Electric Mountain Bikes, Riding on FR Roads Closed To Motors

[flixter]

Electric Mountain Bikes, Riding on FR Roads Closed To Motorized Traffic?
I have a fairly simple question, and no one in any government agencies are willing to give me a straight
up answer but instead just pass me off to another agency, just love it. The question is it legal to ride a
motorized Electric Mountain Bike on forest service that are closed to motorized traffic, but open to
hikers and all pedal bikes. Just to show you how dumb I was, I went and purchased this bike,
without giving a thought to the above question.
Disclaimer: I'm not a bike seller or nor do I want to be. (Pic Below)



I've taken the bike out for rides on some old roads in the gorge and
it was quiet a learning curve when to use the electric motor and or not, but it was fun.
without giving a thought to the above question. The main reason I purchased the bike was to travel on
some of the washed roads that are not passable to vehicle traffic, since Im a lot older now and not
willing to pedal 30 to 50 miles a day at 30 plus mphr's like guys ie..Don Nelsen, Justpeachy, Retired Jerry just to name a few.
Looking forward to hear your comments, I don't really care to pay for traffic citations for being ignorant of the law.
Thanks flixter.

[Webfoot]

I briefly looked into ebike law a couple of years ago and my conclusion was that it was a "gray area" that would only become clear after a number of test cases worked their way through the courts. I don't know if that has happened yet.

Looking for any new information I found:

The Forest Service has an e-bike ban on all USFS trails where motorized use is not allowed. So dirt roads, specific-ATV tracks and motorbike trails are OK but that’s it. If you can’t legally ride a motorcycle on it, or legally drive your car on it, you can’t ride your e-bike there. USFS dirt roads are legal. USFS single track (most trails in Bend) are not legal. There are no exceptions to this rule.

But the page does not appear to be dated and they don't properly cite sources so I don't know how valid these statements are.

Good luck with your new bike.

[Water]

IMO it sounds like you're coming at this from the right place.
For actual roads that are closed to traffic--but it's a gosh darned road-not a trail--i would just ride and not worry about it. I would be much more wary about trails that allow bikes but not motorized bikes (dirt bikes). I would say 'no' to that. But you're older and probably not showboating, more trying to just get places for a hike. It's an electric motor so does it make any noise really?..you only have one life to live. If it lets you experience the outdoors more without causing damage or being louder than a conversation with someone..

[squidvicious]

The forest service does classify ebikes as motor vehicles, albeit on flawed reasoning. There's not one really clear overall source for that, but if you search the site for "e-bike", you can find info from specific areas, eg https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/deschute ... EPRD518309

The logic is that the travel management rule defines a motor vehicle as "Any vehicle which is self-propelled," which wouldn't be true of a pedal-assist electric bike, but I guess it was easier to just lump everything together.

That said, for it to be an issue someone would have to actually be around to see you, and recognize that what looks very much like a regular bike, with someone actively pedaling away on it, is actually an e-bike. Which seems pretty unlikely.

[Charley]

I'm not sure, but I'd bet that...

A. There are enough roads in the Mt Hood National Forest that are open to motor vehicles but are nearly totally unused, that you could make a lifetime out of exploring them, without having to spend much time looking for honest-to-goodness "closed" or "decommissioned" roads.

B. Furthermore, these "open" but practically empty roads would be more fun to ride (maintained, at least to some degree, usually means easier to ride) than decommissioned roads (which get overgrown or are rocky to the point of not even wanting to ride a full suspension bike on them).

C. If, in your explorations of the out-of-the-way corners of the Forest, you happened up over a berm onto a decommissioned road, I'm almost certain no-one would witness your exploration, much less cite you with a traffic ticket.

I think the gravel-grinding boom in cycling has a lot to do with people seeking out places to ride where they won't be harassed or injured by motorists, because the variable road surface keeps away lots of traffic, and slows down the rest. If this is your reason for seeking out roads closed to motorized traffic, I'd have a go at the roads that are open. I've done a number of bike tours out there and had very little or no interaction with cars, yet the roads are totally passable and totally legal to ride with your e-bike. I think they're fun!

Here's a sampling:
Still Creek Road from Highway 26 to Trillium Lake
Bennett Pass Road from Highway 35 to Bonney Meadows or Gumjuwac Saddle
Abott Road to High Rock
Old Barlow Road from Barlow Pass down to the White River

Have a good time!

[Webfoot]

Still Creek Road from Highway 26 to Trillium Lake
Bennett Pass Road from Highway 35 to Bonney Meadows or Gumjuwac Saddle
Abott Road to High Rock
Old Barlow Road from Barlow Pass down to the White River

Fun drives each, other than the washout on 4610. Got any more?

[pablo]

Still Creek Road from Highway 26 to Trillium Lake
Bennett Pass Road from Highway 35 to Bonney Meadows or Gumjuwac Saddle
Abott Road to High Rock
Old Barlow Road from Barlow Pass down to the White River

Fun drives each, other than the washout on 4610. Got any more?

Of course, with an electric bike the washout isn't a problem. I would add the 4610-240, Indian Ridge Rd to Frasier Turnaround Camp in the Roaring River area.

--Paul

[K.Wagner]

Flixter,

I am curious, which bike did you get, and are you generally happy with how it is working?

[BigBear]

I'm not sure what the "flaw" in the USFS reasoning is.

Ebikes are being classified as motorcycles just as Ecars have the same rules/limits as gasoline-powered cars. Sounds very consistent. A motorized two-wheeler is a motorized two-wheeler, whether electric or gas. A motorized four-wheeler is a motorized four-wheeler whether electric or gas.

Another interesting note in the traffic rules is that ORS has the same rules of the road for bikes as it does for motorcycles, automobiles and trucks. I don't have the exact citation at the tip of my finger, but the ORS citation simply states that bicyles have to adhere to all the above-written rules just as autos.

[retired jerry]

Easier to ask forgiveness than permission?

It looks like a bike to me

If you used it I bet no one would ever say anything about it