EL CAJON, CA, October 05, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ — This week, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1167, which draws a legal line between electric bicycles and the more powerful electric motorcycles, or e-motos, often sold alongside them. Starting January 1, 2027, sellers must state in all advertising that e-motos are motor vehicles requiring registration, an M1 or M2 motorcycle license, and insurance, according to Streetsblog California and Bicycle Retailer. E-bikes remain capped at 750 watts.
Barry P. Goldberg, A Professional Law Corporation notes that the law arrives as motorcycle crashes remain a serious concern in East County; in 2023, El Cajon recorded 34 motorcyclists killed or injured, ranking ninth worst among 62 similarly sized California cities, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety. The firm’s motorcycle accident lawyer in El Cajon, CA represents riders, drivers, and families of those killed in these collisions.
Why This Classification Matters After a Crash
Many e-moto owners believe they bought a bicycle and never obtain the license, registration, or insurance the law already requires. That gap can complicate an injury claim in several ways:
1. When an uninsured e-moto rider causes a crash. The injured person may turn to their own uninsured motorist coverage, which applies when the at-fault motor vehicle carries no liability insurance.
2. When the e-moto rider is the one injured. Many auto policies exclude uninsured motorist coverage for injuries on a vehicle the policyholder owns but did not insure, which can leave riders without a backup source of recovery.
3. When fault is disputed. Riding without a motorcycle license does not by itself make a rider responsible for a crash, but insurers often raise it to argue the rider shares the blame.
“Most families who buy these machines have no idea they’ve bought a motorcycle,” said Barry P. Goldberg, founder of the firm and a recognized authority on uninsured and underinsured motorist law in California. “The new disclosures should help. Until they take effect, anyone who rides one or shares the road with one should confirm their auto policy carries uninsured motorist coverage, because that’s often what pays after an e-moto crash.”
About Barry P. Goldberg, A Professional Law Corporation
Founded in 2005, Barry P. Goldberg, A Professional Law Corporation serves injured Californians from offices in El Cajon, Woodland Hills, Valencia, and Simi Valley. Barry P. Goldberg has focused on personal injury litigation since 1984 and has handled hundreds of arbitrations and mediations, with appellate arguments before the California Court of Appeal and the Ninth Circuit. His article “Mastering Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Arbitrations” appeared in CAALA’s The Advocate, and Super Lawyers named him to its Top 100 list for Southern California in 2021. He is a graduate of UCLA and Loyola Law School Los Angeles and a past president of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association. Riders and families who have a case to discuss can contact the firm to schedule a free consultation.
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