by RTL Z··Modified:
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The Inspectorate for Human Environment and Transport (ILT) has seized 1,100 motorcycles from the motorcycle shop La Souris, which has twenty branches in the Netherlands. This concerns Ouxi and QMWheel bikes. According to the ILT, these are not safe.
Ouxi has a factory in China, just like QMWheel. ILT has been on a hunt for Chinese fat bikes for some time. In July, it was reported that inspections had seized 6,000 bikes from a manufacturer that was selling fat bikes in the Netherlands at very low prices. The manufacturer was not named for privacy reasons.
ILT does not want to confirm the intervention of the inspectors in La Souris. He added that “the investigation into the fat bikes case is still ongoing, and when it is completed, the file will be transferred to the public prosecutor's office.”
“Independent Test Reports”
La Souris itself confirms that 1,100 bikes were seized: “This action is unexpected, because we do everything we can to sell safe and legal means of transport,” says owner Armando Mois. “Our supplier has confirmed to us through independent test reports that the heavy bikes in question are equipped with 250-watt motors, the maximum nominal power allowed by law.”
The store says it is interested in ILT's findings. “We want to test this in a counter-experiment. In the meantime, we are offering an alternative model that has been approved by regulatory authorities.”
Many Chinese bikes are marketed with a top speed of 25 km/h, but you can accelerate to 40 km/h in a matter of seconds. There is no need for a special booster kit for this, you can adjust the settings yourself using a few buttons on the handlebar.
“If you, as a cyclist, remove the limiter so easily, it is in fact a motorcycle,” Bert van Wee, a professor of transport policy at TU Delft, previously told RTL News. “This bike is not approved for that.” He said that if these huge bikes are still available as bicycles in shops, the government should intervene.
Resetting the limits turns out to be as easy as removing them. And anyone who resets the settings in time will avoid a fine during a police check, as you can see in the video below.
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