Electric motorcycles have long struggled to gain a foothold in America, with most examples being too expensive with too little range for many buyers. One area electric motorcycles excel in is in the urban commuter space, where riders don’t need to travel very fast or very far. If that sounds like you, there’s a new electric motorcycle-like bike on the block that you might like. This is the Beachman ’64 E-Bike. It looks like a motorcycle and goes 45 mph, which is faster than a moped and faster than an e-bike, but it has pedals, and the manufacturer swears it’s an e-bike, so you don’t need a motorcycle license to ride it. Yeah, my head is spinning, too.
Electric motorcycles haven’t caught on as well as electric cars in America. Startup companies have been dropping left and right as Americans have largely stuck with gas burners. Even brands with tons of funding, like LiveWire, have burned hundreds of millions of dollars only to sell hundreds of bikes. A huge part of the issue is that a really good electric motorcycle might cost you $15,000, $20,000, or more. That’s a lot of money and would buy you an epic gas-powered motorcycle, or a handful of really nice used motorcycles. The issue is compounded by the fact that many electric motorcycles on the market cannot fast charge or do not carry enough range for a highway-based commute. I am a huge fan of electric motorcycles – it’s why I keep writing about them – but even I am waiting for the technology to get better.
But that doesn’t mean that you have to wait to buy an electric motorcycle. If you’re the kind of person who does most of their riding in an urban environment, electric motorcycles are actually pretty great. Some of the cheapest electric bikes are perfect for scooting around town, and because they aren’t trying to lay down 100 HP and don’t have massive batteries, they don’t cost an insulting amount of money, either.
It’s no surprise to see more companies come out with lower-cost, low-range electric motorcycles. But what I am surprised by is this new machine from Beachman, which claims to be an e-bike but, as you’re about to see, maybe shouldn’t be called an e-bike.
Born From Café Racers
You may not have heard of Beachman before because the Canadian company hasn’t been around for that long. Beachman helpfully gives its story on its website, and says the company started with a dream to build a 50cc café racer. If you’re not aware, a café racer is a type of motorcycle that traces its origins to Britain. Back in the 1960s, British motorcycle owners would cut all unnecessary weight out of their bikes and ride them between cafés. Anyway, here’s how Beachman tells its origin story:
The story of Beachman begins in 2016, as an idea for a retro brand that stood for the best in life. Experiences like enjoying an afternoon by the water or a weekend on the road. The goal of Beachman was to build incredible things that would make these moments even better. The iconic Beachman logo was designed in 2018 by Jeremy Grice after Ben described his vision over a casual Tuesday afternoon lunch. 3 years later, Beachman paid Jeremy for his pro-bono design with the delivery of his very own bike.
Fast forward to 2019, and our two founders Ben Taylor and Steve Payne have a chance encounter at a coffee shop. Ben, the creator of the Beachman name with the dream to build a wildly new 50cc cafe racer, and Steve, the wild cafe racer builder who could bring that dream to life – on the condition that the bikes were electric. This simple suggestion changed the course of Beachman forever.
In the fall of 2020 Steve completed work on the first prototype, a modified 1979 Kawasaki KZ200 which we simply refer to as “Zero”. With a battery system hand-built by Steve, a modern electric drivetrain, and authentic café racer styling, the pair knew they had something special. Around this time they found a factory who trusted the vision and was capable of building a production model. Using queues from Bike Zero and building off of a classic 70s 125cc platform, the first production bike was designed using mostly standard motorcycle and E-bike parts. After crossing their fingers, the founders ordered 30 bikes to be produced and prayed they would live up to the dream.
That’s why the Beachman looks like a café racer motorcycle – because that was sort of the point from the jump. Beachman says that the ’64 E-Bike (yes, that’s its full name) was released in 2022, with the company’s bikes being built in Toronto. Beachman entered the United States market in 2023. Beachman notes that its original launch came thanks to some major help from an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. Last month, the big news from Beachman was the launch of its latest ’64 E-Bike.
