Police have seized an adapted electric bike capable of travelling at speeds of more than 100mph (160km/h).
The bike was seen and stopped by the neighbourhood policing team in the Clifton area on York one evening.
It was one of two seized by officers on the same night and was found to be capable of doing up to 103.8mph.
A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said the legal limit for an electric bike was 15.5mph (25km/h) and “the motor must always cut out and be pedal assisted, something this didn’t do”.
What a real e-bike is (by law)
In most countries and U.S. states, an e-bike is limited to:
750 W motor (1 hp) in the U.S. (often 250 W in EU). 20–28 mph max assisted speed. Pedals required. No throttle-only at high speeds. Anything faster is not legally an e-bike, no matter what the seller calls it.
How “100 mph e-bikes” actually reach those speeds
1. Massive motors (10,000–50,000+ watts). These builds use electric motorcycle motors. 10–60× more powerful than legal e-bikes. Comparable to gas motorcycles in horsepower. A real 100 mph electric bike needs 20–40+ horsepower
2. Huge battery packs (high voltage). 72 V, 96 V, or even 120+ V systems. Thousands of watts continuously. Weigh more than an entire legal e-bike. High speed requires both power AND sustained current, which small e-bike batteries cannot deliver.
3. Motorcycle-grade components. At 100 mph, bicycle parts would fail catastrophically. These builds use:. Motorcycle frames. Motorcycle forks & suspension. Hydraulic motorcycle brakes. DOT-rated tires. Chain or belt drives (not bicycle chains). At that point, the pedals are cosmetic—or gone entirely.
4. Aerodynamics. At high speed, air resistance dominates everything.. Power needed rises exponentially: 30 mph → ~1–2 kW. 60 mph → ~8–10 kW. 100 mph → 30–40+ kW. Riders tuck like sport bikes, often using:Fairings. Streamlined body position. Narrow frames
5. Custom controllers & cooling.. Advanced motor controllers. Liquid cooling. Thermal monitoring. Custom firmware. Without this, motors or controllers would melt in seconds.
