I'm on the fence to be honest, I can see good and bad for going electric. I love my old bike and will keep it going as long as its economical to (parts, fuel, road tax etc.). I do though fancy an electric bike, instant torque, very low maintenance and running costs sound perfect for the bike world as most people have bikes for commuting and fun. For touring this would suck unless bikes start achieving 300 miles in a single charge, but for most 100+ range will be plenty.
Its the cost, and unlike the car world where they have the numbers to drive investment the bike market is just to small. The profit margins will take the bike world years to catch up... unless we all start paying BMW prices. So we will face paying more and more for our gas guzzlers or have to give up biking unless you can afford £20k to get a heavy short range electric bike.
In regards to mods, as the presenter states the legislation is written by those that don't know or want to understand bikes. They are just death traps that I'm sure most ministers would like to have removed altogether to bring road deaths down, even though we make such a small percentage of accidents. As long as the bike is safe (so don't remove brakes) I can't see the issue with modifying, but as I have another 40 years of riding ahead of me I worry that probably won't happen. I doubt my kids will ever ride when they get to legal age, bikes will be so restricted or so expensive that it will be a hobby for the rich. A real shame, but until they stop me I will continue to have fun and hope you all do too
