The reason for a Surron pedal kit is to make your Surron comply with local laws, turning your e-moto into a law-complying e-bike. That was the idea anyway back in the day. Now, as the law is slowly catching up with high powered electric dirt bikes, there is more to the story. It’s harder to hide the fact that your e-moto isn’t a ‘pedal assisted’ ebike.
There are still a few reasons why you may opt to get a Surron pedal kit for your bike, which we’ll go through shortly. There are also many different options for how the pedals are attached and why it’s important to work out why you want to add pedals to your electric-powered Surron.
Before you ride your Surron on the road, check your local laws. The information we provide here is general and may not be accurate for your location.
What pedal kit is best?
There are two distinct options for pedals.
- Fake Pedals – These are 100% for show. They don’t assist in any way in producing power. Also known as ghost pedals.
- Power Pedal Kits – These functional pedals will help produce forward momentum in varying amounts.
Different brands of pedal kits are made from different quality materials. Some are better than others, but it depends if you actually want to use the pedals or just have them there for show. There is even an official Surron pedal kit – they are completely aware of the challenges faced in certain parts of the world, and they have designed a kit to address that (though it isn’t necessarily the best one for your situation).
Surron has an official pedal system conversion kit, which allows for independent power application through the throttle or the pedals. However, there are limitations. For example, if you use the pedals with the smaller sprocket on the rear, you must be careful not to go over a certain speed, otherwise, you’ll cause damage.
Watch this video here that explains the official Surron pedal system:
Aftermarket brand Kaniwaba produces quality pedal kits with many options – both functional pedals or ghost pedals. So you know, we aren’t sponsored by them and we don’t carry this product, but this seems like a pretty robust kit and they do a good job of explaining how to install it, which is what we’re interested in right now.
What do the Surron pedal kits do?
Different versions of pedal kits operate in slightly different ways. The Surron-designed pedal kits work by adding an extra sprocket attached to a crank within the drive chain. Other pedal kits utilize a split sprocket which is installed on the jackshaft.
Most are relatively simple to install, and some kits have the option for quickly swapping between pedals and pegs.
The ‘ghost’ style pedals are not connected to the drive train in any way, but do a great job of looking like pedals! The kit from Kaniwaba does double as a brace bar, giving extra strength to your foot pegs or pedals, so it isn’t entirely without function, but the main idea is to make it look like you have pedals at a glance. You know, for reasons.
Do I need a Surron pedal kit?
There are generally three reasons why e-moto riders get a pedal kit for their Surron.
- Legal reasons: There are many social channels that claim if you add a pedal kit to your e-moto, it becomes an e-bike (bicycle). There is more to that story that we’ll dive into shortly…
- Fitness reasons: By adding pedals to your e-moto, you can get a workout at the same time. Yep, it would be a BIG workout…
- Backup if your battery dies: This is a great idea in theory, but honestly, you’d be better off jumping off your Surron and pushing it. Make sure you fully charge that battery!
Adding Surron Pedal Kits for legal reasons
What’s the go with adding pedals to your high-performance e-moto to transform it into an e-bicycle?
Well, here’s the thing: In most states of the USA, there are 3 classes of e-bikes. The classes range in top speeds with various configurations, but all require pedals. Each class is allowed to ride in different locations, such as streets, roadways, footpaths, etc…
Hence, the idea of adding pedals to your e-moto to make it an ebike doesn’t seem out of the question. Until you keep reading the laws which state the maximum power output is 750 watts. The Surron LBX clearly has more than this.
Now it starts to get a bit gray area… If you limit the output to no more than 750 watts, you could argue you are keeping within the rules. You can certainly customize a Surron to the point where you could limit power to 750 watts, and you could make it so that was only applicable when the bike was in ECO mode. Similarly, products like the Kaniwaba V4 Pedal Kit come with the option to limit the top speed using an additional switch.
But the bike itself would still be capable of much more, and, of course, one could argue that the bike didn’t come stock with that mode. Then again, people drive Corvettes and Ferraris that can go 200 MPH but that doesn’t mean it’s illegal to drive them at 60 in a 60 zone.
With all that said, if you told someone they could avoid potentially having to hash all that out with an officer just by installing a fake pedal kit on their Surron, a lot of people would take you up on that offer, and indeed it’s not uncommon to see fake pedals on Surrons and other small e-motos, especially in areas with advanced e-bike laws.
