Clovis police step up e-bike enforcement after rise in juvenile crashes
Clovis police stopped 21 riders in one weekend sweep, after a year of rising juvenile e-bike crashes and complaints around Loma Vista.
Clovis police have begun treating juvenile e-bike behavior as a public-safety problem, not a nuisance, after officers saw more teens on high-powered bikes, e-motorcycles and other similar vehicles pushing legal limits and fleeing when stopped.
Police Chief Curt Fleming said the department had been tracking the pattern for about a year, with serious crashes reported across the Central Valley. During a weekend enforcement operation, officers made 21 stops and impounded an electric motorcycle. Later reporting on the Loma Vista detail near Shaw Avenue and Leonard Avenue said officers contacted more than 20 juveniles and recorded 2 arrests, 19 warnings, 1 tow and 24 juvenile contacts.
The operation centered on education and safety, but the enforcement numbers show how quickly the issue has escalated. One juvenile riding an e-motorcycle fled from officers during the detail and was later arrested. That kind of behavior is exactly what police say is driving concern: young riders on machines that look like bicycles but can move more like motorcycles, often without the training, helmet use or judgment needed to handle them safely.
California law draws a sharp line between e-bike classes. Class 1 bikes are pedal-assist only and top out at 20 mph. Class 2 bikes use a throttle and also top out at 20 mph. Class 3 bikes are pedal-assist up to 28 mph and must have a speedometer. State law also says riders under 16 may not operate a Class 3 e-bike, and anyone riding or riding as a passenger on one must wear a properly fitted bicycle helmet. Manufacturers and distributors must label the class, top assisted speed and motor wattage, and vehicles modified to exceed 20 mph on motor power alone or more than 750 watts are not electric bicycles under state law.
That distinction matters for parents buying for children in Clovis and Fresno County, because many of these vehicles appear similar at a glance. Local retailers are already trying to warn customers not to modify bikes for more speed, noting that tampering can also void warranties.
The crackdown comes as traffic-safety officials continue to warn that bicyclists are especially vulnerable because they do not have seat belts, airbags or other protections. The California Office of Traffic Safety says 1,106 people were struck and killed by vehicles statewide in 2023, including 145 bicyclists. California’s bicycle fatality trend rose from 2014 to 2018, dipped from 2019 to 2021, then spiked sharply in 2022, underscoring why Clovis police are pressing families, schools and neighborhoods to take juvenile e-bike use more seriously now.
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