The ’64 And Its Confusing Premise
The ’64 E-Bike starts off as Beachman’s custom frame. From there, Beachman stacks a café-style false tank up and top, and under that sits a removable 2.88-kWh lithium battery pack. A larger option is a 3.6-kWh pack. Beachman quotes a range of 55 miles to 70 miles, respectively. These batteries can be recharged by removing them and charging them from the wall, which gives you an 80 percent charge in as fast as three hours. They also capture some energy through regenerative braking.
The rest of the bike is a mix of e-bike and motorcycle. It has a motorcycle-style fork, seat, swingarm, and lighting, but there is also a set of pedals attached to the swingarm, like an e-bike. The pedals are placed a decent bit behind the main pegs, and stay folded away until you need to use them (which will be never, ideally).
Ben Taylor, co-founder and CEO of Beachman, says: “The DNA of this bike is a vintage motorcycle that exemplifies the feeling of freedom that can only be found on the open road with the breeze running through your hair. We feel the ’64 brings that timeless spirit into the modern era and makes it more accessible than ever before.”
Things get interesting when you look under the sweet aesthetics. Power comes from an electric motor good for up to 4.02 HP. This power is doled out in three modes: The lowest mode is “e-bike” mode, which limits you to 750W and 20 mph. Then there’s moped mode, which unlocks up to 30 mph. Off-road mode is the third option, which gets you to 45 mph.
It’s because of these power levels that Beachman calls the ’64 E-Bike a “Class II E-Bike or a Registered Moped (in most states).” By definition, a Class II e-bike is one that can run without pedal assist – just twist the throttle to go. However, because it’s still an e-bike, pedals must still be there to comply with Canadian regulations. Legally, e-bikes are limited to 20 mph. Beachman claims that this e-bike mode and pedals make it legal as an e-bike.
Mopeds are treated somewhat differently in some states. For example, in my state of Illinois, moped riders need to have a driver’s license, but not a motorcycle endorsement. Mopeds must also be registered and insured, and the vehicle must be capable of hitting 30 mph within one mile. A moped also may not have an engine or equivalent larger than 50cc.
Here’s where things get interesting, or aggravating, depending on who you are. When you receive your Beachman ’64 E-Bike, you get a Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin so you can register your bike as a moped, or you can just ride it as-is. The modes are selectable at will, so technically, you can engage off-road mode and then ride in bike lanes or on paths. Yes, that is illegal, but there’s nothing physically stopping you from breaking the law.
Ignore that whole switch deal, and that advertised classification as an e-bike remains a big question mark. The Beachman makes more than the legal power limit for e-bikes, but the company continues to insist that it’s an e-bike, anyway.
Like A Motorcycle With Pedals
Something that’s pretty cool is that Beachman offers tons of customization options, from knobby tires and different seat styles to a GPS tracker and a surfboard rack. Also neat is the price, which comes in at $4,800. If you look at this as an urban electric moped, that isn’t too bad. Sure, you can buy cheaper e-motos, but those won’t have the classic Beachman style.
Things get exceptionally goofy when you squint and try to look at it as an e-bike. The Beachman ’64 E-Bike weighs 230 pounds, or much closer to a gas-powered scooter or moped than an e-bike. Common e-bikes weigh a lot less than 100 pounds. Shoot, the Infinite Machine Olto that Jim Motavalli rode for us weighs around 178 pounds.
This is really just another example of how bikes like the Beachman blur the line and muddy the waters between e-bike and motorcycle. Though this one just seems to be a motorcycle with some bicycle pedals grafted onto it. It will be interesting to see how regulations eventually catch up to these sorts of souped-up contraptions that call themselves e-bikes, but are really just motorcycles.
But for now, if you’re looking for a stylish way to get around a city, it seems like a Beachman could be a contender, but I’d consider it to be a motorcycle, not an e-bike. It’s seriously stylish, doesn’t cost a lot of money, and has a really low barrier to entry. Just be kind to others, and don’t ride this thing full chat at 45 mph down paths.
Update: Added clarifications to the post.
