Part of the problem is a lack of public awareness and education. I appreciate there is a proportion users who are fully aware that what they are doing is illegal, but there are plenty who aren’t. Urban myths about what you can and can’t do are rife.

The department of Transport should be running ad campaigns to educate the public, especially teenagers and their parents, as to the difference between an electrically assisted pedal bike and an electric motor bike, which Sur Ron’s clearly are. The adverts should also make clear the penalties for using unregistered motor bikes (electric of otherwise). Most of these kids are only interested in these bikes until they can get a driving license and a car. If they are made aware that you will get points on your license before you even get it or be disqualified from driving, they may think twice about using these electric motorbikes illegally.

Bloke turned up with his 3 kids on electric quad bikes and his sur-ron at wythenshawe park bike tracks yesterday.  The bike trails there are already showing significant signs of wear thanks to these things, they were throwing up stones all over the place.

There were probably more kids on the bike tracks than on the playground.

in those photos in kayak23’s post one of them appears to have a numberplate (GH22 SUS)…. if thats not fake then at least the bike itself might be road legal,even if they person riding it is not legal and is riding it in a place where its not allowed.

edit : just checked that number plate – doesnt appear to exist – so its fake.

They look like great fun. Mountain biking at higher speeds and zero effort. As long as they are available they will be used. I don’t remember being too fussed about rules and regulations (or what others thought) when i was 18.

Cutting off the supply is the only realistic option.

I keep looking for one being scrapped or auctioned off as I reckon they’d make a good basis to convert somrthing like a BSA Bantam to electric.

Not that the Bantam frame would be an improvement, but I don’t think I’d suit the Trapstar hoodie look of a Sur-Ron 🤣

It’s all about Hoodrich for the spotty ASBO-magnets round here.

Jeez, is this what passes for fashion now? 😆

I saw a local teen in one of their trackies the other day. Baby blue with a massive logo on the crotch. Looked **** ridiculous!

Looks like a character out of Mortal Kombat.

They seem very common in South Wales. 3 of them passed the police station on the back wheel as I was walking past, so they clearly aren’t concerned about losing them. I know when I was in Bristol there was a 1 strike policy for e scooters where they’d then be confiscated, but I suppose it’s much harder to catch these.

Yes JD sports…that’s not at ALL terrifying…

Sigh…

DrP

They look like great fun. Mountain biking at higher speeds and zero effort. As long as they are available they will be used. I don’t remember being too fussed about rules and regulations (or what others thought) when i was 18

Cutting off the supply is the only realistic option.

They do.  I want one.  I’m 42.  🤣

We’ve a few acres of private woods here, and a pretty good network of greenlanes.  Frankly it’s an indicator only of my poor finances that I’ve not bought one already! 🤣 Please don’t ban them, I want one 😁

(I’m glad I don’t live in suburbia/cities where they’re becoming a problem though. Out here in rural Wales I’ve never even seen one!)

Plenty of them still wazzing round Cannock Chase & surrounding areas.

We also get the petrol dirt bikes over the back form us (Shoal Hill Common) – reported several (what feels like hundred…) times and still the Police have done nothing about it. We won’t walk the dogs or let my daughter ride over there now.

We’ve had a couple of close calls – mainly from those who look of an age to know better.

I’m half thinking of getting myself a drone and filming them and sending to the Police.

I’m half thinking of getting myself a drone and filming them and sending to the Police.

I’ve done Police work on their behalf before to facilitate their investigations. Huge waste of time.

I was also rear ended by a Sur-ron a few months ago.

I was driving the ‘big van’ and I saw 2 scrotes on one bike in my passenger mirror. Flying along the pavement. No helmets, full ninja masks. They dropped off onto the road and didn’t appear in my other mirror so I knew they were right behind me.

I gently slowed down so that they could more easily circumnavigate my vehicle but I heard a loud thump followed by a clattering sound. I kept driving and when I could see them in the drivers mirror the bike was on the ground and they were slowly picking themselves up. I would have stopped to check their health or administer First Aid if required but I didn’t fancy being stabbed for my trouble.

My biggest problem on a daily basis is walking to nursery with the pram. I have to take the widest possible line around blind corners because I don’t want to push junior in the path of a flying Deliveroo bike.

We’ve a few acres of private woods here, and a pretty good network of greenlanes

Green lanes are not off road and you still need to be registered, taxed and all that shizzle just as you do on the road.
Only private land is off road.

Bloke turned up with his 3 kids on electric quad bikes and his sur-ron at wythenshawe park bike tracks yesterday.

To be fair thats probably the only way of getting WBP trails to work. They are utterly woeful.

( apart from the pumptrack, it’s great)

Aspirational gangsters.

Green lanes are not off road and you still need to be registered, taxed and all that shizzle just as you do on the road.

