A Challenge to Our Riding Community: The E‑Bike Kids Are Coming Up — What Are We Going To Do About It?

[PaulR]

We’re seeing something new in the Bay Area a spike in pediatric trauma tied to E‑bikes and E‑scooters. Kids as young as 12–14 are riding machines that behave a lot more like lightweight motorcycles than bicycles.

They’re fast.

They’re heavy.

And they can cause real injury.

These young riders are entering the two‑wheel world in a completely different way than most of us did — without mentorship, without culture, and without the guardrails that shaped our early riding years.

So here’s the question that keeps coming back to me:

Are we the motorcycle community willing to step up before these kids get hurt?

Not by gatekeeping.

Not by lecturing.

Not by rolling our eyes at “kids these days.”

By inviting them in.

By sharing the safety culture we grew up with.

By helping parents understand what they’re actually buying.

By showing young riders that two‑wheel life comes with responsibility, skill, and consequences not just throttle.

What if we built a safety‑focused space for them?

Not a riding club.

Not a training school.

Just a community‑driven effort to educate, mentor, and welcome.

Ideas like:

• Parent intro sessions explaining what an E‑bike really is

• Basic skills clinics — braking, awareness, gear, etiquette

• Partnerships with schools or parks

• A bridge into motorcycling so when they eventually move up, they already understand the safety culture we live by

And maybe we need to go one step further.

Right now, we’re essentially turning kids loose on machines capable of 30–40 mph with zero structured introduction to risk, responsibility, or basic skills. It’s not working. The injuries are already showing up, and too often the “wake‑up call” comes after a major crash.

We don’t have to wait for that.

What if we created something like a mini‑MSF — designed specifically for E‑bike and E‑scooter riders?

A simple intro class.

A baseline safety orientation.

A way to give young riders the fundamentals before they learn the hard way.

Not punishment.

Not bureaucracy.

Just prevention.
A chance to teach braking, awareness, protective gear, and respect for speed before someone ends up in the trauma bay.

The Gear Problem: We Need to Say This Out Loud

Parents are buying their kids machines capable of 25–40 mph… and then handing them a bicycle helmet.

That’s not just inadequate it’s dangerous.

If these devices function like small motorcycles, then the gear needs to match the risk:

• Full‑face helmets

• Gloves

• Abrasion‑resistant jackets

• Protective footwear

We should be pushing for a cultural shift maybe even encouraging retailers to bundle a full‑face helmet at the point of sale. If you buy an “electric bicycle” that can outrun a Vespa, you should walk out with motorcycle‑grade protection. Period.
This isn’t about telling people how to parent.

It’s about preventing injuries we already know are coming and using our experience to make a difference.

We have the knowledge.

We have the community.

We have the responsibility. (so do many others)

So… has anyone else been thinking about this?

Is there momentum here?

Is this the start of something bigger?

I’ll be traveling this weekend and won’t be able to reply right away, but I wanted to put this out there. Maybe this is the conversation our community has needed for a long time.

The intent here is simple: prevent life‑altering injuries or worse before they happen.

Maybe this starts small.

Maybe it’s a handout.

Maybe it’s a link to real data parents can read before they wish they had.

This is a real conversation happening at high levels including trauma doctors, state, legislators, and safety foundationswho are already seeing the real consequences.

It’s the weekend, so I didn’t want to drop something too heavy… but maybe this is the start of something important. Hopefully we can do something before another kid gets seriously hurt.

Just a conversation starter….
PaulR

 

[berth]

They don't need a mini-MSF course.

They need an MSF course.

These are motorcycles. These are scooters.

The detail is that they're delivered to you door, and they're silent, so only people directly "impacted" by them notice.

But make no mistake, they're no different operationally than the dirt bikes many of us had as children.

And we don't have the police presence to slow them down.

That boy in Orange got 9 citations and his bike impounded. But I'm betting most of that was because he evaded the motor officer. If he did not do that, they ("they") probably would not have thrown the book at him. He's 13 years old.

Maybe the parents need to go to an MSF lecture about what's happening. Maybe they have their respective heads in the sand about what these "e-bikes" are.

I watched a video about a fellow who bought a 400cc Chinese adventure bike from Walmart. The crate is drop shipped, and he did final assembly.

Apparently (at least in his state) there's no need for a dealer interaction to handle things like registration, etc. when delivering motorcycles. Onus is on the buyer to follow through and "get legal".

I mean, I know anyone can go to anyone else on Craigslist, and buy any motor vehicle they want. As long as they sign the liability waver, ta ta! Enjoy your new supercharged Dodge Viper, little Timmy.

But, fundamentally it's not a lapse in motorcycle training, or safety gear, or anything else.

It's a lapse in citizenship. Whether you're doing jumps on your ebike across picnic tables in a park, or donuts in an intersection in your Honda Civic, or stopping traffic on the Bay Bridge with you and 200 of your closest friends, the instrument is not the problem.

And I don't have a solution to that.

 

[PaulR]

They don't need a mini-MSF course.

They need an MSF course.

