EMopeds
Our friends over at Spark Cycleworks have been hard at work with their new production of….
Electric Mopeds!
Electric Mopeds – aren’t eBikes
They are not E-bikes! eMopeds – aren’t eBikes. Not a motorcycle either. They have pedals and they have an electric motor. These are Electric Mopeds by law in the USA. They can go over 35 mph because the motor is six times more powerful than a traditional ebike.
The first run sold out almost immediately! They are in production for the second run (update – and third, and forth and fifth). And they are accepting reservations for just a hundred bucks. And I’ll get you a discount you can use on that deposit (or any ebike purchase). Easy right? You can check that off your gift list.

Two base styles of electric mopeds
So there’s the Bandit (crossbar) and then there’s the Trooper (step-through). I like to think I’m a bit of both. Ha! Nah, not a bandit but yeah – a trooper! Anyway….. They’ve just sold out on their first run. Like that fast and are taking deposits for the next run currently in production. Ready for shipping for the holidays. But does that seem like a ways off? It’s not. Look how fast this year went by already. Both models are totally customizable. Spark loves working with custom builds! Engineers doing what engineers love to do – engineer stuff – and innovation is their middle name. And this one loves developing electric mopeds.

The Bandit
This electric moped looks cool and feels cool. I tried it and it is a very comfortable ride. And a powerful one. Feels secure. The US limit for electric bike motors is 750 Watts. Over that power limit, each state regulates what they consider motor-driven cycles (mopeds) at different levels. Federally, the limit is 5hp (3,700 Watt), however, the vast majority of states have adopted a 2hp (1,500 Watt) and 35 mph limit. So the engineers over there built the Bandit series to follow the 2hp rule. They also offer VINs, and include all required equipment for legal riding!
The Bandit’s Motor – The Bandit’s 1,500 Watt motor gets you 35mph riding speeds and puts it into the emoped category by federal/state guidelines. You don’t need a motorcycle license if under 1,500watt(2hp) on the majority of state levels/ 3,700(5hp) on a federal level. But always do your own due diligence, check with your own state’s guidelines to get the most up-to-date requirements. Regulations on electric vehicles change as fast as the weather. Weather ’round here changes pretty fast.
Check out this article about what’s allowed on national park bike trails. Ya need to know where it’s good to ride.