Hardly a day seems to goes by without a row about e-bikes majorly blowing up on the internet, whether it’s about inconsiderate parking, the size of their motors or the people who ride them. The latest clip that Instagram’s algorithm served me I think sums up the legal limbo we’re in at the moment when it comes to electric bikes, and how the police and government are a long way from getting a grip on the situation.
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Kurrgas, a “British YouTuber and musician” whose real name is Carmine Stones, prolifically and openly shares clips of him riding heavily modified e-bikes to his large followings on TikTok and Instagram, with motors that far exceed the legal limit to be classed as an EAPC (15.5mph motor speed cut-off/250 watts of continuous power). A recent post that has almost 15 million views at the time of writing (Stones tells us it was actually recorded several weeks ago) shows him being pulled over on a Manchester canal path by undercover officers with highly convincing disguises, duly acknowledged by JD Sports in the comments who suspect the officers’ Blue Light Cards were “rinsed for this operation”.
Stones, in my opinion, does very well to remain calm, and claims his bike’s motor is only capable of reaching 15.5mph. He asks to see their badges, one of the officers apologises for the scare, and says they are actually out to catch drug dealers and violent thieves. One of the men recognises Stones, and you can hear another at the start of the clip saying that he has a GoPro on.
As Stones clarified for us when asked, the bike he was riding was actually a 52v, 1500-watt e-bike that is – for all intents and purposes – an electric motorbike that is illegal to ride on roads or paths in the UK. He told us the 15.5mph legal motor cut-off is “stupid” and not fit for purpose, because many cyclists can comfortably exceed this speed without motor assistance anyway.
I think he has a point, and if the officers in the clip were tasked specifically with catching dealers and muggers under the guise of nabbing them for riding illegal bikes, it’s understandable that Stones was allowed on his way, even if they didn’t truly believe his bike was legal – but as demonstrated by the recent unfortunate case of a delivery rider in Birmingham who had his perfectly legal electric cargo bike destroyed by officers who wrongly suspected it was an illegal bike, the application of police discretion is wildly inconsistent when it comes to e-bikes.
Every traffic officer in the land knows that if they stop a driver who is uninsured and/or driving without a licence, they can’t let it slide just because that wasn’t actually their brief for the day… so, which is it? Are illegal bikes such a problem that those suspected of being non-compliant based on a flawed test must be destroyed immediately; or is riding one such a minor misdemeanour that you let them off if you have bigger fish to fry? Greater Manchester Police itself is currently running ‘Operation Hurricane’, specifically targeting “the anti-social use of off-road bikes, e-bikes and quad bikes across the region.”
Personally, there are things that offend me more than Mr Stones using a powerful e-bike to get around, even if I do hope that when he wants to try out his bike’s top speed, he doesn’t do it on his local canal path. You don’t have to delve too deep on TikTok or Instagram to watch an endless stream of clips showing highly dangerous driving and riding, posted openly with little being done about it. There’s an argument to be made that persuading a percentage of potential killer car drivers that it’s cooler to play with illegal electric motorbikes is the lesser evil.
Even so, if we’re not prepared to put up with the current situation, what needs to be done?
One proposal coming out of New York is to ban bikes that exceed the city’s own 20mph assistance limit at the point of sale, and the recently tabled Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles Bill is pretty similar to this. Banning “monster e-bikes”, as Julie Minns MP calls them in the bill, could be a tempting solution for a government looking to enact policies that would prove popular with certain large demographics whose votes they are after here in the UK – but as we’ve often heard before here and over on road.cc, additional enforcement when it comes to motor vehicles is always expensive, and a drain on resources. A ban on all electric bikes and motors that exceed 250 watts/15.5mph could also punish those who want to ride them on private land, and potentially create an even bigger, more dangerous e-bike black market. I’m sure Mark Zuckerberg and Beijing are paying Kurrgas enough for him to afford an insurance policy, but heavier enforcement could deprive some of a relatively affordable transport option that – in my opinion – is better than adding more cars on the road, and still statistically less dangerous.
Even the Netherlands isn’t immune from e-bike culture wars right now, and I think someone – or some lawmakers in some country somewhere – needs to take the lead. Recent history tells us a proper workable solution is unlikely to be adopted in the UK any time soon, but perhaps the new PM can have a dig around in his contacts book to recruit an ex-colleague who might have an idea or two…
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2 thoughts on “What happens when a social media influencer gets pulled over on his heavily modified electric motorbike by undercover police dressed as roadmen? Yet more confusion and mixed messages about the legality of e-bikes”
Number of points about this story:
1) the police positioning was frankly ridiculous. Electric motorbike rider could easily have gone straight into the canal.
2) it’s a great idea generally to have a police operation here, but its modus operandi was catching drug dealers and robberies, no doubt backed up by intelligence showing a high number of incidents in the area. Illegal e-bikes – as the article points out are a distant second
3) banning electric motorbikes that go over 15.5 or 20mph is a fools errand. They will constantly be being modified and used illegally, and they are impossible to tell apart from bikes that don’t have modifications.
A much better solution would be to have government approved e-bikes which are completely locked from modification in standard colours and liveries, but in different styles e.g. mountain, gravel, road etc. This would also help the domestic cycling industry – someone like Jim Ratcliffe would be an obvious custodian – sitting at the intersection of cycling and motorised vehicles and might be persuaded to create a national brand.
The government could also provide insurance at point of use/sale and properly administer them. These things aren’t toys and cause real mistrust and anxiety for older people especially.
This guy kinda had it coming in all fairness he frequently posted about his bike on YouTube even when it was stolen he recorded the police giving him his illegal bike back 😂 hilarious the police are going to these measures. Especially as when they try and insert themselves into “local” gangs they’re figured out straight away…. Instead of haphazardly diving on every rider how about contacting the insurance groups most have a list of approved professional built machines, if you approach some with a DIY build they insist on having it verified. For reference I ride an avaka bz20 I’ve been pulled over twice found it to be legal but zero details taken to avoid further hassle 🤦♂️…. policing at it’s finest!