What are the state laws in Maryland about owning/operating a bike with a motor attached to it?

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Q. It's just a plain mountain bike me and my friend fixed up with a small motor.

Answer
That is essentially a "moped" under state law, being a human powered bicycle that also can use a motor. If it does not have pedals and can't be powered by feet, it's a Motor Scooter or a Motorcycle.

There's a lot of little regulations about mopeds, so I'll try to tell you a few important ones.

-The motor needs to either be less than 50 cc piston displacement (if it's a gas motor) or produce no more than 1.5 Brake Horsepower (generally this is for electric motors) to be "street legal." If you or your friend doesn't know what that means, I'd advise you find out quick or you could get ticketed if you drive it on the street.

-They don't count as "motor vehicles" and so don't need to be registered.

-You need either a normal driver's license or Moped Operator Permit. You have to be 16 to get one, though they are easier to obtain than a driver's license.

-You cannot drive them on the sidewalk.

Is it possible to motorize a bike?

Luke

Alright, well i have a mountain bike with a broken derailer. (ill just detach it)
and i was wondering if it was possible to attach lawnmover engine, or some cheap engine to my bike, so it would work.
if you have an idea, could you explain how to do it and stuff?
would there be a cheaper way than bolt ons?
*lawnmower

Answer
Yeah, you can put one of these electric Hub motors on your bicycle to make it an electric bike.

CRYSTALYTE ELECTRIC BICYCLE KIT.
http://urbanscooters.com/cgi-bin/urbanscooters/PHX-Cruiser.html

This kit is applied to your bicycle and converts your regular bicycle into an electric bicycle.
You simply take off the wheel on your bike, and replace it with the Crystalyte electric bike kit wheel. The hub motor puts the power directly to the axle, and doesn't use chains or belts to put the power to the axle. The hub motors are very powerful, and could be used by themselves without the pedals as well. Unfortunately, they are not exactly inexpensive. They generally run in the $500-$1500 range.

If you got a Crystalyte hub motor and applied it to your bicycle, you would not need the pedals or derailleur, or shifters in order to go, you would just need charged batteries and a hand to twist the throttle. Enjoy.

-Jackson
http://urbanscooters.com/

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How long does a charge last on an electric bike?

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Sara_Climb

I am seriously considering purchasing an electric bike to commute to work. If I store it at work all day in my bicycle locker without it being charged, will I have enough juice to get home after an 8 hour day at work?

Answer
depends on how big the battery is, and how much of the charge you used to get to work.
the sales person can tell you whether or not the distance would be fine. the bike shouldn't lose a charge during the day, though.

Can the pedaling energy charge the battery of an electric bike?

Drowzzy

Can the mechanical energy of pedaling be stored as electrical energy to be utilized later to run the bicycle automatically? I'm not talking about pure electric bikes that need regular charging, and not even about those that you pedal for a while as the bike stands still and then run it on electric power. I mean can you ride a bike and store the mechanical energy simultaneously? Will it be efficient? If so, then are such e-bikes available in the market, and what are they called so that I may Google for them?

Here's the scenario: I need a bicycle for regular commute, may be even for covering long distances. It's not feasible for a layman to pedal continuously for more than 5 to 10 miles. So I'm looking for a bike that you pedal for sometime, and when you're exhausted, you simply flick a button to make it run on electrical power which has been converted and stored from the mechanical energy of pedaling the bike; and then pedal again and auto-ride again and so forth. Will something like that be technically efficient, since you're moving the bike while pedaling as well as storing your spare energy?

Hope I haven't confused you. Thanks :)

Answer
You will have to pedal extra hard to keep the bike going and to charge the battery. It could be done, but it would be easier and more efficient to pedal a regular (lighter) bike.

Maybe you could use a large solar panel to power the bike

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