I’m not a lawyer, so can’t tell you what is right or wrong, and I don’t know if limiting the power output by changing the mode or even the tune is sufficient in your location to keep you out of trouble. Read the rules for your location to see what the limits are. Additionally, People for Bikes has some great info regarding the legalities (external site).
Adding pedals for extra fitness
Have you ever ridden a dirt bike on an MX track or a trail through the woods? Legitimate question… If you haven’t, you’ll be surprised how much energy it takes and how many muscles you never knew you had until they’re sore the next day!
While I love riding my mountain bikes and the heart rate goes sky high, especially on the uphill climbs, I also find I get a really good workout when I take my moto to the tracks. Grab your Surron and find some challenging tracks. You’ll get your workout in! Or buy a bicycle and find some hills.
Point being, you don’t need pedals on your Surron to get a workout. And if you end up relying on that pedal system to get you home, you will soon realize just how much heavier a Surron is than a regular bicycle…
Adding pedals in case your battery runs out
Firstly, if you have installed ghost pedals, this doesn’t apply to you as they won’t help anyway! If you’ve added a cheap or flimsy set of pedals, then also, don’t try actually pedaling…
If your pedal kit is made of decent quality, such as the Kaniwaba, then you may have a chance of riding it home. But even if the Kaniwaba pedal kit isn’t at least power assisted, it’s going to be a slow ride home.
Consider that the average Surron LBX weighs about 120 pounds. By comparison, a good road bicycle can easily weigh 20 pounds or less, and some of the beefiest mountain bikes on the planet don’t even break 30 pounds. Try carrying a hundred pounds of gym weights on the luggage rack of your bicycle next time you go for a ride – bet you won’t be going your usual speed!
My suggestion: if you run out of power, phone a mate. Or push it. Even better, make sure you have enough charge to last your ride.
Surron Pedal Kits: What do they *actually* do?
You may be thinking: Why do I actually need a pedal kit? Depending on your location, pedals may still not make your e-moto legal, if you plan on actually pedaling your Surron – make sure you watch plenty of YouTube videos that show what they’re really like.
Ultimately, it’s up to you if you want to get a pedal kit – as long as you know why you’re purchasing it. Truthfully, a Surron makes a pretty bad e-bicycle for the purpose of getting around. It’s designed to be a 100% electric dirt bike!
Check out this article on a really awesome proper ebike if you’re tossing up e-moto vs ebikes
How to install a pedal kit
Depending on the brand of pedal kit you purchase, these instructions will be slightly different. This will give you a basic idea of what to expect when installing your pedal kit.
This is the official YouTube video from Surron:
Or this in-depth video installing the aftermarket Kaniwaba pedal kit:
To install the Kaniwaba pedal kit, here is a basic outline of what to expect.
- Remove the kickstand and kickstand sensor switch
- Remove the kickstand from the bracket
- Replace the kickstand on to the new bracket
- Fix the new bracket onto your Surron and replace the sensor
- Insert the spindle into the bracket and put the crank and pedal on
- Put the split sprocket on the jackshaft and tighten
- Put the freewheel, speed sensor, and collar onto the spindle
- Put the right bracket onto the spindle and tighten on to your Surron
- Put the crank and pedal onto the right side
- Tighten everything to the correct settings
- Add the chain from the jackshaft onto the sprocket on the spindle
- Route the speed sensor cable up and onto the handlebars
- Add the pedal controller (if that’s the kit you’ve purchased) by removing the bash plate
- Test and replace all components that have been removed
- Test ride and re-check all components to check if anything has come loose
Pedal kit verdict?
Do you bother with a pedal kit? It depends. Personally, I wouldn’t. I don’t see the point in pretending a high performance bike is something that it’s just not. Treat it like a dirt bike – take it to the tracks and locations you’re allowed to ride and enjoy it! I could be biased, we’re all about modding to get better performance, and adding pedals, is well, not added performance.
If you want to ride on the streets, the people over at Dirt Legal can get your Surron registered and street legal in the United States so you can ride it like it’s made to be ridden!
But, if you’re set on pedals, it’s definitely worth checking out some of our awesome e-bikes which are made for e-biking! And sending it downhills or long distance exploring. And if you’re still really keen on putting pedals on your e-moto, Kaniwaba would be a great place to start.
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