As an avid cyclist, I can say without question that these pseudo-ebikes are truly a scourge. The only reason this abomination has peddled is to cheat the rules. It is far too heavy and inefficient to be peddled. May the people riding them on bike paths have them confiscated and crushed immediately. The people who sell them are complete assholes.
That kind of scratch will get you an adorable Chinese e-scooter like an Eahora M1PS with a VIN and a plate, and no fake pedals. And those can be had with even more adorable sidecars. Or you could get a Super Cub if the e-part isn’t that important…
I’d love one to use as a low speed motorcycle. My last true motorcycle experience ended badly, with a scar from roughly wrist to elbow on one arm. E-bikes and E-cycles make me curious again.
This is exactly the sort of overpowered loophole machine I hate with the burning fury of a thousand suns because idiots ride these flat out on bike paths. Any throttle operated e-bike should be regulated like a 50cc scooter, license plate, insurance, and prohibited from bike paths and bike lanes. I ride 15-20 mph and having one of these blasting through a corner at 40 is a recipe for disaster. I almost got wiped out by a kid emerging from a tunnel knee down and using the full width of the path
Yeah… see I think the problem here is that the throttle is ever allowed to assist at speed. Throttles are actually fantastic safety and accessibility devices… at speeds which are like <10mph…. get started on a hill, get out of a busy intersection, people with inconsistent mobility constraints (keep on your bike despite the knee issue, but limited to very slow if its giving out).
This though… that's just fucking nuts.
Agreed. No bicycle should have a throttle. Pedal assist only and I personally thing they should be limited to 20 mph not 28 mph as they are today.
Yet 6,000 lb SUVs that approach 200 mph top speeds should remain perfectly legal?
If anything, ebikes should be unregulated to get people out of cars/trucks/SUVs. It would dramatically reduce resource consumption, reduce road congestion, and free so many working peoples’ budgets up that they might be able to make extraneous purchases or even save for retirement.
I’m perfectly fine with putting governors on cars too.
That said, SUVs don’t share walking paths with pedestrians but bicycles do. I’m all for alternatives forms of transport that get people out of cars. We should be spending far more on pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. However, bikes should be bikes – not electric motorcycles ridden a 45 mph or more on shared paths slaloming between walkers and actual bicycles.
I’m also well away of the glory of getting rid of a car. My wife bike commuted for 2 years before COVID and then we both were working from home in 2020 / 2021. In 2019 we cut back to just one car but had to buy a second again in 2022 when she took a different job with a 25 mile one way commute and my employer was back in office 3 days a week.
Unregulated e-bikes on roads is fine, my issue is doing 40mph on bicycle infrastructure
Yeah, if they want to be motorcycles, they can play by those rules. These sociopaths who ride these pseudo-ebikes are the equivalent of massive SUVs doing three times the speed limit through a school zone.
The only classification allowed on bike trails where I am is limited to 20mph.
FWIW, Beachman seems to be working on getting federal approval as a motorcycle manufacturer as an endgoal, so their product can be plated and unlock higher top speeds.
They’re extremely local to me (next to my nearest Home Depot and Canadian Tire, so I’m in the area frequently), they’re common enough running around here, so I kind of want to see them succeed in an abstract way, in the same sense that I want to see the Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup in my lifetime despite a complete lack of interest in hockey. If nothing else, they’re better looking than the sport bike-styled ebikes (I always get a little sad when one passes and I see the Emmo license plate on the back).
Also, recently learned fun fact – Ben Taylor’s dad is one of the founders of Steam Whistle Brewery, which has a fleet of retro vehicles, and recently had Beachman redo the electric conversion on a ’58 Chevy truck they have.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9_nByzkdX4
This is not an e-bike, it’s an e moped or an e moto. Pedal does not make it a bicycle. It legally meets no e-bike standards. Surrous are also not technically E-bikes, that is incorrect.
