Technically an Ebike or not???

[erider_61]

Definitely not road legal, but does have pedals and would make an interesting offroad ride. 8,000 Watts, 95 kph, 120 km range, 72 volt, 40 Ah battery, 190 NM torque and $7,500 CDN from Markava in Quebec. https://merkava.ca/pages/falcon8k-p...G3gMshPf7o2xhmQ4bQQZgM5uAmoaBqOhFe2lys2xas9k8

 

[erider_61]

So my thinking is if I stick to 32 kph/20 mph I can ride legally on the road like a regular Ebike....and if the fuzz trys to pull me over I can take to the trails offroad at 95 kph/57 mph and give them the middle finger salute....I'm 58 yrs old so should be able to make bail if the plan backfires...lol

 

[Deacon Blues]

Calling this a ebike is a REAL stretch. Really, what is the difference between this "machine" and the Sur Ron that Luna Cycles sells?
I like electric motorcycles, so I'm drawn to them, but they DO NOT belong on bicycle trails.

This would make for an awesome gravel road/trail electric motorcycle, but given the price I'd rather buy a Honda street trail motorcycle and pocket the extra cash.

 

[erider_61]

If you ride in a responsible manner on roads or trails I have no problem with any over powered Ebike. Responsible riding makes the difference in my mind

 

[PatriciaK]

I believe the current bike laws are based on the capability of speed, not on how fast the bikes are ridden. So, technically and legally, this would absolutely not be considered an ebike.

 

[Ebiker01]

Off-road but where and why not a 15kw or 30kw since is just a matter of size and appears as an ebike ? An ebike is one where you have to put some effort or a lot of effort , not just ghost pedal and go fast. That is obviously illegal.

A super fast 40 or 60mph should automatically be confiscated or Given a big fine if it is present on The wrong roads.

The limit should be 1.5kw and about 32-33mph .

Maybe 35mph after 5years of documented experience and documented safe riding.

 

[erider_61]

The 60 mph is not a speed I really want to travel at on an Ebike myself. However the torque rating and the range are both what I am looking for in my 2nd purchase. Part of my daily commute involves a highway where big trucks are whipping by at 50 mph. If I can hit 40mph on that 1 mile stretch I would feel safer than my current 25 mph. The price and features of the Merkava are making me lean toward buying this. Lots of trails and off road areas where I live also factor in to this as well for me.

 

[Ebiker01]

Yea that GreypnG12 is the ToP Supercar of ebikes.

Considering that a high end Supercar like Pagani, Greyp makes Rimac (2million$ ) , Laferrari, Porsche , Mclaren ...are all 1.5mill$ and UP , the Greyp g12 Is really DIRT CHEAP

 

[Bruce Arnold]

I don't care what it's called, I want one. Not for the top speed, but for the torque and acceleration. Wow would that be fun!

 

[DaveD]

I actually bought the Falcon8K Black Ops edition from Merkava right before the winter.

I live in a condo within a ski village. I wanted something strong and quiet to climb the slopes in the summer and also something clean because I don't have a garage.

I actually park my bike inside my bedroom for lack of a better place lol.
Don't think I could have done that with any other gas powered motocross ) that's why I went with the Falcon8K.

It's not street legal where I live but I still drive it a few minutes just to get to the mountains. So far the experience has been outrageous. I'll post more next spring once I'm more at ease with it.

 

[DaveD]

Forgot to post the picture of my parking spot for the Falcon8K

 

[nikkiss]

to me looks like more like an electric motorbike!

 

[Oldschool]

Anyone else notice that the weight of this " ebike " is 120 lbs. , but only has a MAX LOAD rating of only 225 lbs. Hmmm. Also 60 mph max speed will give you 36 minutes run time or 18 minutes run time one way (assuming you want to get back home). Your better off buying a Bashan for $1800.00 . You can run around all day at 64 miles per hour on less than a gallon of gas.

 

[DaveD]

Anyone else notice that the weight of this " ebike " is 120 lbs. , but only has a MAX LOAD rating of only 225 lbs. Hmmm. Also 60 mph max speed will give you 36 minutes run time or 18 minutes run time one way (assuming you want to get back home). Your better off buying a Bashan for $1800.00 . You can run around all day at 64 miles per hour on less than a gallon of gas.

Where did you get the 36 minute run time from?
On my last ride I did 70km in trails and hardly lost one bar of battery life out of five. So the range on this thing is very very good. Besides. Who rides at 60mph non stop on trails??

 

[Oldschool]

Why would anyone buy this beast just to ride trails ? I'm sure there are much cheaper alternatives for riding trails, like ebikes with bbshd mid drives that only have 30 newton meters less than this one does. PAS extends everyones distance on ebikes just like the ad states that the distance quoted is in PAS mode. If you set PAS to "0" your ebikes mileage is unlimited. The 36 minute run time is based on the calculations used to determine the max an ebike will run at max voltage.

 

[DaveD]

Why would anyone buy this beast just to ride trails ? I'm sure there are much cheaper alternatives for riding trails, like ebikes with bbshd mid drives that only have 30 newton meters less than this one does. PAS extends everyones distance on ebikes just like the ad states that the distance quoted is in PAS mode. If you set PAS to "0" your ebikes mileage is unlimited. The 36 minute run time is based on the calculations used to determine the max an ebike will run at max voltage.

Why would anyone buy a Porsche when they can buy a Toyota Tercel? Both will take them to point B right . It's not for everyone and that's fine. If your not looking for performance then this bike is not for you.

 

[Mass Deduction]

So my thinking is if I stick to 32 kph/20 mph I can ride legally on the road like a regular Ebike....and if the fuzz trys to pull me over I can take to the trails offroad at 95 kph/57 mph and give them the middle finger salute....I'm 58 yrs old so should be able to make bail if the plan backfires...lol

You can do that, but likely not legally. Most jurisdictions appear to dictate what an e-bike is capable of doing at its maximum, not what it's capable of being limited to through mode selection.

 

[Mass Deduction]

Why would anyone buy a Porsche when they can buy a Toyota Tercel? Both will take them to point B right . It's not for everyone and that's fine. If your not looking for performance then this bike is not for you.

A difference is that both a Toyota and a Porsche are street legal. Car regulations tend to limit the behaviour of the driver, not the capabilities of a car. However, e-bike legislation tends to limit what an e-bike is capable of doing, not limit the behaviour of the rider.

Whether those e-bike rules are enforced or not, and whether you as an operator care or not, that's a different discussion. But it's a relevant difference when comparing against cars.

 

[Jimbo08]

Something to keep in mind...we share the road/trails with other users and ride responsibly and preferably legally. Tick off the wrong 'other user', who then reports it and see what happens to access be it roads or trails or bike paths. Great article about this today on PinkBike.com re Vermont's Kingdom Trails closures.

 

[DaveD]

I agree that the Merkava Falcon8K is not your typical ebike. But for someone who likes going off the beaten paths without disturbing the wildlife or leaving any trace I think this is a great alternative to gas powered motocross bikes.