Two kids on two electric bikes can look identical on a Bend trail. Under local rules, one may be riding legally and the other may be breaking three laws at once.
Bend police, schools, the parks district and the hospital system are all trying to explain that difference right now. Eight local agencies put out a joint safety advisory in early October 2026. The Bend Bulletin reported on Oct. 10 that enforcement is patchy. No new ordinance has been reported. This is a rules explainer, not a rule change.
The line between an e-bike and an e-motorcycle
Oregon sorts e-bikes into three classes, and the full definitions sit in ORS chapter 801.
- Class 1: the motor helps only while you pedal and stops helping at 20 mph.
- Class 2: the motor can move the bike without pedaling, and it also stops helping at 20 mph.
- Class 3: pedal-assist only, up to 28 mph, with a speedometer.
Everything else falls outside those classes. A moped is capped at 30 mph on level ground. A gas moped must have an engine between 35.01 and 50 cc. Anything with a rider seat, no more than three wheels and no moped status counts as a motorcycle.
That is where Sur-Ron, Talaria and similar bikes land. They have no standard pedals, and top speeds run from 45 to over 120 mph. The Bulletin reports they are not street legal. The parks district puts it simply: a big motor, advertised speeds above 28 mph and no pedals mean it is not an e-bike.
Where each one can go in Bend
| Place | Pedal-assist e-bike | Throttle e-bike | E-motorcycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park trails and paved paths | Yes, unless a trail is posted closed | No | No |
| Park roads and parking areas | Yes | Yes | No |
| Sidewalks | No | No | No |
| Designated bike parks | No | No | No |
| Plazas, stairs, sports fields, playgrounds | No | No | No |
The park rules took effect Aug. 1, 2025. They let pedal-assist bikes use pedestrian trails and paths unless the district’s executive director bars them for safety. Motor vehicles, including throttle e-bikes, are limited to roads and parking areas built for cars. The district’s park rules also keep any rolling device, e-bikes included, off plazas, retaining walls, stairs, playgrounds, off-leash areas and recreation buildings.
On the district’s biking page, Class 1, 2 and 3 bikes are all welcome on singletrack, multiuse trails and paved paths. The written rule bars throttle bikes from those same trails. A Class 2 bike has a throttle by definition, so those two statements pull in different directions. I’d treat Class 2 as off-limits on trails until the district says otherwise. Some trails and parks ban all bikes, so look for signs at the trailhead.
Age, helmets and school grounds
Oregon requires riders to be at least 16 to operate an e-bike, according to the joint advisory. Anyone under 16 must wear a helmet on a regular bike under ORS 814.485. Bend-La Pine Schools bars students under 16 from bringing an e-bike to school. Older students can ride with a registration and parking pass.
The district’s policy has been in place since April 2024. After a first warning, staff hold the bike until a parent or guardian picks it up the same day. Repeat offenses bring a parent meeting and possibly the school resource officer.
Parks add a penalty of their own. A violation can mean a 30-day to one-year ban from park property. A park-rule misdemeanor can carry a fine up to $100 or five days in jail.
What enforcement looks like
Here is the awkward part. Bend Police spokesperson Shelia Miller told the Bulletin that no statute lets officers cite a child simply for riding under age. Officers use “unlawful operation of an off-road vehicle” instead. They have written 33 of those citations in 2026, plus 18 more for things like eluding and phone use.
A September case shows the range. Police cited three juveniles after a downtown joyride in early September. A 14-year-old on an e-bike received a no-license citation. A 15-year-old on an electric motorcycle capable of more than 50 mph was cited for no helmet, sidewalk riding and no license, and the bike was impounded. A 12-year-old on a 34 mph machine was referred to juvenile justice. Off-road electric motorcycles cannot be registered for city streets.
The medical numbers explain the urgency. St. Charles treated 63 e-bike patients at its Bend hospital in 2024 and 83 in 2025. It has seen more than 100 so far in 2026. Across four regional hospitals, 174 patients came in this year, and 21% were under 18. Seven emergency patients arrived over Oct. 2-4 alone, including a 13-year-old critically hurt in a collision with a minivan.
My read
Bend’s rules are clearer than the headlines suggest. The trouble is that a kid, or a parent shopping online, can’t tell an electric dirt bike from an e-bike by looking at it. Many listings call them both “e-bikes.” Pedals, a 28 mph cap and a class label are the test, and a seller’s wording is not.
The pattern is familiar. Other states are drawing the same line, as in Missouri’s mix of state rules and city limits. The pressure always builds where fast, cheap bikes meet teenage riders.
If I were buying in Bend, I’d stick to a Class 1 or Class 3 bike and skip throttle-only models if trail riding is the goal. Check the class label on the frame. Our guide on whether you need a license for an e-bike covers how fast bikes cross into moped territory. If I had a 13-year-old asking for a Sur-Ron, I’d say no. Oregon law gives that bike nowhere legal to go in town.
Still unknown: whether the city or district will tighten anything after the advisory, and how Class 2 bikes are handled on trails. Until then, Oregon’s e-bike rules are the baseline, and the parks district posts its own on top.
Quick answers
Can I ride an e-bike on Bend sidewalks?
No. Oregon bars all e-bikes from sidewalks.
Can a 15-year-old ride an e-bike in Bend?
No. The minimum age is 16, and police can still cite under-16 riders for unlawful off-road vehicle operation.
Can I ride an electric dirt bike on Bend trails?
No. The parks district bans them from trails, parks and roads.
Prices and rules as of October 2026.
Photo: BESV PSA1 electric bicycle by Syced, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped.
