# NSW police are crushing illegal ebikes

> A 14-year-old's ebike hit 90km/h, and NSW now has the power to destroy bikes like it.
- Title: NSW police are crushing illegal ebikes · the Guardian
- Summary: A 14-year-old's ebike hit 90km/h, and NSW now has the power to destroy bikes like it. If an ebike keeps powering past 25km/h or runs on throttle alone, it is…
- Keywords: ebikes, road safety, sydney, policing, transport, news, world, NSW, police, crushing, illegal, the Guardian
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/12/nsw-police-seize-illegal-ebikes-northern-beaches-crushed
- Published: 2026-09-12T01:53:23+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: ebikes, road safety, sydney, policing, transport, news, world
## Three dozen bikes, one morning
Police seized 36 illegal ebikes on Sydney's northern beaches on a Friday operation, launched after a run of reckless riding incidents in the area.

> following recent incidents of illegal, dangerous and reckless e-bike use
## A 14-year-old doing 90
One seized bike belonged to a boy from Warriewood. Police said it could top 90km/h, faster than the speed limit on most Sydney roads.
## New power to destroy
In late August, NSW police were granted authority to destroy ebikes that can exceed the legal limit. This sweep was the first big test of it.
## Fourteen days to appeal
Owners get two weeks to tell police the bike was stolen and ridden by someone else. After that window closes, the bikes go to the crusher.
## Tested on a dyno unit
The government bought portable speed-testing machines. One was used on the northern beaches to clock a bike doing over 40km/h on throttle alone.

> We can put an ebike on a machine and test its power and speed very quickly
## Injuries climbing fast
NSW logged 226 ebike injuries across all of 2024. The first seven months of 2025 brought 233 injuries and four deaths.

> Ebikes must behave like bicycles, not motorcycles.
## Key takeaway

If an ebike keeps powering past 25km/h or runs on throttle alone, it is a motorcycle in the eyes of NSW law, and police can now crush it.