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My teenager wants an E-bike

I learned right away on a stand up. Turn the bars the wrong way is the fastest way to a faceplant. Just when you think you are going to have a righteous power slide... the tenth of a second you try to counter steer the water is cleaning your teeth. :laughing
 
My GF daughter works in ER and says many of the patients now are kids with traumatic injuries, head injuries, and it's getting to her.

Vegetables for the rest of their lives.
 
Peter provided some really good info, parents should be informed.

I can't throw stones, like many I was on motos at a very early age, in elementary school. That said, we weren't riding regulary on sidewalks, through parks, and on the road other than sneaking a few blocks to the trails. I would be more apt to buy/support a young relative on a dirtbike, than an e-moto or e-bike. No reason young kids cant peddle..... they havent gotten old, fat, and out of shape like us geezers. :laughing :afm199
 
The peddling thing and the old fat geezer thing is sadly…. A good point. :laughing :( :laughing
 
If I had kids they'd have pedal bikes and corded phones. :afm199
 
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ctwo said:
My GF daughter works in ER and says many of the patients now are kids with traumatic injuries, head injuries, and it's getting to her.

Vegetables for the rest of their lives.
Click to expand...

Yep. I had a friend many years ago who worked at Agnews State Mental Hospital. She told me that many of their full time patients were kids (and adults) who injured their brains in bicycle crashes. Forever living vegetables for lack of a helmet. Ebikes can produce the same result.
 
Holeshot said:
Dirt bikes have the same needs, unless you've got land to ride on. Transport; yes. registration; yes. storage; yes. proximity to riding spot? You left those out for the DB. Dirt bikes are the same dollars as a standup. In fact, probably worse, given the abuse a DB takes. I understand you don't operate in Jetski circle, which I'd expect given your made-up cost assessment on skiis and belief that SD is "the best locale for the sport". It's not and it's not a "rich person's sport", mind you; used stand-ups are as cheap and plentiful....and massive fun for learning how to operate a piece of equipment with your body. Do you know where all the stand-up guys came from in the race circles? Dirt bikes. Wonder why? Their injuries are way less on the water....

It's like you C/P'd an AI answer...it's that inaccurate. Next thing you'll claim is DB's have less injury rates (they don't).
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RU srs? Entry points man, entry points. We had dirt biked growing up and rode out the garage to the fire roads and back. No reg back then. Stickers are the thing now, not sure how much they cost. On busy coastal areas, you will wait in line to launch. Many families I know own skis. My colleague just bought two sit downs with trailer. It's a project to spend a day at the bay. When I was skiing, we went from Petaluma to lakes north that were set up for the sport. Many, many restrictions the same as boats. Simple geography dictates accessibility to dirt riding is virtually limitless, and plated bikes transport themselves. It's ridiculous to suggest a young person can buy a "cheap" standup and get as many hours of use a year as someone owning a beater XL250 with plates.

I get it, you love jet skis. I do too. My friends own them. They have disposable income and lots of driveway space. Socal is prime territory for salt water skiing. You know, you've been here enough. I use AI for a lot of tasks, but never writing forum posts, lol!

Let's say something more about the topic, e-bike use. Unlike a dirt bike, there is precious little anticipation of an off, whereas with dirt riding it is an assumption, a when, not if. Setting off on a journey via pavement (just riding to school/work), there's a built-in assumption of no offs. This is a deadly delusion. The death of a student in our feeder school was a huge wake-up call for indulgent parents. They fall into two camps: let them learn the hard way, and no fucking way! The turbo 'busa analogy holds. A jailbroken e-bike (or scooter) can rip up to 70mph with a novice rider. No sane parent would let that be the condition of use. There are careless/insane parents out there. And the ERs, as someone above pointed out, are filling up. The litigious nature of our society will kick in soon enough...
 
Maricopa county came out with their restrictions, yesterday, Class 1 & 2 are under 20 mph are considered bicycles.
Class 3 & up are motor vehicles, above 20 mph, and age restricted, with a drivers license.
I agree with this.

