Don't Throw the e-Bike Baby Out With the Electric Motorcycle Bathwater.
There's something brewing in the suburban driveways and bike lanes of America, not just Broomfield, that smells like freedom but tastes like confusion. Kids are zooming past on two-wheeled machines that split the difference between e-bikes, bicycles, and electric dirt bikes, enabled by bewildered parents, leaving behind a wake of frustrated drivers and policy makers scrambling to catch up with technology. The problem isn't the machines themselves, it's that we've been calling two very different things by the same name. This is not just a matter of semantics, but a pressing issue that needs immediate attention.
Picture this: You're driving past 136th and Main when a kid on what appears to be an e-bike cuts you off while pulling a wheelie at 35+ mph. Your blood pressure spikes, and suddenly, every electric-assisted bicycle becomes the enemy, and in turn, every bike. But here's the thing: that wasn't an e-bike. That was an electric motorcycle masquerading as something more innocent, and the distinction matters more than you might think. Understanding this distinction is crucial for us to make informed decisions and take appropriate actions.
By addressing this confusion, we can protect one of the most promising developments in urban mobility we've seen in decades. The revolution of e-bikes has quietly transformed how people move through communities, offering a sustainable, affordable, and accessible alternative to car dependency that doesn't discriminate by age, fitness level, or economic status. They've made cycling accessible to grandparents who want to keep up with their grandkids, commuters who live beyond a reasonable analog biking distance from work, and kids who need a reliable way to get to school without their parents needing to be personal chauffeurs. To lump them together with high-powered electric motorcycles isn't just unfair, it's a dangerous policy-making that could sacrifice genuine transportation equity on the altar of justified safety concerns of children on small electric motorcycles capable of mind-boggling accelerations and speeds of 55+ mph. But with clear classification and enforcement, we can ensure that these benefits are not lost.
Understanding the Electric Spectrum
Colorado's e-bike classification system creates a clear framework that separates legitimate electric bicycles from their more powerful cousins.
Class 1 e-bikes provide pedal assistance only up to 20 mph and require the rider to pedal for the motor to engage.
Class 2 e-bikes add a throttle option but maintain the same 20 mph speed limit.
Class 3 e-bikes push the assistance ceiling to 28 mph but remain pedal-assist only and require a speedometer.
These three classes represent the legal definition of an electric bicycle in Colorado. They share common characteristics that distinguish them from motorcycles: functional pedals, motor power limited to 750 watts, and speed governors that prevent them from exceeding their assisted class limits. More importantly, they maintain the fundamental character of a bicycle, human-powered transportation with electric assistance.
The trouble begins with Class 4, an unofficial designation that exists in the gray area beyond state recognition. These vehicles often exceed the speed and power limitations of Class 3 e-bikes while maintaining some bicycle-like characteristics. They represent the hinterlands where e-bikes fade into electric motorcycles, and their ambiguous status creates enforcement challenges and safety concerns.
Beyond this gray area lie small electric off-road motorcycles, vehicles like the Sur-Ron Light Bee or Talaria models that have become increasingly popular with young riders. These machines typically produce several thousand watts of power, can reach speeds of 40-60+ mph, and often lack functional pedals entirely. Despite being marketed to parents as "e-bikes," they fall squarely into motorcycle territory under Colorado law. They are illegal to operate anywhere in Broomfield—on roads, sidewalks, multi-use paths, trails, or open space.
HB25-1197 in 2025, which adds new labeling, battery safety, and sales/advertising requirements for e-bikes while keeping the three-class system from HB17-1151 intact. The new provisions phase in through January 1, 2027 and clarify treatment of “multiple-mode” e-bikes and deceptive trade practices related to mislabeling non‑e-bikes as e-bikes.
The Kids Are Not Alright
The social media posts that I have observed for this story paint a disturbing picture of children riding high-powered electric motorcycles with complete disregard for traffic laws and personal safety. "This kid is super dangerous on his motorized bike. He cut me off while I was driving to pull a wheelie," writes one frustrated Broomfield resident. Another report saw kids "doing wheelies on Main, a long one where he was driving a fair distance on just his back tire. So dangerous."
The pattern repeats across communities: children as young as 11 years old operating vehicles capable of highway speeds, weaving through traffic, performing stunts, and treating public roads like personal playgrounds. The consequences are predictable and devastating. Emergency departments report injuries "comparable to someone on a motorcycle because that's what they're on. They're getting pelvic fractures, broken femurs, life changing brain bleeds. Some of them are disabled for the rest of their lives".
