So why the question mark? Because, the legislature really did not ban them because they don’t understand the technology. We will get to that shortly.
First off, I was planning a trip with four other E-bikers to the Mickelson in May. We were going to rent a monster VRBO, eat out and entertain ourselves, spend lots of tourist money and ride the trail. Trip cancelled. We instead are probably going to Duluth and ride the trails around Lake Superior while spending our tourist dollars in another state. It will be epic.
The AARP was against this because seniors are the biggest users of Class II E-bikes, tons of studies have shown this. It has also improved the health of many seniors.
This bill was written by a whack-a-doodle who is anti-green energy and of course anything electric, go figure.
The irony is that they will still allow 200 HP, LOUD, 40 MPH, GASOLINE powered snowmobiles. Hmm? The other irony is that electric powered snowmobiles and ATV’s are becoming extremely popular with hunters and naturalists because the animals are not alerted by the exhaust smell and noise. E-powered vehicles are virtually silent not interrupting the quaint sounds of nature.
But what puzzled me the most is the lack of knowledge the legislature has on micro-mobility (E-Bikes, etc.) This isn’t rocket science and you can literally watch a 10 minute YT video explaining the different technologies that change everyday. They are allowing Class I which is no different then Class II or III except for speed and a throttle. But the best part is they haven’t banned E-Bikes entirely, they actually opened the trail up for E-Motorcycles which can go anywhere between 40-80 MPH;
Electric bicycle defined–Classes.
For purposes of this chapter, the term, electric bicycle, means a bicycle or a tricycle that is equipped with a seat or saddle, with operable pedals for propulsion, and with an electric motor of seven hundred fifty watts or less.
An electric bicycle is a Class I electric bicycle if the motor provides assistance only when the person is pedaling and ceases to provide assistance when a speed of twenty miles per hour is achieved.
An electric bicycle is a Class II electric bicycle if the motor is capable of propelling the bicycle without the person pedaling and ceases to provide assistance when a speed of twenty miles per hour is achieved.
An electric bicycle is a Class III electric bicycle if the motor provides assistance only when the person is pedaling and ceases to provide assistance when a speed of twenty-eight miles per hour is achieved.
In other words if your E-bike can achieve over 29 MPH it is considered an ‘out of class’ e-bike and is NOT defined in state law. Once again the dopes in Pierre passed a law that has zero teeth, but I won’t bother testing it, because I will be in Minnesota and Wisconsin.