Would you drive one of these..

[What'sThatSmell]

Would you drive an E-bike?

http://www.torontosun.com/News/Toron...88941-sun.html

E-bikes fight the power
Or at least are unregulated, for the time being anyway


No gas. No noise. No plates. No licence. No emissions. No insurance. No test. No registration.
No kidding?
Yes, the poster advertising all of this on the wall of this small bike shop on Queen West is true. For between $500 and $2,000 you can actually own your two wheels and the money grubbing government does not even have to know about it. For now, at least.
No wonder Vince Balatbat can't keep any e-bikes in stock.
"I don't have one to sell you," the 39-year-old owner of Blue Avenue said. "I have so many on back order."

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They look like a regular motor scooter. Sleek, cool, hip. But until late next year, at least, they are being treated in Ontario more like a bicycle.
It's in essence a loophole, a three-year pilot project that has the provincial government collecting data to determine just what to do with these battery-operated vehicles, which still have hidden pedals on some to get around some jurisdictions' traffic compliance rules.
However, they can get you where you need to go -- never having to visit a gas station.
You know they are going to regulate them here in Ontario. You know they are not going to be able to resist the revenue! "I am not so sure," said Balatbat, who you can see in a video on torontosun.com. "Other provinces have not gone down that route."
In fact, right now you can ride around on them, park them on the sidewalk and plug them in to be charged next to your cellphone or BlackBerry.
"I love mine," said Tyson Hartin, 32. "I still have a car, but now I really only take it out two times a week."
The rest of the time he commutes on this e-bike, which travels about 32 km/h and can last for about 60 km before needing a charge.
"It's green," he said. "It's a really good thing."
But no good thing comes along without its critics. "They are dangerous," a gas-fuelled scooter salesman, who would not provide their name for print, said of the electric versions.
Are they just worried about market share? Or do they have a point? Perhaps a little of both?
"We are concerned about safety," said Sgt. Tim Burrows of Toronto Police traffic services. "We could be going down a dangerous slope."
But not so far. The problem he sees is the weight and perhaps the lack of speed that could get a driver into trouble out there. "It could potentially be a good thing but right now it's a weird combination on the road," he said.
It's not a motorcycle, a scooter or a moped, and it's not a bike. It's kind of in a grey area.
But what is not grey is the Highway Traffic Act. "You are still subject to fines," said Burrows.
Hartin can back that up since he has received one for going through a red light. "The police are not sure what to do with them," said Hartin, who like Balatbat hopes they will remain unregulated.
Auto industry expert Dennis DesRosiers said as of right now these products are a "niche market" and not mainstream. If gas prices continue to rise it will be interesting to see if it stays like that.
"All I know is I have people phoning me saying they will buy one without seeing it and they'll take it new, used or whatever I have," said Balatbat.
'I WOULD BE RICH'
Right now he's waiting on a container coming over from China, where they are made.
The other calls he fields are from people wanting to open up a dealership. "If I could sell today as many machines as people want I would be rich," he joked.
He's owned one for eight years but got into the importing game two years ago -- hoping it'll end up a career. "I was working at the Honda plant in Alliston," he said.
Now, in essence, he hopes to compete with the auto giants. Time will tell what happens. But at least for right now those who make cars can't boast their buyers walk off the lot without ever having to get gas, plates, insurance or registration and also leave little carbon imprint on society.
No wonder there are none in stock.

Considering gas prices are fucking everyone over..
I thought this sounded like a really good investment for the time being.

I want to buy one now

Plus it's green!

[b14z3d]

hell yea!!! only reason being i have to wait another 8 months to get my license back.!! those look sick!

[Maitereya]

i want one

[Neverwill]

"No gas. No noise. No plates. No licence. No emissions. No insurance. No test. No registration."

That bout sums it up.

[africantapwater]

Too many idiots in large vehicles, otherwise I'd be down.

[LegitBaller]

fuck that ill take my black lac

[Mr. bojangles]

its just a scooter with a pedal system so it classifies as a bike, quit tyring to undermine the noble scooter regulatory commission

[Dawson_Canuck]

Originally Posted by africantapwater

Too many idiots in large vehicles, otherwise I'd be down.

very true! i seen these yesterday and said i wanted one and everyone laughed at me. They said i would look like an idiot but fuck, i would definatly roll around during the day lookin stupid and then in my Blazer on weekends/night getting my 17/mpg. I would rather get a gas powered one tho, one i seen was under $2,000 and gets 100/mpg

[$neaky]

My moms boy friend has something like that, Looks like a normal bike but its electric. Can still pedal it like a normal but, But then he turns the motor on and away he goes.

[Vol Funk]

Meh...I don't think the normal bike chains can handle that kind of pressure.

[africantapwater]

[effektz]

I'd like to get a regular motorcycle or crotch-rocket, at the very least save a lot of gas. But I'd love cruising through town on one of those bad boys