Class 2 or E-motorcycle?
Posted by Shot_Bill_4971@reddit | ebikes | View on Reddit | 24 comments
I’m looking to buy an E-bike(Goat power bikes “the king goat”) and I want to get a loan for it but don’t know what type of loan it would qualify for, it has a motor above 750 watts (it says above 8000 watts on their site) and speed is well above 20-25 if you change it out of the class 2 mode
Does the ability to shift it out of class 2 mode change how it would classify in the eyes of the bank? Would it qualify for a motorcycle loan(which has a lower APR than personal) and would the bike need to be registered and have a license plate?
I live in Alaska if that changes things but I’m open to personal experiences from any state dealing with loans for an e-bike
yaboi_ahab@reddit
Legally speaking it's an unregisterable motorcycle. Too fast and powerful to be an ebike, and missing the VIN and manufacturer paperwork you'd need to get a title. I wouldn't expect your bank to give you a motorcycle loan on it.
Strict_Second_1922@reddit
There doing a 10% off holiday sale this weekend. Just wonder how the battery will hold up over time up there in the cold.
Pleasant-Half-1355@reddit
If you don't care about it being street legal get a personal loan from a bank or credit union and buy whatever. If you want an electric dirt bike with dealer financing Zero motorcycles will do that on the XB and XE bikes, which are basically surrons/off road dirt bikes. They have 2.99% financing for 48 months with $0 down currently as a promotion for the X line bikes. If you want a street legal motorcycle you need to look at actual electric motorcycles. IMO you should save $ and buy something with actual cash, motorcycles and ebikes are toys and should be purchased as such. If you have a retirement account/401k taking a loan or withdrawal from that to get a motorcycle is acceptable lol. I don't know if law enforcement in Alaska cares about bikes being legal or not they are definitely cracking down on all the overpowered ebikes in the lower states. If legality matters and you are getting a loan I'd definitely purchase something the police can't impound/confiscate while you are making payments on it. Either way look up zero motorcycles they have dealers in Alaska
zekerigg41@reddit
A used motorcycle gets you a vin, title ect. A used zero is in that price range and should be easy to get a loan. For
Shot_Bill_4971@reddit (OP)
A used motorcycle where I’m at gets you 6 months in waiting for parts and rusted everything to shit. Rural Alaska and on the coast, nobody takes care of their shit here
Resplendent_Komorebi@reddit
That’s not an eBike it’s a motorcycle. It doesn’t matter that it ships locked down as a class 2. The wattage is way over the limit which is 750w under federal law.
So all rules and restrictions relating to motorcycles will apply.
Shot_Bill_4971@reddit (OP)
So it’s basically just a motorcycle with pedals lol
Dickparker420@reddit
There is no federal law banning riding this bike, this person has a thing against certain bikes and is going around making up laws.
Resplendent_Komorebi@reddit
You need to learn how to read before someone follows your advice and ends up with their expensive toy impounded.
Shot_Bill_4971@reddit (OP)
Correction, no laws against riding it while in “class 2 locked”, from everything I’ve seen I could get it impounded if I get caught with it going faster than allowed
Dickparker420@reddit
No federal law on riding ebikes, just classification for consumer purposes.
Separate_Isopod4746@reddit
I have 6 e-bikes. One is an Aniioki a8 with dual motors, 60 amp battery, 40 mph. It’s illegal everywhere. I ride respectfully on trails and around people, but, I also explore and end up in weird places. I recently picked up the lextric xp4, just to have a legal bike, so cops have nothing on me should I get messed with. That said, I’m not going back to a moto bike, 30 mph is really fast enough for city commute. It just feels better riding knowing I don’t have to look out for cops.
Eryomama@reddit
Same I have a surron but even when I wanted to just go out and get some sun on my skin and rode at 15 mph I still felt like a target was on my back and couldn’t fully relax. Just having something legal too is nice.
celeste_ferret@reddit
An 8000 watt vehicle with pedals is absolutely ridiculous considering that a typical bicycle rider is putting down 100-200 watts.
Shot_Bill_4971@reddit (OP)
I think people misunderstand the question, I don’t care if it’s an e-bike or emoto, I know what I want and it’s that “bike”. Personally I’ve never called it an e-bike and fully plan to just remove the petals and install pegs on it for passenger and driver(I’ve found kits for that).
I’m more wondering about the banks view on it, legally it ships as a class 2 bike, but functionality and visually it’s a motorcycle. I live in a rural area but I’m still guaranteed to be pulled over if I am found on the street with it going faster than 25, I’ll be basically asking the same questions to my local DMV as well as asking the company if it comes with a title or has a title option
Separate_Isopod4746@reddit
You want a bank to fund an illegal street bike? Do you have private land to ride it on? Ride that on the streets, it’ll get confiscated.
Shot_Bill_4971@reddit (OP)
Well it isn’t illegal when I buy it 🥺👉👈
rshetts1@reddit
Yes it is. The law is not about what the controller is set at. It's about what the bike is capable of doing and the power capabilities of the components. It does not matter how the bike company is advertising it as. They are trying to skirt the laws. So are you. You are not trying to buy an e-bike. You are trying to buy an e-moto and pretend its an e-bike. KNock yourself out and go for it but they are cracking down on these things so be prepared to have it impounded the minute you ride it illegally. If it gets impounded you will be without your bike and you will still be liable for the loan balance. If you want an actual e-bike get an e-bike. If you really want an e-moto, get an e-moto and be prepared for the requirements and restrictions that come with it.
squash-n-flop@reddit
I don’t care about the speed nearly as much as most people in this sub, it’s just not my problem so I couldn’t be arsed to care much. But I just want you to have some perspective that this is pretty financially irresponsible. If you don’t have the money that you could comfortably buy it in one go, it’s a really really bad idea to take a loan on something which could be confiscated by the police with no recourse to get it back. You will still be saddled with repaying the loans, whether or not you own the bike, and you will not want to be making hundreds of dollars in payments for something that you don’t own.
Separate_Isopod4746@reddit
Exactly. Op didn’t answer my question about private land to ride it legally. I have 20 acres. Considering he has to take out a loan for a few thousand dollar bike, that will eventually get confiscated, fines, etc, it’s really a no brainer. For most.
LiveCheesecake6080@reddit
I'd you take the pedals off, it will technically be illegal even as an ebike. I would suggest looking into getting it street legal ( not sure if u can where u are, but I've seen some ppl do this) or finding something that is legal. You're really gonna be risking getting it impounded and fined by riding it on the road, even at slow speeds and especially if you take the pedals off.
Shot_Bill_4971@reddit (OP)
Yea maybe taking pedals off is a bad idea then lol
celeste_ferret@reddit
Pedals don't matter either way. At 8000 watts, it's a motorcycle so make sure you get one that can be registered and insured.
Shot_Bill_4971@reddit (OP)
Yea I’m looking into it, I also need to get licensed lol