willo said:
. My real question is what's the best way to be covered legally, especially in states where they hate on ebikes.
If you truly want to be covered legally, you'd have to build a minimum of two separate bikes.
One would be an "actual" motorcycle, with all the requirements of that in every state (each one may be different, so you have to check each one).
Then the other(s) would be an ebike, meeting the requirements of each state, many of which are different, and some of which have much more stringent requirements than others do. It may not be possible to have a single ebike that meets every state's definitions (for those that allow them; for those that don't, you're stuck with the motorcycle). But I don't know offhand of any state left that doesn't have some sort of power limit, or some weight limit that will end up restricting power because a bike that will have the kind of power you want will weigh more than the limit. Arizona used to only limit speed, but now they have a similar 3-class system to california, but with a lower power limit.
Legally, for at least most, probably all, states, a motorcycle is not an ebike, and an ebike is not a motorcycle, and it is very likely that what meets one set of rules will not meet the other set of rules, certainly not in every state.
So, unless you are really set on riding the "same" bike in every state, it's going to be a lot simpler to pick the state you're going to live in, and build a bike (MC or ebike) suited to that state's legal definitions and requirements.
To find out the specifics of what's allowed and/or required, you'll need to check with each specific state; many have their laws online so researching those will be fairly easy. Others you may have to send for physical copies of the current laws, etc. Don't rely on what *others* have published about particular states (they tend to "interpret" the law, and that can leave you in the lurch when it turns out they're wrong or they left stuff out)--go to the actual government websites for the actual laws.