New state law could legalize grey area e-bikes but complicates other electric bike rules

A new bill in Minnesota is taking aim at one of the fastest-growing gray areas in micromobility: high-powered electric two-wheelers that blur the line between e-bikes and motorcycles.

Many of these electric two-wheelers travel at speeds of between 20-30 mph (32-48 km/h), but do so without any pedaling required, pushing them beyond the confines of traditional Class 2 and Class 3 street-legal electric bikes. Often referred to as ‘grey-area’ bikes, these models have proven popular despite their questionable status.

Michigan bill HF3785 proposes a series of updates to the state’s vehicle definitions, with the goal of better categorizing everything from traditional electric bicycles to more powerful “e-moto” style machines. But in doing so, it also highlights how more states are beginning to move beyond the widely adopted three-class e-bike system.

At its core, the bill preserves the standard definition of electric-assisted bicycles, which generally aligns with the familiar Class 1, 2, and 3 framework capped at 750 watts and speeds of 20 to 28 mph depending on configuration. However, the legislation goes a step further by introducing a new category for more powerful machines.