Kids on e-motos are ruining e-bikes for everyone. They pop wheelies down two-lane highways, run from the cops, and cause all kinds of neighborhood mayhem. Maybe.
You may be mad, but most of you are mad at the wrong people. It is not the kids. It is not the bikes. Here is the real problem. You grown-ups took away every cool place a kid could jump. Then acted shocked when they do wheelies in traffic and blast through stop signs at busy intersections.
We took away all the fun stuff to jump
In 1983 you were a young man with a motorcycle or a BMX bike and not much to lose, the world had a path for you. That path was a wooden ramp in front of your house. You lined up some trash cans, or a few brave friends, and you sent it. Land it, and you were the neighborhood hero. If your family had a little money, you did it at the county fair and jumped school buses instead. But I digress.
Evel Knievel did not do wheelies past a gas station. He jumped over giant fountains. Then he looked at the Grand Canyon and said, sure, I will jump that too. He had a stage. He had a crowd.
Today's kids have none of that. No canyon. Not one school bus to jump. We closed the fairs. Kids don't even know how to build a plywood ramp anymore...and we handed that kid an "e-bike" that does 50 miles an hour...
A simple idea. Build something better.
The answer is not to yell at more kids on e-motos. The answer is to give these kids what every kid before them got for free. A good place to send it. Bring back the ramp. Line up the trash cans, the friends, whatever you've got. And get someone to film it and put it on YouTube for the right reasons.
You bought these kids the bikes, mostly e-motos, and then forgot to give them anywhere cool to ride them. That is not their fault. That is yours.
So next time a twelve-year-old pops a wheelie past you in traffic, do not get mad. Give him a little nod. He is doing his best in a world you and I did not grow up in.
The kids are alright. It is us who let them down.
Bonus Content: Take the quiz to test your knowledge of e-bikes.
Question 1: Is this an e-Bike?
Answer: No, this is an e-Moto. No pedals, and capable of 50MPH+
No. This is an e-moto.
Question 2: Is this an e-Bike?
Answer: No. This is an e-mini bike. There are no pedals.
No, this is a mini-bike.
Question 3: Is this an e-Bike?
Answer: No. This is a hyper scooter, capable of 60 MPH+
Question 4: Is this an e-Bike?
Answer: It depends. It needs to adhere to Class 1, 2, or 3, to be considered an e-Bike. This is a challenging because these are often modified with more power to be turned into "Wheelie Machines".
Question 5. Is this an e-Bike?
Answer: Yes, this is a Higgs ST by Murf Electric Bikes. It conforms to all applicable e-Bike laws and is used for fun, grocery getting, and transport. It is not meant for wheelies and I love mine.
The Murf Higgs ST is Class 2/3 e-bike and loads of fun. Real, safe, fun.