In the United States, the federal legal definition of an e‑bike specifically a low‑speed electric bicycle comes from the Consumer Product Safety Act and is codified at 15 U.S.C. § 2085(b). It defines such an e‑bike as:
A two‑ or three‑wheeled vehicle equipped with fully operable pedals,Powered by an electric motor of less than 750 watts (1 horsepower),With a maximum motor‑only speed of less than 20 mph on a level surface when tested with a 170 lb rider.
If an e‑bike complies with this definition, it’s treated under federal law like an ordinary bicycle regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)—and is not regulated by the Department of Transportation or NHTSA as a motor vehicle .
It’s important to note that this federal definition governs only manufacturing and product safety standards. When it comes to using e‑bikes—such as riding them on public roads or trails—state and local laws take over, and classification can vary widely. Many states follow the three-class system:
Class 1 – Pedal-assist only, up to 20 mph.Class 2 – Throttle-assisted, up to 20 mph.Class 3 – Pedal-assist up to 28 mph (often requires a speedometer).
So, before anyone goes out and buys one of these. Even though these companies claim that it can be considered a class 2 e-bike. There is no state in which this can be operated legally as a bike. Having a selectable mode does not get around that it far exceeds max allowable speed and power. Overall enforcement is questionable. It’s just wild these companies can sell you something as a bike, that is legality not-a-bike anywhere in America.
I suspect a significant number of buyers will not treat this as an e-bike in any practical sense, but will do so in a legal sense…which is unfortunate, because an electric commuter motorcycle with pedals as backup is actually interesting, but everything about this seems like it’s just an electric motorcycle with compliance pedals so that people can skirt the law.
I’d be more interested in this if it didn’t seem like they were trying to make it harder to register as a moped than to avoid registration.
It’s not skirting any laws. E-bikes are defined by having 3 classes and this does not fall into any of them. It is not legal for use on any bike trails and has to be registered to be used on the road. Having pedals does not make it a bicycle, it may classify as a moped but it goes to fast for that classification as well.
Valid. So it’s just flat out encouraging people to openly break the law:
Yeah, I will definitely avoid this company. Don’t like that they’re trying to offload the responsibility of properly classifying this to the (potentially unaware) consumer.
Yes, they are just yet another sketchy company flat out lying to their customers.
When there is an e-bike street takeover I’ll maybe begin to have some concern.
I’m not advocating more e-bike regulation. I’m all for less regulation of e-bikes, in fact. I’d rather see more regulation of larger, heavier, vehicles and those with more power than drivers are expected to know how to use and less regulation of bikes, kei cars, etc.
I’m saying this company is going to get customers into trouble. That’s what’s shady here. “Here, you can run this as an e-bike or register it properly” quickly becomes “we gave the customer the necessary documentation, but they chose to break the law.”
Apparently, you haven’t spent any time on bike trails. These types of things are everywhere, buzzing by people walking and riding real bikes while moving 20mph faster and weighing twice as much.
It’s what I want/need, and I’d buy one. But I despise the egregious skirting of the law (and/or exploiting legal loopholes). If they removed the pedals and gave me a MSO for a 125cc-equivalent motorcycle, I’d buy it.
Imagine if Porsche put a button in a 911 that limited it to a 20mph top speed so you could register it as a “low-speed vehicle”. They’d never get away with it. This is the same thing.
It is the exact same thing. There is no legal framework that allows vehicles to morph between vehicle classes with the touch of a button.
Beechman is flat out lying to their potential customers. Unfortunately that is not uncommon in the segment.
This is totally a moped. Unfortunately I can’t legally register it around me since it’s an “ebike”. The manufacturer has to designate it as a moped. The top speed means a full motorcycle license and insurance are also required. Boo.
You should stop featuring this junk on this website and giving the manufacturers, or retailers at least, any free advertising. These are not e-bikes and will not qualify as e-bikes.
This is electronic waste.
I put together something that does 40 mph, and is better disguised as a bicycle.
https://imgur.com/vZg7YOt
It weighs about 70 lbs and I can sprint to over 25 mph pedaling it with the motor shut off. Using the motor, it makes enough torque to do wheelies. I get a 15-40 mile range depending upon how hard I ride it.
