Hi there everyone, hope you’re having a great morning.
I had a friend move to Japan recently and they told me about a recent purchase they made for an e-bike. The bike is a Super73 replica(?) rated for 1500W and allegedly can go 70kmh with assisted pedaling, and I told them they should hurry to register the bike at their ward office. But my friend told me they don’t want to nor do they need to, because:
1. If they did register it then it would qualify as a 125cc+ bike (they don’t have anything higher than a normal drivers license for a 50cc moped so registering a 125cc+ bike would be impossible)
2. They apparently can’t register the bike since it was purchased secondhand + online
3. The seller told them that the bike can be ridden without registering it if it’s ridden at speeds under 24kmh
I then argued with them about how they’re wrong and they should reconsider keeping the 1500w bike if they don’t have plans to get a license for a 125cc bike, or to just get a 600w bike instead from the seller. They agreed with me at first, but then they said “I can always just register the bike as 600w with my license and then do a 1500w conversion anyway.”
I gave up on arguing after he said that but I’m left wondering if he really can get away with that. I mean, how would the police would even notice? Unless he just stayed under a certain speed limit I guess he won’t get caught, but how else do Tokyo police pick up on illegally modified bikes after they’ve been registered?
I just want to avoid the headache of my friend getting in trouble since he and I have some university projects coming up, and him being in legal trouble will make it hard for me to move forward with any of it. Plus he’s a great guy and I care about him even if he is a magnet for mischief. So I’d appreciate someone telling me if he’s likely to get caught or not or what might get him caught. Either I can talk some more sense into him or I’ll just have to let things be. And is that 24kmh rule even true or is that a legal loophole to fly under the police’s radar?
2 comments
Short answer: he’s wrong. They could notice. People have been arrested (I think a woman in Osaka?) For the same thing, they saw her going uphill without pedaling. The thing I would be more concerned about is if he gets into an accident, even if he’s not at fault. Riding an illegally sourced bike without registration and no license…. That’s a lot of jail time my dude
pretty much everything has been answered by u/koibubbles, just adding up some useful info:
>(they don’t have anything higher than a normal drivers license for a 50cc moped so registering a 125cc+ bike would be impossible)
I’ve successfully registered and obtained a number plate for a 250cc motorbike before obtaining my motorcycle license. Anyone can register any vehicles under their name, regardless of license / no license.
>The seller told them that the bike can be ridden without registering it if it’s ridden at speeds under 24kmh
That’s the speed where pedal assist disengages for e-bikes (pedal assist type) sold in Japan.