New Jersey Would Be Foolish To Require E-Bike Insurance & Registration

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

The latest info from the NJ Bike and Walk Coalition: https://njbwc.org/bill-s2292/

So people against the bill (including representatives of insurance companies who don't want to touch mandatory ebike insurance!) have already testified. The result? The Senate Head (who introduced this ridiculous bill without any forethought) is "well-aware of the input and will work on amendments and meet with advocates.”

In other words, he's determined to push something through. Okay, here's a thought: Leave pedal assist bicycles alone. Focus your energies to squeeze a dime from constitutents by going after the mini-motorbike crowd; the same crowd who likely are at the root of near every single beef a local or state govt agency has with e-powered bicycles.

And again, this is not about building up a funding source for new bike trails and roadways. Nor is it about creating teaching moments for Bike Safety. No, this money from an ebike license and registration simply will go into the State's general fund.

 

[Brian10956]

I’m curious to know how it will affect bikers from other states passing through. I live north of the new Jersey border in NY state but quite often I pass through NJ. Hopefully it will be like car inspection laws were a NJ policeman cannot give a NY car a ticket for expired inspection. I’m legitimately handicapped where an ebike for me is like a car with special features for someone that’s partially paralyzed . I just hope it doesn’t become an issue for me.

 

[TPEHAK]

The 15 mph speed limit for ebikes only make any sense to me if ALL types bikes are also restricted to 15 mph max speed.

Also people running speed should be restricted to 15 mph to make complete sense.

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

Latest update as of 19 Jan 2026: the outgoing governor signed the ebike legislation bill. So now, Class One ebikes are in the same grouping as the high powered mini-electric motorcycles. So..... if I want to continue riding this Yamaha powered Haibike, pedal assist; I'll have to have it registered as well as insured. My automobile license will serve as an ebike license (Win-Win! lol bs ).

Again, with this socialist state, you follow the money (which I've been doing since I began driving in 1977 and was faced with some high rate premiums just cause I was lumped in my age grouping--17 to 30). And in this case, the money for registration and licenses won't be funneled back into building more municipal or off-road trails; it's just going to go back into their bottomless pit of a general fund, where they can squander it with their sanctuary city policies; etc.

Not surprised with this "law". It's what nanny-state, socialist democrat one-party rule states like mine, do. I sure didn't nor will ever, vote for this kind of "rule". But here we are. Welcome to New Jermany. Now, don't mind me. I have to run off and pay my utility bill.... a bill that has risen some 200 percent in the past year. Why is that? Cause the Socialist Democrats in charge elected to have every coal fired power plant in the state shuttered forever. The Natural Gas Fired Duck Island generation plant was torn down too; and in it's place went up another Amazon Warehouse.......which of course recieves a small property tax bill under the PILOT program, a program designed to allow big warehouses minimal property tax payments in return for the promise of jobs. It seems the idiots in Trenton running this s*it show of state government forgot about the idea that if you remove XX number of power generation plants feeding the grid, you and the citizens of your state will have to buy power off the market at a much higher rate! No, you can't make this stuff up.....

For those in New York, Illinois, California and other "pergressive, one-party democrap rule states......... this is your future, coming like a freight train..... or maybe a Sur-Ron.

 

[6zfshdb]

Do these requirements apply to e-bikes on off road trails?

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

Do these requirements apply to e-bikes on off road trail

Taken from a post on the MTBNJ site:
This is in the bill:
no low-speed electric bicycle or motorized bicycle, as those terms are defined by R.S. 39:1-1, shall be operated on the public highways or on public lands of this State unless registered by the owner

Public lands would include the vast New Jersey Pine Barrens; as those areas are patroled by NJ Parks Police. Regarding the Pine Barrens, just in the past 2 years, there has been a big crackdown by Park Rangers in closing off entire roads to vehicles, but especially dual sport motorcycles & even mountain bikes. Figure insurance and registration required for any State Park trail under the jurisdiction of NJ enforcement. And after that, there really are not any public off road trails I can think of in the state.

Wondering what this will mean to the PA ebiker who rides the D&L Trail and decides to cross the Delaware River and ride the D&R trail. Or who says to his or her significant other "Hey Honey, let's pack up the ebikes and take an overnight trip down to Cape May!"

This really has me seething. It is beyond heavy handed. Yet, it is so typical of how the one party state government acts towards it's citizen taxpayers. The cause of this draconian legislation were a couple fatalities up in North Jersey involving children.

