Street-Legal Status for the Surron Light Bee (or Similar) Electric Dirt Bike

• There’s a lot of mixed info out there about if the Surron Light Bee, an electric dirt bike, is really street-legal.
• These e-bikes lack features necessary to be street legal, such as turn signals and mirrors, and often have motors with wattages exceeding legal limits.
• Some riders may modify their bikes for higher speeds, posing dangers when ridden in inappropriate settings like city streets or mixed-use trails, leading to potential legal consequences and safety risks.

Bikes like the Surron Light Bee are gaining popularity. Living in Southern California, I see them everywhere, but mostly in places I shouldn’t. Don’t get me wrong, they’re incredibly fun to ride. However, a significant question looms over these Surron (or similar) electric dirt bikes: are they street-legal electric dirt bikes?

Conflicting Info Being Shared on YouTube

Recently, there was a YouTuber who posted a video of himself on a Surron electric motorcycle riding in both the bike lane and the regular street. Bikes like the Surron Light Bee, Talaria Sting, E-Ride Pro, and the Segway X260 are lightweight electric dirt bikes. They lack the turn signals and mirrors that would allow them to be licensed and classified as a moped or similar, depending on the e-bike laws of a given state. Despite their popularity, their street legality remains subject of debate within the electric motorcycle community.

Another YouTuber posted a video where he interviewed a CHP officer about where these types of bikes can be ridden. City streets are out of the question. They aren’t a Class 1, Class 2, or Class 3 e-bike. In some states, they might be categorized as a “Class 4” e-bike. They go too fast to fit in the 3-class system, and they also don’t have pedals, so they can never be classified as an e-bike. They also have motors that are two to three times the maximum wattage allowed in the U.S. (which is 750 W), as stock motors on these bikes start at over 3000 W. So technically, they’re not street-legal electric dirt bikes.

Street-Legal Electric Dirt Bike Modifications and Safety Concerns

Surron electric dirt bike owners often remove the speed governor (derestrict) and upgrade their entire system (battery, controller, and motor) to higher voltage setups to increase speed, similar to customizing cars, bicycles, or motorcycles. There are riders who can hit 80 mph with these mods.

This would be fine if it was for OHV areas and private lands, where the rules are generally lenient enough and it’s much safer to ride in places like this. The problem is, I’m seeing kids riding these on the streets and on mixed-use trails where you’ll find hikers, dogs, mountain bikes, and even horses.

In Southern California, most of us have easy access to fantastic mixed-use trails nearby. The trouble is, there’s no legal or safe way to use bikes like this on those trails or even getting to them without using a trailer. Riders are knowingly breaking the law — and worse, putting themselves and others in danger of great bodily harm. A 150-lb rider on a 125-lb bike multiplied by these bikes’ speeds equals disaster.

Taking the European Approach?

What’s really interesting is that Surron does make a street-legal version of the Light Bee X, called the Light Bee L1E. The equipment it has makes sure it follows European road rules, so you can legally register and ride it on the roads. If Surron or the other manufacturers brought a model like this to the U.S., then it would be a street-legal electric dirt bike.

It’s the American versions of these bikes that are problematic. The manufacturers’ websites skirt the issue entirely, preferring not to talk about the legality of riding their bikes, let alone modifying them. It’s completely irresponsible on their part at the least and dangerous at the worst. Surron’s U.S. website doesn’t even list the motor’s wattage; you have to go to the Canadian website for that information.

The police in some places (Los Angeles included) are starting to recognize these bikes and begin enforcing the laws, giving tickets or fines, and sometimes impounding the bikes. The popularity of street takeovers in the U.S. and the U.K. are exacerbating the problem, filling the streets with dozens to hundreds of bikes, often doing even more damage to the reputation of electric micromobility.

It’s the knucklehead factor that will likely get bikes like the Surron Light Bee X outlawed. If you’re thinking of getting one, please consider where you will ride it.

IMAGES: SURRON

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