These are motorcycles. These are scooters.

The detail is that they're delivered to you door, and they're silent, so only people directly "impacted" by them notice.

But make no mistake, they're no different operationally than the dirt bikes many of us had as children.

And we don't have the police presence to slow them down.

That boy in Orange got 9 citations and his bike impounded. But I'm betting most of that was because he evaded the motor officer. If he did not do that, they ("they") probably would not have thrown the book at him. He's 13 years old.

Maybe the parents need to go to an MSF lecture about what's happening. Maybe they have their respective heads in the sand about what these "e-bikes" are.

I watched a video about a fellow who bought a 400cc Chinese adventure bike from Walmart. The crate is drop shipped, and he did final assembly.

Apparently (at least in his state) there's no need for a dealer interaction to handle things like registration, etc. when delivering motorcycles. Onus is on the buyer to follow through and "get legal".

I mean, I know anyone can go to anyone else on Craigslist, and buy any motor vehicle they want. As long as they sign the liability waver, ta ta! Enjoy your new supercharged Dodge Viper, little Timmy.

But, fundamentally it's not a lapse in motorcycle training, or safety gear, or anything else.

It's a lapse in citizenship. Whether you're doing jumps on your ebike across picnic tables in a park, or donuts in an intersection in your Honda Civic, or stopping traffic on the Bay Bridge with you and 200 of your closest friends, the instrument is not the problem.

And I don't have a solution to that.

Your reply is all true.
Society has issues for sure.
It’s just tough to see young people getting injured disfigured destroyed life-changing injuries. I had a moment with those thoughts and that’s why I wrote this.
If they are truly motorcycles, then maybe they should be allowed to have a place in our community.
Not sure if we want them or not, but it’s a place that could help perhaps and that’s up to debate.
I appreciate your reply.
It’s frustrating for sure. This weekend the doctors will be repairing people all weekend long in a fluent communities destroyed by bikes that’s the truth.
For the most part, there’s not much left to reply to this Red. Maybe I’m sorry I wrote it.
PaulR

 

[budman]

Very solid post with a ton of work to get it in place of course.

Our CA Motorcycle Safety Committee has some things on E _Bike going and we did discuss Thursday.

Your post has a lot of hutzpah! If you don't mind I would like to shorten and clean it up a touch and send to the Committee as food for thought.

As before some good ideas sort of pop up here and I am lucky that I am in a position to share them. In this case it has some things that I am sure we have not considered but also consolidates it nicely.

 

[berth]

They are more than welcome here, at least to me, but we're not "their people".

I doubt many of us would not be doing similar stuff today were we that age. Maybe not the complete hooliganism, but blasting around at speed on our e-bike? Oh heck yea.

Many of us are in that "they do sure look like fun" camp. We just happen to know better.

I got a moped when in the summer between 9th and 10th grade. I put 50 miles on it in the first day just riding around the block. We all know motor bikes are fun. No helmet, no gear, no license, t-shirt and tennies. You want to know what's fun? Blasting across a desert salt flat in the dark of night with nothing but that dim little thing they called a headlight.

But mostly, I used to go back and forth to a summer job.

I think there could be real value in sending a presenter to do a 1hr e-bike seminar at the Jr. high to High school level. Talk about safety, talk about laws, talk about technique, explain the technology. Not a lecture, not a finger wagging, photos from Red Asphalt drivers ed experience. Just something for parents and riders to get some basic facts, ask some questions. Give them some grounding. Some baseline.

I have 4 high schools, and a bevy of middle schools and elementary schools near me. Having someone hit those each week for a month I think could be a life changer for some. Not just for those who attend, but the word of mouth from those who attend.

I don't know how that would happen. I'm not a skilled presenter, but give me a slide deck and a date, I'd show up and give the presentation. I'm willing, just not qualified.

 

[augustiron]

From having a teenager on a class 2 ebike, with all his friends on more powerful emotos, i see what is going on in our community here at least...

My take

I would strongly wager that a lot, to most, of the accidents and injuries are purely stunting related and not from something as benign as "inexperienced riders on emotos" making newb mistakes that could be prevented with rider training.

These bikes are bought to wheelie and stunt, and that is the internet/tiktok/gram/whatever world of kids on emotos culture we are up against.

Also, if you think teenagers are going to sit and pay a shred of attention for 1 minute of a PowerPoint presentation or more, you haven't been around teenagers.

Swipe culture has eroded their attention spans to fractions of a second.

I'm not poo pooing the idea of training, I'm just saying a bunch of older folks talking about training the current generation of swipe kids really needs to understand how they work and think.
I have a couple of them myself and I don't know what would reach them.

I remember some grim drunk driving videos they showed in school, showing pretty graphic and shocking images and stories.

But that is up against the tsunami of social media available to glorify 12 o'clock kids and irresponsible public riding

 

[CDONA]

I see them here, personally I would like to see more traffic rules obeyed, integrate them into traffic.
They are traveling fast enough to keep up, they just don't follow ALL traffic rules.
I always did embrace the slack, a bicycle enjoys, sidewalk stuff, empty lot short cuts, wrong side of the road travel.
But with todays population, and traffic levels, everything IS playing for keeps, no quarter.
Early integration (grade school) , before a real DL is earned, may be the key to save the youth.

