Park Ridge police officers have been impounding motorcycles from teenagers who believe they’re riding around on legitimate e-bikes.
In the last two weeks, police say they’ve taken six of the vehicles off the street.
Police are confiscating the motorcycles from kids between the ages of 12 to 16 years old.
They are battery powered and look a lot like e-bikes.
But they don’t have pedals and can reach speeds of up to 60 mph.
The model police have in their possession is a Talaria TL-2500 and it’s marketed and sold by the company that makes them as a 3,000 dollar motorcycle, best used off-road.
However, police say that if you want to ride one legally you’ll need a license, registration and insurance.
Police are now trying to educate parents that if the e-bike you’re buying for your child isn’t assisted by pedals it’s not a bike.
“We want to educate these parents on what they’re allowed to have and what they’re not allowed to have. And I’d say 80 to 90% of them do not have a clue what their children are operating,” said Lt. James Babcock, with Park Ridge police.
In July, a 15-year old riding one of the vehicles in Montvale survived a collision with a car.
There have been deadly crashes this past summer with e-bikes, which has some state legislators suggesting driver training and insurance be mandatory.