Only private land is off road

Thanks for that 🤣

I didn’t think it needed staring the obvious fact that I’d buy one of the road legal ones and get it insured etc.

I’d like to think natural selection will sort it out !!

Snipers

We’ve a family here in Dunblane that occasionally zip down our road – the parents on eBikes while one of the kids takes it in turn on an illegal motorbike….

Not that the Bantam frame would be an improvement, but I don’t think I’d suit the Trappist hoodie look of a Sur-Ron

ftfy

at least you’ll not be breaking your vow of silence

the parents on eBikes while one of the kids takes it in turn on an illegal motorbike

Except the parents probably don’t see it any differently to the ride on cars the kids probably had when they were toddlers, just a more “grown up” version.

I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t have wanted one for blasting around fire roads and such if it was an option. Lightweight, cheap to run and less maintenance than a motorbike, yes please.

Maybe a better approach would be encouraging and helping people to register them, make it easy to do the right thing. It certainly wouldn’t hurt.

The government could introduce a scheme whereby if you rammed someone off a Surron then you get a new replacement car.

Vote for me!

Yep and six months later Auctioned off again, no doubt to end up back in the hands of another scumbag…

Makes quite a mockery of the law and the police. Surely they know that’ll happen. Must be pretty demoralising for officers on the ground.

The comments underneath that post are….. enlightening.

The number of posts basically saying ‘snitches get stitches’ on a Police FB page gives you a fair idea of the mentality we are dealing with here.

Some even making open threats to people who might be tempted to snitch about them. If only the police had the resources, all these commenters could be having a visit.

Jeez, is this what passes for fashion now? 😆

That’s plain criminal wear with that mask like that. Shouldn’t be sold.

Jeez, is this what passes for fashion now? 😆

That’s plain criminal wear with that mask like that. Shouldn’t be sold

It’s just basic school uniform around here.

We’ve a family here in Dunblane that occasionally zip down our road – the parents on eBikes while one of the kids takes it in turn on an illegal motorbike….

Bloody Judy letting the boys run wild again?

Bloody Judy letting the boys run wild again?

Aye, they don’t even stay in thier own hotel grounds…

Been gone five minutes and the place has gone to the dogs.    Mind I do remember somebody driving around the astroturf  once.

The government could introduce a scheme whereby if you rammed someone off a Surron bike then you get a new replacement car.

Vote for me!

Meanwhile elsewhere on the Internet…

That’s plain criminal wear with that mask like that. Shouldn’t be sold.

What, like the stupid full parka hoods with goggles getting on 20 years ago? It’s shit fashion for daft bams, at least you can easily identify them.

It’s shit fashion for daft bams, at least you can easily identify them.

Rumbled.

This is the sort of Surron content that cheers me up immensely.

say they are just stop oil protestors members organizing an anti-refugee detainment protest and the police will be there with the teargas and one way ticket to rwanda.

^ once again, police using incorrect terms and thereby causing possible issues with law abiding eBike riders.

They are electric motorbikes and need to be referred to as such.

Fair play WMP, that’s the messaging that needs to be put out. They use the term ‘e-scrambler’ which seems to be a distinct term from ‘ebike’ and therefore an improvement.

I’d rather the bikes were stripped down so eveything can be recycled. But that’s me.

I’d rather the bikes were stripped down so eveything can be recycled. But that’s me.

Yeah, am I right in thinking they use MTB parts?

The problem really is quite simple to deal with. Electric or petrol powered, it should be impossible/illegal to buy a motorbike, whether for off-road use or not, without it being registered, taxed, insured and the purchaser producing an appropriate driving licence. Surrons are motorbikes, however the distributors and resellers like to dress them up.

If a bike is then used in public anywhere not meeting those criteria, it gets seized and crushed.

I write this as a motorcyclist of 30 years. There is no good reason for a bike not to be registered. Even if it’s purchased as a race bike, it still should be registered. That’d cut down on a lot of stolen parts being used by unscrupulous racers too.

I have put a deposit down on mine.  Can’t wait.  It will be taxed (free) and insured.  I will occasionally ride it like a twonk, but only when there’s no-one about.  The rest of the time I’ll give way and be courteous and say hi etc, all the things we already do when MTBing somewhere a lil bit naughty.  It’s a shame there’s a huge population of bellends causing problems with them, but they’re not going away any time soon.

It will be taxed (free) and insured.

Presumably then it’ll be registered and have a  numberplate. You’d best not be riding it on any bridleways then, just stick to roads and BOATs and you’ll be golden. That is the plan yeah?

It will be taxed (free) and insured.

And you have got a full A2 motorbike licence, right? Because an unrestricted Sur-ron has a power to weight ratio greater than 0.1kw/kg so can only be ridden with an A2 licence.