I used leftover parts from my electric velomobile post-upgrade and a DB mountainbike purchased second hand off craigslist for $400. The cost to replicate this setup would be about $1,500 with all brand new parts today including upgrades to the tires and brakes, but not including the donor bike itself.
That also looks more useful than this one. You’ve got a perfectly usable cargo rack, which is handy.
The cargo rack was not usable when the photo was taken as that used to be the battery box, but the battery has since migrated inside of the frame triangle, freeing the cargo rack up for use.
It currently makes 2,500W peak. With Avid BB7 cable-pull disc brakes and a short wheelbase, maximum safe cruising speed is about 35 mph. It can go faster, but you really don’t want to. I’ve already gotten the death wobbles at 32 mph and managed to regain control and not wreck.
In its ultimate form, it will eventually have hydraulic disc brakes on both wheels with a motorcycle reservoir, DOT wheels/tires, downhill bike front fork and rear shock, 10 kW peak, and be set up to top out at 50 mph, while still looking like a normal unmotorized bicycle. The hub motor can easily be hidden with a disc cover.
Wow, that’s a heck of a cool project. I’m impressed (and would probably be more than a little terrified riding it).
It’s the least impressive of my projects. It’s my “backup bike”.
I built an aerodynamic 3-wheeled microcar/”bicycle” that gets the equivalent of over 4,000 miles per gallon. It would get 150-200 miles range at 30-35 mph on 1.8 kWh(the same pack which is now in the mountainbike mentioned above), and I could turn the motor off and sprint to almost 40 mph on flat ground with nothing but my legs powering it. With the motor in use, that iteration of the vehicle did 50 mph and could peel out at will, on just 3 kW.
It’s since been upgraded to 10 kW peak, has DOT wheels/tires, hydraulic disc brakes with a motorcycle fluid reservoir and lever, a 2.1 kWh pack capable of making upwards of 50 kW if I ever need it to, can now do 0-60 mph in 7 seconds, the body has been removed(range now sucks without the slippery shell, as it gets like 10 miles at 70 mph, and 40 miles at 30 mph), and will in the future have AWD with 3x as much power than it currently does so that I can mess with Hellcats. I regularly take it on bike trails, pedaling it with the motor shut off. The new body will look like a cross between a Milan SL and a 1937 Auto Union Type C streamliner, and should have so little drag that it should reach around 120 mph. The rear wheel, lifted in the air, free spun to 132 mph with the current battery while using field weakening, so the less drag this has the closer it will get to this maximum theoretical top speed
I like the choice of a Honda CG125 clone frame, can’t go wrong with probably the most popular motorcycle platform in the world.
The rear swingarm is different, but the rest is the same.
And yeah, this is a moped, that happens to be electric and not 50cc.
Treating this as an e-bike is equivalent of riding a moped without plates.
The ebike classification needs a weight limit to stop these stupid contraptions.
Until some manner of superlight batteries are invented, at least. At that point, only a proper limitation of electric-only speed will work.
Nope. Electric bicycles are already classified by HP and top speed. Someone else here has posted them in this article.
This vehicle isn’t legally a bicycle in any of the 50 states. It also likely isn’t a moped either
Looks great; useful specs at a reasonable price.
It is unequivocally a motorcycle. There is no way that a user-selectable mode limiting it to 20mph should classify this as an e-bike. The throttle is technically a user-selectable mode that limits the vehicle speed. If the upper limit of that user-selectable mode exceeds the maximum legal e-bike speed, it’s a moped/motorcycle. The “must have pedals” clause is laughable.
I buy the argument for a method of personal transportation with a low cost of entry in places without good public transport. This ain’t the way to do it. Reminds me of the carnage of postwar France’s VSP system.
It seems sensible that a two-wheeler that is capable of 45 mph should require a motorcycle license, since it requires a motorcycle-riding skill level in order to not be a danger.
I think it would be sensible to do away with licenses altogether, at least until extraneous functions to their stated mission are no longer attached to them. Someone’s biometric photo has no bearing on their capability to safely operate a vehicle, yet you’re expected to give such up to make yourself available to constant and intrusive government surveillance just for needing to drive, and now people can be identified against their will in public.
