Are Surron E-Bikes Actually Electric Bikes?
Written by: Rémy Rossi | August 30, 2025 | Time to read 4 min
Surron bikes are powerful electric dirt bikes—fast, flashy, and often mistaken for e-Bikes, but not legally the same.
More about the Author: Remy Rossi
Rémy Rossi is a bike writer, mechanic, and educator who got his start in community-based bike shops and co-ops. With a decade in the industry, he still wrenches on bikes when he can and plays bike polo on a fixie.
What is a Surron e-Bike?
Surrons have become extremely popular over the past couple of years, likely since they are so much more powerful than standard e-Bikes and can be more affordable than traditional motorcycles. They are pretty stylish and flashy and often heavily modded, adding to the cool factor. But as electric dirt bikes, they are not technically street legal in most places. Many riders take on that rule-breaking risk, while others register their vehicle as a motorcycle or moped and add plates and insurance.
Electric dirt bike ≠ electric bicycle
Some Surron spin-offs do indeed have “operable pedals,” but everything else is the same. So while they check one thing off the list to be defined as a legal e-Bike, they are still too fast or powerful. But the pedals may get you out of a ticket if the cop isn’t too familiar with the exact rules— you do you.
Are Surron e-Bikes street legal?
Surrons lack turn signals and mirrors that are required for street-legal vehicles. But some riders modify their rides with the required parts and register them as a motorcycle or moped, getting them plated and insured.
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But if you choose to skirt the law, you’re riding in a gray zone that’s getting increasingly smaller— states like California are cracking down on these vehicles, or what they call “illegal off-highway vehicles”. And it’s not helping that there are “city takeovers” and huge events with e-riders— including lots of reckless riding— that are catching the attention of residents and local law enforcement.
If you’re focused on whether or not you’re going to get pulled over, ticketed, or get your ride impounded, the equation is a bit more complicated. The risk of getting in trouble depends on where you live, local laws, how you ride, and the cop’s mood that day. If you’re riding a Surron on the street without proper registration and plates, you’re likely breaking your local laws. This is a growing debate that’s already heating up in California and many large cities, so keep an eye on changing legislation and enforcement.
Surrons are cool, they’re just not e-Bikes
Now, I’m not anti-Surron, but I just want to make it clear that they aren’t electric bikes— like the ones that Upway sells and are allowed on streets, multi-use paths, and trails. There are indeed some bad eggs that ride recklessly and wayyy too fast on unregistered and unplated bikes, but there are bad drivers allowed to continue driving, too.
The sticky situation is when people conflate Surrons and similar vehicles with regular electric bikes, twisting it into an anti-cycling position. I support street safety, sustainability, and equity, and there’s always more work to be done.
Key Takeaways
- Surrons are electric dirt bikes, not legal e-bikes, since they lack pedals and exceed power/speed limits.
- Most Surrons are not street legal unless registered and modified with mirrors, lights, and plates.
- Confusing Surrons with e-Bikes fuels policy debates and stricter enforcement in major cities.