 

[PaulR]

Very solid post with a ton of work to get it in place of course.

Our CA Motorcycle Safety Committee has some things on E _Bike going and we did discuss Thursday.

Your post has a lot of hutzpah! If you don't mind I would like to shorten and clean it up a touch and send to the Committee as food for thought.

As before some good ideas sort of pop up here and I am lucky that I am in a position to share them. In this case it has some things that I am sure we have not considered but also consolidates it nicely.

Bman,
No problem on editing this as you see fit.
My intention was to share my thoughts…
I had no idea you have a place at the table to share things.
It was just out of concern and personal experience of being in the hospital from both bicycles and motorcycles.
I appreciate the community and understand that there are a lot of people here that also have ideas and suggestions.
PaulR

 

[two wheel tramp]

I wish kids thought motorcycles were cool like I did as a kid. Some outreach from moto peeps would carry more weight if that were the case. Or, a visit from a moto officer at the school might also carry more weight. Maybe that’s a decent start: a day on e bike safety in elementary school that’s age appropriate. Make them understand the dangers when they’re younger and less jaded.

Just spit balling. It’s a good question you’ve posed.

 

[bikeama]

OP good insight in your post. It is a problem that is here now. Some good suggestions have been posted, I am not sure which would get to the parents and the kids that want an ebike. I do know that a SurRon may be faster and would out handle any 50cc -125cc dirt bikes I had in the 60's.

Not an easy conversation to have with a parent but I did talk to a neighbor about 5 houses down. He let his kid ride through the neighborhood on their dirt bikes with only a bicycle helmet and sometimes not that. He did get defensive at first, he thought I was the one who called the PD, which I did not know about. I told him I was the last one who would call the PD. Told him I had ridden all my life and what ATGATT was. I told him I had some old gloves the kids could have. But they did need good helmets. He told me they had gear but he did not feel they need to wear just riding in the neighborhood. WTF guess you can't fix stupid.

 

[nakedape]

Thanks for your concern PaulR! Most of the parents buying e-bikes have instituted safety protocols after seeing lots of kids come back from the ER. Down here where the weather is permanently favorable for cycling/biking, the proliferation is near total. That is, there are few pedal-only bikes in use, period. Below are examples of community resourced deployed now to help mitigate harm. There's not a vacuum of "culture" around e-bike riding, there's a distinct and separate one evolving that doesn't involve 3000 moving parts and exhaust emissions. Or licensing. We are getting a handle on it, but there's a lot more work to do. ICE motorcycle ownership trends will not include zoomers, I can assure you of that, though we may have a lot to offer them regarding their ersatz motos!

E-bike Training Program For Teens

Take a quick survey to access the comprehensive free e-bike course.

www.scripps.org

E-bike Training for Teens gives kids the fundamental knowledge to be safe and responsible e-bike drivers on the roads and bikeways of their communities.
Lessons include:
Battery safety, brake inspection and bike security
Safety equipment
Rules of movement and traffic law
Lines, signs and signals on roads and bikeways
How crashes happen and how to avoid them
How speed and skill affect stopping distance
Essential communication skills
Best practices for riding in a group

Experienced users and retailers contribute to the safety programs. Here is the YMCA schedule of classes, labeled SAFETY COURSES for a reason:

Free E-Bike Safety Courses - YMCA of San Diego County

Free youth e-bike safety courses at select YMCA locations. Learn safe riding skills through hands-on training and receive a free helmet.

www.ymcasd.org

Here is an example of industry-supported education and outreach:

https://ezeryders.com/pages/ebike-safety-classes-san-diego?srsltid=AfmBOooO80nM3Zr_oGrbYihwDJ4Sb_vACqIlJ8i5M6c96PhfRb92US0L

Course Based on California Highway Patrol Statewide Electric Bike Safety Training Program.

In this course students learn:

• Difference between Class 1,2 & 3 bikes
• CA State Laws and Regulations
• At-Home Ready to Ride Checklist
• Safe Riding and Night Riding Practices Security and Lock Protocols
• Safety Skills and Maneuvers
• Rules of the Road

 

[GAJ]

Sounds like they are learning the way I learned to ride a moto; SS50 in Belgium in 1972.

The "tactile" method, (ie. crashing and not learning a lot from it).

 

[Rtmac]

As far as I can see, in the bay area anyway, there is no more enforcement of traffic laws on surface streets. Without legal consequences there is no deterrent. Many teens are not concerned by the risk of injury or death because they're convinced it will never happen to them. For those types, the only deterrent is the fear of being busted by the law.

 

[greenmonster]

Maybe the answer is anything faster than 15 MPH needs a permit to operate.

Per the existing law in CA for motorcycle permits-

Must be 15 1/2
Must have parental consent
Must complete a CMSP safety course
Must pass a written test

No night riding
No passengers