Give the government an inch, and it takes a mile…
I have some mixed feelings about ebikes in general, but not about something like this. The pedals exist to create a loophole so people think they can ride these in places they can’t and shouldn’t. These have no business on bike trails and should not be marketed as such.
And the thing that really pisses me off about these is that they do it because they know they’ll get away with it. There’s no Bike Path Patrol out there with a radar gun to catch speeding ebikers. And honestly, is that a thing we want in our lives? The ebike industry is just begging for more enforcement of non-motorized vehicle regulations and I’m not here for it.
Coming soon, piloted by a 13 with parents who have more money than sense, to a suburban sidewalk near you!
Seriously, it is insane how quickly the teen/pre-teens on electric things escalated where I live. Two years ago, a few kids on electric scooters. One year ago, electric scooters everywhere. This year, electric scooters plus electric motorcycles flying at stupid speeds down streets, sidewalks, through public spaces, across grocery parking lots. Everywhere.
They often grow up in areas designed to be hostile to pedestrians in favor of vehicle traffic, with no transportation anywhere outside of their overworked parents agreeing to take them somewhere. Oft times, even older children in their mid teens, if seen walking around unaccompanied by an adult, can result in arrest of the parents. It’s a simple cause and effect relationship, in context of this.
I’d much rather have unlicensed kids on overpowered bikes on the road, than Karen in a massive SUV looking at the phone while she drives…
My suburb has over 200 miles of hike and bike trails. The children swarming the central area on overpriced toys mostly live within a 10 minute walk. This isn’t a “mobility solution” for kids with Karens for moms where I live.
if it’s got a throttle, it’s a motorcycle/moped. If it’s pedal assist (the motor doesn’t kick in unless you’re spinning the cranks) it’s an e-bike. Regulate and license them accordingly. I’m sick of assholes hauling ass on crowded bike paths on their “e-bikes”. Most often without a helmet.
The regulations are already there – they just aren’t enforced.
Most people will only find out they are riding an unregistered and uninsured off-highway motorcycle when they are in an accident and they have to pay all claims out-of-pocket.
This thing would be a lot of fun on a daily commute! My top speed limit along the way is 45, meaning people do like 60 on that road. But I can avoid most of that road and then this would be fast enough, but yeah I would be using it as an electric motorcycle, not an e-bike.
I see something that looks like turn signals on the front, but not on the back, so that could complicate things, but would be easy enough to fix.
They absolutely nailed the styling on this thing though! It is beautiful! I do wish the “tank” was a storage compartment or something, it seems like wasted space here, but beggars can’t be choosers.
Nothing that goes 45 mph is legally an electric bicycle.
I agree. Legally, a Class II e-bike, which is what this claims to be, has a top speed of 20 mph. However, based on all of the “e-bikes” speeding all over the place, it seems like it isn’t enforced very well.
This is why I put e-bike in quotes. This thing is a motorcycle that calls itself an e-bike.
I see ebikes around that look like bicycles, and I think if you were riding one in 33mph traffic on a 30mph road you could probably plead ignorance if it drew any attention.
But riding what clearly appears to be a motorcycle around without plates is going to draw some attention. It has turn signals!
That said, I like the look and the concept and I’d be happy to take one without the pedals and get it registered as a motorcycle
The danger isn’t a ticket – it is someone losing everything they own and have worked for because they were stupid enough to ride an uninsured motorcycle on a road or bike path.
I’ve been in a car / bicycle collision and found to be legally at fault. My renters insurance covered the cost to repair the Civic I hit as renters or homeowner’s insurance covers legal liability for bicycle crashes. However that only applied to legal bicycles.
The legal risk is pretty much infinity because you never know how much medical bills will be. You could hit some one on this thing and get stuck with millions in medical bills.
Why give any space to a company that is flat out lying to potential customers?
Not only that, but one who uses “queue” when they meant “cue”. Absolutely fucking unforgivable.