Amazon says it will stop allowing the sale of high-speed electric motorbikes in California that exceed the state’s legal e-bike limits, marking one of the largest crackdowns yet on the increasingly fuzzy line between e-bikes and electric motorcycles.
The move comes after California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a consumer alert last month reminding riders, retailers, and online marketplaces that legal electric bicycles in California must follow the state’s three-class e-bike system.
Under California law, throttle-controlled e-bikes are limited to 20 mph (32 km/h), while pedal-assist Class 3 e-bikes can reach up to 28 mph (45 km/h). Anything faster falls into moped or motorcycle territory, bringing additional licensing, registration, insurance, and age requirements.
Despite those rules, a quick Amazon search had still been turning up numerous so-called “e-bikes” advertised with top speeds north of 40 mph (64 km/h), often with motorcycle-style designs and questionable compliance claims.
After being contacted by KCRA 3 Investigates, Amazon confirmed that it is now requiring third-party sellers to comply with California regulations and Amazon policies regarding e-bike classifications. The company says it has already removed some listings and is investigating others for compliance.
The crackdown highlights a growing issue in the e-bike industry as increasingly powerful machines flood online marketplaces. Many of these bikes are marketed as electric bicycles despite performance levels that clearly exceed legal e-bike definitions in nearly every state.
Critics often refer to them as “hooligan bikes” – fast, heavy electric two-wheelers that are frequently ridden by underage users without licensing, training, or protective gear.
At the same time, the issue has created frustration for legitimate e-bike manufacturers that actually comply with regulations and safety standards. Companies building true Class 1, 2, and 3 e-bikes have increasingly argued that loosely regulated high-speed models threaten both rider safety and public perception of the broader e-bike industry.
Whether Amazon’s move significantly changes the market remains to be seen. Many of these bikes are still widely available through direct-import websites and smaller online retailers. But California’s pressure on major marketplaces could signal a broader shift toward stricter enforcement nationwide.
Electrek’s Take
Generally speaking, I’d call this progress. These bikes simply should not be on the road, and the fact that they’re being ridden by a bunch of 14-year-olds who don’t understand what “right of way” means is a major problem. These types of motorbikes are just a single click away from showing up on a doorstep, and so stopping them at the point of sale makes sense.
At the same time though, it seems strange to me that this is even possible, at least from a legal standpoint. As much as I agree that these shouldn’t be on the road since they’re not street legal (it’d be like letting anyone strap a crate engine to a go-kart and calling it a street-legal car), I don’t see why they couldn’t be used on private property. With that argument, it seems weird Amazon would stop selling them outright in California, since one could presumably be buying it to ride around their backyard (even if that is an unlikely possibility).
So while I think this is helpful and also raises awareness about the problem of these extreme performance, bicycle-like electric motorbikes, I still believe the best solution is heavy-handed enforcement. If anyone – teens or adults – operates non-street legal vehicles on public roads, throw the book at them. That’s how we help promote legal e-bikes and reduce the problem of these high-powered off-road motorbikes buzzing down Main Street.
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