{"id":2048764,"date":"2026-07-17T20:36:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T17:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2048764"},"modified":"2026-07-17T20:36:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T17:36:00","slug":"hawaii-outlaws-e-bike-wheelies-on-streets-bans-e-motos-from-public-areas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2048764","title":{"rendered":"Hawaii outlaws e-bike wheelies on streets, bans e-motos from public areas"},"content":{"rendered":"
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File photo: Jeff Barber<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hawaii Governor Josh Green has just signed a bill into law<\/a> that severely restricts the use and sale of electric motorcycles. The law seeks to clarify the differences between e-bikes and e-motos, and introduces some new restrictions on e-bike use.<\/p>\n

E-bikes, redefined<\/h2>\n

Though e-bike classifications have been in place at the federal level for almost 25 years, states like Hawaii are seeking to clarify the difference between e-bikes and e-motos through legislation. Hawaii\u2019s latest law reiterates the three-class e-bike classification system, though, like the federal legislation, it leaves open to interpretation how peak power is measured. <\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Electric bicycle\u2019 means a bicycle equipped with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of no more than seven hundred fifty watts,\u201d according to the law. As Singletracks has noted in previous reporting, some manufacturers have argued that the 750W limit refers to continuous power output, while others say it refers to peak power output.<\/p>\n

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In practice, however, this distinction may not be important. The Hawaii law goes on to define a high-speed electric device as \u201cany device with a motor exceeding seven hundred fifty watts and capable of speeds over twenty-eight miles per hour.\u201d So e-bikes with the latest Avinox motors, capable of delivering up to 1,500 watts of power, are likely not considered high-speed electric devices since they are limited to a maximum speed of 28mph. On the other hand, products like the Surron Electric Bee, with a maximum power of 8,000W and capable of speeds over 45mph, clearly fall into the high-speed electric device category.<\/p>\n

E-bike riders aren\u2019t allowed to wheelie on public roads, and riders must be 16 or older to ride some e-bikes<\/h2>\n

The Hawaii law prohibits \u201coperating an electric bicycle in an unsafe manner or engaging\u00a0in exhibition riding, such as wheelies or stunts, on any public street, alley, or other public right-of-way.\u201d It\u2019s unclear whether \u201cpublic right-of-way\u201d includes trails open to e-bikes and\/or trailhead parking lots; in many jurisdictions, trails are not classified as public rights-of-way. Note the wheelie ban applies to electric bicycles only; wheelies on traditional bikes are unaffected.<\/p>\n

The law also stipulates that Class 2 and 3 e-bikes shall not be ridden by minors under 16 years old without direct parental supervision. This leaves open the possibility for younger riders to continue operating Class 1 e-bikes on their own. However, strict labeling requirements could kick some bikes \u2014 like the Specialized Turbo Levo, which offers both Class 1 and Class 3 riding modes \u2014 into the higher, more restrictive class. In addition, the law raises the mandatory helmet age from 16 to 18 years old for all bicycle riders.<\/p>\n

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Residents were already required to register electric bikes in Hawaii for a one-time fee of $30, and the new law reaffirms this policy. Insurance will not be required to operate an e-bike. <\/p>\n

High-speed electric devices are banned from public places<\/h2>\n

With a clear definition of high-speed electric devices, the Hawaii law states that \u201cNo person shall operate a high-speed electric device on a public roadway, a bicycle lane, a travel path, a bicycle facility, or other public area, such as a street, highway, or sidewalk.\u201d It goes on to say violations are subject to a traffic infraction, and parents can be liable for children under 18 years old.<\/p>\n

New Jersey, Washington, and California have recently passed e-bike and e-moto laws in response to public safety concerns. Florida attempted to pass its own law recently, though that law was vetoed by the governor in part because it contained language limiting e-bike speeds to 10mph in the presence of pedestrians.<\/p>\n

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Related articles<\/h4>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/a><\/p>\n
California<\/a><\/div>\n
E-bike vs e-moto: How new state laws are redefining electric bicycle classifications<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/a><\/p>\n
Mountain Bikes and Gear<\/a><\/div>\n
Electric motors hurt mountain biking, but we\u2019re not talking e-bikes: e-motos are the problem<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Close-up<\/a><\/p>\n
Mountain Bikes and Gear<\/a><\/div>\n
New Avinox e-bike motor delivers a shocking amount of power and torque<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/a><\/p>\n
Mountain bikes<\/a><\/div>\n
Specialized Turbo Levo R first ride review<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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File photo: Jeff Barber Hawaii Governor Josh Green has just signed a bill into law that severely restricts the use and sale of electric motorcycles. The law seeks to clarify the differences between e-bikes and e-motos, and introduces some new restrictions on e-bike use. E-bikes, redefined Though e-bike classifications have been in place at the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,274],"class_list":["post-2048764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-singletracks-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2048764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2048764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2048764\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2048764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2048764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2048764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}