Hi and welcome to this Jason King Birmingham Insight :
In response to community concerns, authorities in Coventry have launched a vigorous crackdown on the unauthorised use off-road motorbikes - whether petrol-powered scrambler type bikes, or electric ones, such as the notorious SUR-RON.
[Quick note for readers: while the Sur-Ron may be colloquially known as an e-Bike, these are no motor-assisted bicycles, they are something entirely different, electric motorbikes reaching speeds of up to 50mph or more.]
This concerted effort comes in very welcome. Illegally ridden off-road bikes are a nuisance and a risk to public safety and a local policing priority.
A recent case highlight the material danger posed by unlicensed, sometimes underage riders, on vehicles which have not passed roadworthiness tests. 15 year old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has appeared in court charged with dangerous driving after a seven-year-old girl was killed in a collision.
Even when everyone is following the rules, accidents can happen. But when people without a proper training in handling these motorbikes are going around bound only by their own personal sense of the limits they feel they and their machines are capable of, they are putting themselves in far greater danger, as well as. Posing a menace to members of the public.
In such cases we have to ask questions of how the boy came by this vehicle, as off road motorbikes are not so cheap. Were parents aware, and who funded it?
However, perhaps as important as this is the psychological implact of this behaviour on the community. The sight of these vehicles tearing through neighborhoods or the recreational public spaces meant to offer calm and tranquility, creates a sense of lawlessness and an air of criminality.
The recent raid by Coventry's law enforcement agencies once again uncovered firm links between illegal off-road biking and crime. Seven off-road bikes were seized, three arrests were made for the theft of a motor vehicle, and a stolen van was recovered.
For now, I don't want to go deep into how, for those with criminal intent, Sur-Rons and other unlicenced electric motorbikes have become a vehicle of choice. The impressive acceleration of Sur-Rons makes them an ideal getaway vehicle for robbers making off with mobiles or designer jackets, while the lack of licence plates lends an anonymity which would otherwise require a false plates on a stolen moped. This area of often-violent criminality belongs as a seperate topic. Having already discussed some of the dark side of these vehicles, I will to let those advocating for their use have a say, and listen to those calling for changes in the law to make powerful off-road e-motorbikes acceptable on public roads.
To begin with, there is one argument we can get out of the way before we even start. There is no truth to the myth of 2-wheeled electric vehicles being inherently eco-friendly. Whether there may be an environmental argument in favour of them depends entirely on context, and in the vast majority of cases, these vehicles get a green thumbs-down.
It's all about, if vehicle is being used as an alternative form of transport, what is it an alternative to? What is it replacing? Because the answer comes out pretty simple: unless you are in a position to buy a car or already own one, or, a petrol motorbike, there is almost no way that an Sur-Ron is an eco-friendly choice. Your alternative to the two-wheeled e-vehicle is walking, catching the bus, or riding a bike - which are already eco friendly. You are not going up the eco- friendly scale by switching to a Surron, you are probably going down, and the manufacture of your vehicle and its shipping to you from China is creating a sizeable carbon footprint.
It's only if your Surron journed is replacing a journey in a taxi or private hire car, or your own BMW, Ford Focus, Range Rover or whatever other car, or petrol motorbike, which you own, that it can begin to become eco-friendly. If you don't own a car, motorcycle or regularly travel by Uber, there is virtually no way that a personal electric vehicle can be an eco friendlu alternative. - It's that simple.
So, looking aside from this, there is still a range of arguments put forward by advocates for powerful, non-regulation, off road vehicles, (including those referred to as 'e-bikes' when they have little in common with motor assisted bicycles). Although some may have a more or less obvious vested interest and profit motive for painting these vehicles in a favourable light, let's take their claims at face value and give them a fair chance.
First is the claim that legal ebikes, which are not much more difficult to own than an ordinary bicycle, are crippled with unfair, impractical limitations, making higher powered, non-regulation vehicles a desirable and sensible alternative, and creating an urgency for law-makers to find a pathway to allow powerful off road e-bikes to be allowed on the road. This whole mindset centres on a negative view of the limits of legal ebikes.
As a reminder, road legal e-bikes are limited in speed to 15.5 mph and a maximum continuous power output of 250 watts. This parallels the experience of the ordinary cyclist, who must stay within similar constraints of power and speed. And remember: while a buget of £8000 may buy a techniclly superior machine to a bicycle bought on a budget of £400, a beginner rider, hoping to have overcome limits by choosing high-end kit, would soon find they have in fact bought themselves very little advantage with their money. On a traditional style, geared, no-suspension bike, their ability to ascend steep hills or keep up with fast-moving traffic is over 90% dependent on the amount of power they can generate throught their own body. The limitations they encounter, whether due to lack of aerobic fitness, lack of highly developed leg power, the aging process or any temporary illness, are limitations which they, as cyclists, must learn to contend with.
For anyone who rejects the whole premise of. This experience, a ('legal') electric-motor assisted e-bike is not the vehicle for them. What they want is a road-legal moped, scooter orl motorcycle.
These provide far greater capabiliities which may make getting around far easier, but they come with a new set of limitations: there is an age limit on riding them, all riders must be have a valid licence and all vehicles must be taxed an insured. All this in addition to, the vehicle itself being road legal and complying with all relevant regulations.
So where do Surrons and other high-powered eBikes - or 15-year olds on scrambler style petrol bikes - fit into the picture? What gap do they fill? The answer is, they don't fill a gap,
Even for those who are hungry for the unique Sur-Ron experience which they don't believe they could replicate with a petrol vehicle, the option exists to have a Sur-Ron kitted out and modified to become a road-legal motorbike, requiring the same tax and licencing as any other motorbike.
Well, that’s all for now. But until our next article, please stay tuned, stay informed, but most of all stay safe, and I’ll see you then.
Jason King
Birmingham City-Desk
Twitter (X) @JasonKingNews
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