.
Powerful E-Bikes Exist in a Regulatory Gray Zone
In most countries, manufacturers must have their vehicles approved by regulators before they are deemed fit for use on public roads. It’s an expensive and lengthy process, but one that means the vehicle you’re using is safe, isn’t going to randomly explode, and is fit for purpose.
There’s no need for bicycles to undergo this certification, and e-bikes are also generally exempt if they have a limited power output and don’t provide powered assistance over a certain speed. In the US, this usually means a top speed of 20 mph and a 750-Watt motor, althoughe-bike classification is often complicated, and a Class 3 e-bike can reach speeds of 28 mph.
Regardless of variations in road usage within states (including age restrictions) and whether the bike is required to have pedals, if the e-bike doesn’t exceed the above figures, it’s subject to consumer product regulations for a bicycle. If it exceeds them, it’s classified as a motor vehicle, and is illegal for road use. Manufacturers often get around these restrictions by having a switch that limits the power output and speed, along with a warning that the maximum power setting is only for use off-road.
Knowing whether it’s actually legal to ride is something you should consider when choosingwhich e-bike to buy. It’s an open secret that this is generally ignored, and our list ofthe fastest e-bikes in 2023features a video embed of an e-bike rider overtaking a Lamborghini Huracan on a public road. The bike itself boasts an 8KW motor and a top speed of 65 MPH. The rider is wearing shorts, a T-shirt, and an off-road bicycle helmet. Aside from riding an illegal and unregistered motorcycle, he’s going to lose a lot of skin (in both senses) in the event of an accident.
High-Powered E-Bikes Can Absolutely Kill You
It’s an old joke that medical professionals refer to motorcycles as “donorcycles.” Motorcycles are dangerous and will often kill you in such a way as to leave your organs intact and suitable for transplant into a less reckless individual. Head injuries are especially common, which is why controversial helmet laws exist in most jurisdictions.
Motorbike helmets are fundamentally different from bicycle helmets. In addition to absorbing the tremendous forces involved when you plow head-first into a bus (something this writer has experienced firsthand), they are designed to keep the pieces of your skull together in the event of serious injury. A bicycle helmet—or no helmet at all—just isn’t good enough.
High Likelihood of Serious Injuries
Motorcyclists stereotypically wear thick leather jackets with built-in leather armor patches. More modern alternatives include abrasion resistant waterproof fabric, with Kevlar or carbon fiber inserts. The inserts are usually located around the elbows, forearms, and shoulders, to prevent your delicate joints from snapping, plus a spine protector to help ensure that when you hit a curb or another vehicle at 70 mph, you at least have a chance of walking away from it.
E-bikes, some of which have the power and gearing to exceed highway speeds, are quite capable of chucking you from your saddle or into the path of a truck. Even if you’re not killed outright, snapped bones and lacerations are things that will absolutely ruin your day.
Motorbike Armor Looks a Little Silly on an E-Bike
Yes, we get it. You want to tool around on a high-speed bicycle and have fun. Motorbike gear is expensive, uncomfortable to wear, time-consuming to put on, and looks ridiculous when you’re riding something with the form factor of a bicycle. But it may just save your life one day.
If you’re concerned about your safety but don’t want to look out of place in your protective gear, consider buying a road-legal, budget electric motorcycle instead.
Bigger, faster, and more expensive may not be the answer when you’re shopping for an electric motorcycle.
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