NSW Police run first dynamometer e-bike operation, seize 36 bikes on the Northern Beaches
NSW Police and Transport for NSW have carried out the first on road enforcement operation since the state's seize and destroy laws for illegal e-bikes came into force on August 21. Officers from Traffic and Highway Patrol Command, Northern Beaches Police Area Command and the Bike Coordination and Training Unit patrolled Manly, Curl Curl, Dee Why and Avalon, targeting locations linked to recent reports of dangerous e-bike use.
What the dynamometer found
A portable dynamometer, a rolling road device that measures how fast a bike's motor can actually push it, was used on the roadside for the first time in this kind of operation. Of the 36 e-bikes seized, three were confirmed non-compliant on the device. One bike allegedly capable of exceeding 90km/h was taken from a 14 year old rider at Warriewood, and a food delivery rider's bike was also found to be modified and non-compliant on inspection. Police issued 16 penalty notices and 46 cautions, mostly for helmet and mobile phone offences, alongside the seizures.
Compliant versus illegal
Under the rules now enforced in NSW, a legal e-bike must have a continuous rated power of 250 watts, cut assistance at 25km/h, and not provide throttle assistance beyond 6km/h without pedalling. Anything that behaves more like an unregistered motorbike, whether through an unlocked throttle, a tuned controller or an aftermarket motor, can now be seized and destroyed rather than just fined. Transport Secretary Josh Murray said most riders comply, but police will keep running operations like this one where non-compliant bikes are suspected.
What it means for buyers
If you are shopping for an e-bike in NSW right now, the safest move is to buy a model that is clearly speed and power limited from the factory rather than one advertised as capable of higher speeds "off road only". BikeFinder's spec sheets list motor power and assist behaviour for every model so you can check compliance before you buy, not after a roadside stop.