Almost forgot: In this bill, the online sale of ebikes in New Jermany is now prohibited for one year. That means if you want to get out of this scam by selling your ebike on craigslist or facebook marketplace.......well, now you can't. For one whole year. LOL

Also, the sale and installation of speed chips or other modifications to increase the speed of an ebike is prohibited.

 

[Chargeride]

Latest update as of 19 Jan 2026: the outgoing governor signed the ebike legislation bill. So now, Class One ebikes are in the same grouping as the high powered mini-electric motorcycles. So..... if I want to continue riding this Yamaha powered Haibike, pedal assist; I'll have to have it registered as well as insured. My automobile license will serve as an ebike license (Win-Win! lol bs ).

Again, with this socialist state, you follow the money (which I've been doing since I began driving in 1977 and was faced with some high rate premiums just cause I was lumped in my age grouping--17 to 30). And in this case, the money for registration and licenses won't be funneled back into building more municipal or off-road trails; it's just going to go back into their bottomless pit of a general fund, where they can squander it with their sanctuary city policies; etc.

Not surprised with this "law". It's what nanny-state, socialist democrat one-party rule states like mine, do. I sure didn't nor will ever, vote for this kind of "rule". But here we are. Welcome to New Jermany. Now, don't mind me. I have to run off and pay my utility bill.... a bill that has risen some 200 percent in the past year. Why is that? Cause the Socialist Democrats in charge elected to have every coal fired power plant in the state shuttered forever. The Natural Gas Fired Duck Island generation plant was torn down too; and in it's place went up another Amazon Warehouse.......which of course recieves a small property tax bill under the PILOT program, a program designed to allow big warehouses minimal property tax payments in return for the promise of jobs. It seems the idiots in Trenton running this s*it show of state government forgot about the idea that if you remove XX number of power generation plants feeding the grid, you and the citizens of your state will have to buy power off the market at a much higher rate! No, you can't make this stuff up.....

For those in New York, Illinois, California and other "pergressive, one-party democrap rule states......... this is your future, coming like a freight train..... or maybe a Sur-Ron.

Jesus christ, the west has decided on fascist totalitarionism and theyre in Davos now planning their next move.
It absolutely will be pedal cyclists and pedestrians next , in the UK we are facing the absolute removal of privacy and the mandatory monitoring of every thought.
You will be next, one by one they will remove your freedoms and even your memory of such things and your protests will be drowned by a chorus of approval of state control with both sides claiming to be the victims and saviours.
Every visitor to continental Europe now has to hand over their biometric data to the EU superstate and within 50 years your declaration of independence will be renamed a dangerous revolution.

What a time to be alive, I thank the Lord I got to live most of my days before the eye of Sauron.

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

This is a pretty good breakdown of the new ebike law in NJ:

New Law requires a license, registration, and insurance for ALL E-Bikes - Township of Washington

The updated New Jersey E-Bike Law, signed by Governor Murphy yesterday January 19, 2026, mandates that all forms of E-Bikes, including those with fully operable pedals and motor assist, are now classified as motorized bicycles. The new law requires a rider to be 15 years of age and have a...

www.washtwppolice.org

 

[Chargeride]

just wtf, is this real...vision test?

 

[mschwett]

i don't have much of a dog in this fight, but i just have to ask : are the people who write this media morons? or are they trying to be obtuse? or am i a moron?

this is very confusing. first they list two types of e-bikes. 20mph ones and then 28mph ones, which they say are treated similarly to motorized bicycles.

then they say all e-bikes require a licensed rider. ok.

then they say you need a drivers license to be a licensed rider ... OR obtain a motorized bicycle license. (which is what class 3 bikes are "treated similarly to."

then it specifically says how you get a motorized bicycle (class 3 e-bike) license.

so : if you don't have a drivers license, can you ride a class 1/2 20mph bike? i assume not since it says "all e-bikes now require..." but they don't say that 1/2 bikes are similar to motorized bicycles, nor do they say what kind of license you need, or what the requirements are. 15 lines of text and somehow i still don't know if a 15 year old can ride a class 1 e-bike without a license, i suspect they can't, but i have no idea how they get a license to do so.

 

[Nvreloader]

Just more PLATE GLASS STOMACH POLITICIONS,
that DON'T have ANY common sense.....
that were voted on by the sheepople that don't have any common sense........
any more.