Research backs up these alarming anecdotal reports. A study tracking pediatric "e-bike" injuries from 2011 to 2020 found that the rate of injuries increased significantly over the study period, with children requiring hospitalization at higher rates than those injured on traditional bicycles or mopeds. More concerning, 97.3% of injured e-bike riders weren't wearing helmets at the time of their crash. There are problems with the data reporting because class 1-3 e-bikes tend to get lumped in with class 4 and small electric motorcycles.
The developmental reality compounds these risks. The human brain doesn't fully mature until around age 25, with the areas responsible for impulse control and risk assessment among the last to develop. Adolescents are still developing the ability to assess danger and make safe decisions, particularly when it comes to speed and traffic situations. When you combine this neurological reality with machines capable of motorcycle speeds, the results are tragically predictable.
The Enforcement Dilemma
Law enforcement faces a unique challenge when dealing with children on high-speed electric motorcycles. Traditional pursuit tactics become ethically and practically impossible when the suspect is a minor on a lightweight, agile vehicle capable of rapidly accelerating to speeds exceeding 50+ mph. As one community member observed, "the kids know they can get away on this because they can go 55+ very easy and can take trails, cut across open space and if PD chases them and they get hit they are dead".
This enforcement dilemma has led some jurisdictions to focus on vehicle confiscation rather than high-speed pursuits. Manhattan Beach Police Department, for example, has been actively seizing illegal electric motorcycles, posting images of multiple impounded vehicles on social media with warnings that these machines "are not safe or legal for operation on city streets, sidewalks, or The Strand".
Colorado law provides clear authority for such confiscation. Electric motorcycles must be registered with the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles for road use and require operators to hold a valid motorcycle-endorsed driver's license. When operated off-road, they must be registered as Off-Highway Vehicles with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. They can only be used on designated OHV trails. Children operating unregistered electric motorcycles on public property are violating multiple state statutes, creating grounds for vehicle impoundment.
Steamboat Springs has taken a straightforward approach, with Police Chief Mark Beckett stating, "We take these incidents seriously and violating the law on an electric motorcycle will result in consequences including possible criminal charges and vehicle impoundment". The department emphasizes that fleeing from police "won't be tolerated" and can result in "serious collisions resulting in life-changing injuries".
Parental Responsibility and Liability
The buck ultimately stops with parents who purchase and allow their children to operate illegal electric motorcycles. Colorado law provides a clear example of parental liability in these situations, with parents held financially or crimi responsible for injuries or damage caused by their minor children's negligent operation of motorized vehicles.
The legal framework considers several factors when determining parental liability: whether the parent took reasonable care to prevent crashes, whether they observed dangerous behavior, whether they were aware of their child's tendency toward carelessness, and whether they knowingly allowed use of an unsafe vehicle. Parents who purchase electric motorcycles marketed as "e-bikes" but capable of speeds far exceeding legal limits may find themselves facing significant financial and legal exposure.
A sobering example comes from Los Angeles, where parents of an 11-year-old girl agreed to pay a $1.5 million settlement after their daughter's 12-year-old passenger was killed in an e-bike crash. The case highlighted how parents may be held liable for "willful misconduct" when children operate vehicles inappropriately for their age and skill level.
The liability extends beyond financial consequences. In many jurisdictions, parents can receive citations for allowing their children to operate illegal vehicles on public property. Eagle Police Officer Jeff Hazer notes that "if the way they are operating the scooter or bike can potentially hurt others because of the reckless behavior, they can receive a citation,"adding that "in some situations, even parents can receive tickets".
Colorado prosecutors can charge a parent under the child abuse statute if the parent permits a child to be unreasonably placed in a situation that poses a threat of injury to the child’s life or health, which can encompass allowing a minor to operate an illegal high powered electric motorcycle on public ways.
Colorado’s child abuse law at CRS 18-6-401 makes it a crime to cause injury to a child’s life or health or to permit a child to be unreasonably placed in a situation that threatens injury, and courts and practitioners treat endangerment as a subset of this statute even when no injury occurs.
In practice, conduct like DUI with a child in the vehicle is routinely charged as child abuse because it unreasonably endangers the child, and the same legal theory can apply where a parent authorizes clearly dangerous unlawful operation such as a minor riding an illegal unregistered electric motorcycle in traffic or on public paths.
Separately, a parent could face contributing to the delinquency of a minor if they induce aid or encourage a child to violate state or local law, which would cover knowingly allowing or facilitating a minor’s unlawful vehicle operation.
