When you think about “e-bikes,” what do you think of? Like many words and phrases, it can depend on who you ask. For many people, it’s short for “electric bicycles,” which usually have electric motors intended as pedal assistance, and do not completely get rid of human pedal power.
However, it’s impossible to sit in our cozy little motorcycle niche and not have heard or seen at least one person use the phrase “e-bikes” when they mean to talk about electric motorcycles. While they’re clearly wrong, it’s not difficult to see their reasoning. After all, piston-powered motorcycles—or motorbikes, if you’re in a UK or commonwealth country—are often simply referred to as “bikes.” The math isn’t completely out of left field.