Added e-scooters are class 1, well below 20 mph
 
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CDONA said:
Maricopa county came out with their restrictions, yesterday, Class 1 & 2 are under 20 mph are considered bicycles.
Class 3 & up are motor vehicles, above 20 mph, and age restricted, with a drivers license.
I agree with this.
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IDK, my class 3 pedal assist e'bike is hardly a danger to anyone.
 
How do mopeds fit into this mix, they got popular mid 70's, they didn't register them then, speeds over 20.
They were heavy and slow then to pedal, no extra pedal speeds gearing, motor, over pedals use, weren't kids toys.
 
Mopeds still need a plate/registration/insurance and license endorsement here in CA as far as I remember. Now how badly are they enforced by your local PD YMMV. I would think they are in the same category as a scooter.
 
I don't know how it is in the Bay Area, but about 2 months ago suddenly the kids on ebikes were suddenly all wearing helmets when prior to that the helmets were rare. There must have been new laws passed with enough teeth that all of the kids changed their behavior. Whatever it was, it was effective and a very smart move.
But, we still have kids killed pretty regularly then they hit cars at 30 mph or when they get run over because they did something stupid on the street.
 
CDONA said:
How do mopeds fit into this mix, they got popular mid 70's, they didn't register them then, speeds over 20.
They were heavy and slow then to pedal, no extra pedal speeds gearing, motor, over pedals use, weren't kids toys.
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The new mopeds are E-Motos. My Sur Ron light Bee is registered as a moped and that's how I ride it. Even if it doesn't have pedals in California it can be considered a moped. I can ride it in the bike lane at speeds up to 30MPH. You need at least a M2 license and DOT helmet. There is no recurring registration and I don't have insurance for it. My bike doesn't have proper lighting also. There's nothing in the laws that state you have to have turn signals or stop lights, at least when I last checked. I've had the Sur Ron for 8 years but I don't ride it on the street anymore because all these E-Moto shenanigans going on. I've never gotten stopped by the police probably because I'm wearing motogear whenever I ride it.
 
nakedape said:
RU srs? Entry points man, entry points. We had dirt biked growing up and rode out the garage to the fire roads and back. No reg back then. Stickers are the thing now, not sure how much they cost. On busy coastal areas, you will wait in line to launch. Many families I know own skis. My colleague just bought two sit downs with trailer. It's a project to spend a day at the bay. When I was skiing, we went from Petaluma to lakes north that were set up for the sport. Many, many restrictions the same as boats. Simple geography dictates accessibility to dirt riding is virtually limitless, and plated bikes transport themselves. It's ridiculous to suggest a young person can buy a "cheap" standup and get as many hours of use a year as someone owning a beater XL250 with plates.

I get it, you love jet skis. I do too. My friends own them. They have disposable income and lots of driveway space. Socal is prime territory for salt water skiing. You know, you've been here enough. I use AI for a lot of tasks, but never writing forum posts, lol!
Click to expand...

The economics are very closely the same, period. None the less, the point wasn't about economics; it was about the dangers in E-bikes and motorcycles. Much more injuries and cost in those injuries. Water can have accidents, but far less than hard ground. For kids learning how to operate equipment, I'm a firm believer in water as the surface. Simple point. I disagree with your assessment on stand up ownership (sit downs are different class all together). An XL250 (street legal) is too far a point away from age 12.

The jetski argument I make however is completely blown apart with the recognition of law changes. You'd have been better off making the argument that 15 year olds and younger are prohibited from operating boats of any kind, alone. That retarded law came from the boater card law (another useless law). Makes as much sense as a paddleboarder needing a life jacket on board.
 
I just picked up my first e-bike on Craig’s list.
2023 with 1500 miles for $250 ( the seller was asking $350 I offered $200 and we agreed to $250 )
It needs new tires $60 on Amazon
It’s fun but I like my regular bikes more ….

PaulR🤪
 

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