Whether charges are filed will depend on the facts including the child’s age the vehicle’s legality and capability the environment of operation and any resulting risk or harm, but Colorado law provides both child abuse endangerment and contributing to delinquency pathways for prosecution
The Distinction That Matters
The conflation of e-bikes with electric motorcycles in community discussions does a disservice to both safety and transportation policy. When residents post complaints about "e-bikes" that are actually describing high-powered electric motorcycles, they inadvertently target a legitimate and legal transportation option that serves essential mobility needs.
Consider this Broomfield resident's thoughtful response to community criticism: "I'm one of the kids who have an ebike... most of us are respectful and responsible and we don't try to cause trouble... it's not the bikes, it's the riders". His point is that individual behavior, rather than the vehicle type, determines safety outcomes, and gets lost when communities fail to distinguish between actual e-bikes and electric motorcycles.
This confusion has real policy implications. Several Colorado communities have considered blanket restrictions on e-bikes in response to problems caused by electric motorcycles.
The solution requires precision in both language and enforcement. When community members report dangerous riding, they should accurately identify whether the vehicle in question is an e-bike (with pedals, speed limits, and legal operation) or an electric motorcycle (high-powered, often pedal-free, and illegal for children to operate). Law enforcement should respond accordingly, treating actual e-bike violations as traffic infractions while addressing small electric motorcycle violations as the more serious legal matters they represent.
Looking Beyond Broomfield
Other Colorado communities are grappling with similar challenges and developing innovative approaches. Steamboat Springs has implemented a comprehensive education campaign that clearly distinguishes between e-bikes and electric motorcycles while establishing strict enforcement protocols. The city requires OHV registration for electric motorcycles used on designated trails and maintains zero tolerance for illegal street operation.
California has taken legislative action with multiple bills addressing high-powered electric vehicles. San Diego County now allows cities to ban e-bikes for riders under 12 years old. At the same time, the state has implemented stricter definitions of what constitutes a legal e-bike versus a motorcycle. These measures aim to preserve access for legitimate e-bike users while addressing safety concerns around high-powered vehicles being used by children.
Some communities have found success through comprehensive approaches that combine education, enforcement, and infrastructure development. Rather than banning e-bikes outright, they focus on creating designated spaces for different types of electric vehicles while maintaining strict enforcement against illegal motorcycle operation.
A Path Forward: Designated Off-Road Space
One promising solution for Broomfield would be the development of a designated off-road vehicle area that could accommodate small electric motorcycles and dirt bikes in a controlled, legal environment. Colorado offers numerous examples of successful OHV areas, from the Ellis Trail near Steamboat Springs to the North Sand Hills Recreation Area, which provides diverse opportunities for off-highway enthusiasts.
Such a facility would serve multiple purposes: providing a legal outlet for young riders on electric motorcycles andreducing illegal street operation. The Colorado Parks and Wildlife system already provides a framework for OHV registration and management.
Broomfield's existing open space network and the city's commitment to outdoor recreation make it well-positioned to develop such a facility, a dedicated OHV area could complement existing trail networks while addressing current enforcement challenges.
The facility could incorporate safety education components, requiring riders to complete basic training before using the area. This would address the developmental concerns about young riders while providing a structured environment for skill development. Colorado's existing OHV education programs provide models for implementation.
Preserving What Works
E-bikes represent a genuine transportation revolution that has made cycling accessible to millions of Americans who might otherwise rely on cars for every trip. They've enabled older adults to continue cycling despite physical limitations, allowed parents to transport children over longer distances, and provided affordable transportation options for families who can't afford multiple cars.
The data supports their positive impact. A 2024 study found that e-bike owners reduce their vehicle miles traveled by an average of 20-30%, while a Colorado-specific analysis showed that e-bike tax credit recipients used their e-bikes primarily for commuting and recreation rather than joyriding. These are serious transportation tools serving legitimate mobility needs.
Broomfield's multi-use trail network exemplifies how e-bikes can integrate successfully into urban transportation systems. Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes share these paths safely with pedestrians and traditional cyclists, contributing to the city's goals of reducing car dependency and promoting active transportation. The city's recent parking code changes, which strengthen bicycle parking requirements and accommodate cargo bicycles, recognize e-bikes as part of the transportation solution.
The distinction between e-bikes and electric motorcycles isn't just academic; it's fundamental to preserving transportation equity while addressing legitimate safety concerns. By maintaining clear categories and appropriate enforcement, Broomfield can protect both the rights of legitimate e-bike users and the safety of all community members.
Communities across Colorado are watching how jurisdictions like Broomfield handle this challenge. The response will determine whether the electric transportation revolution continues to expand access to sustainable mobility or gets derailed by the reckless behavior of a few on illegal vehicles. The choice seems clear: don't let the electric motorcycle bathwater drown the e-bike baby.
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