Legality & Specifications for Home Built LSM-EV? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Legality & Specifications for Home Built LSM-EV?

D

dennismbird

New member
Good day all.
I noticed this site had a wealth of data in the forums about Scooters and LSM. BUT??
What are the legalities and specification requirements of a home built Limited Speed Motorcycle in Ontario.

Long story short. I have a nice, well powered ebike. It looks like a medium sized Vespa.
It's a nice bike, but in meeting HTA regulations, manufactures have made very unsafe decisions.
First off. The pedals. They are so low that they snag in potholes while driving.
They are usually detachable and thus become very loose and fall off while pedalling.
And perhaps most detestable is the near 1.8:1 pedal to crank ratio. Very silly considering a wheel diameter of 16" (w/tire).

All this just to be "legal". Well let me tell you. Legal does not mean safe in any means.

So.

I've decided to rebuild it frame up as a LSM-EV.
No pedals. I want to make it more something Electric Motorcycle / Kick Scooter.
However I cant for the life of me find information on home built things like this.
As I come to know it. LSM is a manufacturer designation. Not some build-able standard.
I definitely don't have a VIN.

The design is technically Step Through as required.
I do plan to have a smaller seat at roughly 670mm or whatever it is.
But primarily I want to remove the pedals.
In all regards It would be like a homebuilt electric Vespa. But redesigned to allow me to kick it when needed.

So what's up? How do I get it registered?
I need to register it because I would be taking my M-LSM test with it.
 
Pure homebuilt vehicles (in any class) cannot be newly licensed in Ontario anymore. Even if you could get a licence plate (the easiest way would be to repower a gas-scooter), the insurance companies wouldn't give you insurance (unless you didn't tell them what you did which is insurance fraud).

If you want a LSM, your best bet is to buy one. You are doing the smart thing by enquiring ahead of time, removing the pedals sets you up for >$3000 in tickets (no insurance/no license plate/riding without an m license/improper helmet) as the cops have called an ebike without pedals a motorcycle.
 
Ok. But what If there was no seat.

Kick style scooter with electric assist.

So it would meet all the same requirements. Lighting, Brakes.

And lets assume I have the proper "safety gear".
 
While you have good intentions as shown by taking a planned approach allowing you variances from the norm would open doors to a raft of jury rigged pieces of crap. The only way I can see something like this getting licensed is by having it built by a custom bike shop with a manufacture's licence. I'm not sure if that is even a viable option. Don't expect it to be cheap.
 
dennismbird said:
looks like my best option is to keep the pedals to "conform"
They wont be useful at all but theyll be there.

There's been recent ruling in St Catherines where it was deemed pedals need only be with the vehicle not on them.
http://www.canadianlawyermag.com/legalfeeds/1305/ruling-confirms-e-bikes-are-not-motor-vehicles.html

Very silly indeed. Looks like a $50 / year membership here would be cheaper than anyting fines or lawyer wise.
http://emc-mec.ca/
Click to expand...


Membership with the EMC, doesn't remove the requirement for the vehicle to be properly built and conforming to ALL regulations. The vehicle still needs to conform to the requirements of a LSM or an EV. You can't simply "convert" a EV to a LSM. The definition of a LSM is very specific, you must meet all the standards not just some or most if them.

I can only imagine it will VERY difficult to get this vehicle plated, (a requirement to use it for your LSM licence). Otherwise, there will be many, (most of whom don't know what they are doing), converting their ebikes to LSM.
 
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