Lake Havasu City police tell parents to check e‑bike legality and park rules before holiday purchases

Sergeant Jerry Burns of the Lake Havasu City Police Department urged parents Tuesday to be careful when buying electric bicycles or motorcycles for children, saying some models function as motor vehicles and carry legal and safety requirements if used on public roadways. "The Surans, Talaria, Rohrs ... do not have pedals," Burns said, adding that those models have an engine size "above the 750 watts" and, if ridden on the roadway, "require a license, registration [and] insurance with a motorcycle endorsement by the rider."

Why it matters: With holiday shopping underway, police say families may buy electrically powered bikes that look like bicycles but are classified as motorized vehicles. That classification can change how and where the vehicle may be used and what credentials and equipment riders must have, police said.

Officer Garrett Kemp, who Burns introduced during the segment, described what the department is seeing in city parks: "All ebikes or bicycles need to be human powered, so no battery power at all. You have to have a chain on your e bike. That's a big indicator if you are able to do human power or not," Kemp said. He added that riders 16 years or younger must wear helmets and warned against high speeds and doing wheelies in parks, which officers are addressing in patrols.

Police displayed one of the department's new patrol e‑bikes and urged parents to compare features and discuss safety and traffic laws with children before buying. Burns closed the segment with a safety reminder: "Please make sure you shop carefully and pick the right bike for your child... obey the traffic laws out there while they're riding around and please wear the proper safety equipment."

The advisory was an informational bulletin; the department did not announce any new ordinance changes or enforcement campaigns beyond routine park patrols mentioned in the segment.