Motorbikes and Scooters
While I still owned the V8 I was looking for something else to help reduce the volume of CO2 I generated (ie looking for a way of not getting rid of the V8). I've always liked motorbikes, so we ended up getting a Suzuki GSX250F (Suzuki Across) and a 50cc scooter.
Whilst both are absolute blasts to ride (the scooter possibly more so than the bike, particularly around small suburban streets due to its size and manoeuvrability), they're not getting used much other than for recreation. This appears to be mainly for 3 reasons:
While I still owned the V8 I was looking for something else to help reduce the volume of CO2 I generated (ie looking for a way of not getting rid of the V8). I've always liked motorbikes, so we ended up getting a Suzuki GSX250F (Suzuki Across) and a 50cc scooter.
Whilst both are absolute blasts to ride (the scooter possibly more so than the bike, particularly around small suburban streets due to its size and manoeuvrability), they're not getting used much other than for recreation. This appears to be mainly for 3 reasons:
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We won't ride them in the rain or at night
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Their batteries have usually gone flat by the time you get around to wanting to ride them
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By the time I've put on my riding boots and jacket, got my gloves and put on the helmet, I could've just jumped into the Prius
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I'm in limbo as to what to do with them at the moment; I don't really want to sell them without getting a substitute, but it seems a shame to have them just sitting there.
As a potential alternative, I saw an ad in the 'G' magazine for a Vectrix electric 'Maxi'-sized scooter. I e-mailed for some info and got a call back from Frank Papa (03 9676 9133). Basically, here's a brief rundown of the bits of info I found important:
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The original price was around $17,000 but they weren't selling (no surprise there), and so they've reduced them to near cost at ~$15,000. Alternatively, you can pay ~$7,000, plus $39.50 per week for 5 years, which to be honest, isn't a bad way to go.
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They're good for around 30-50km per charge at full throttle
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They can do a top speed of ~105km/h (which requires full throttle)
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The range still makes it too limiting for me to get to the city (and back) on, and so ends up too expensive for just an around town form of transport. Frank still invited me to come in and take one for a ride even if I wasn't going to buy one just so that I could see how good they are and to spread the word. To help him out, if anyone else is interested, they're located at 164 Ralph Street Port Melbourne.
Electric Bikes
As an alternative to the motorbikes or even electric scooters, I've started researching electric conversion kits for a standard push bike.
There are a few that I'm looking at at the moment, including:
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eLation which is Australian made and fits onto the chain assembly (~$1,100)
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eWheel Conversion Kit from the Electric Bike Company which is a front wheel replacement (~$1,099)
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Z-Bike, which I just found and looks like a complete mountain bike (not an upgrade kit) with a rear hub drive (~$1,290)
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ElectroBikes, which is a complete bike ($1,995)
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So the conversion kits are all around the $1,000 mark, which is certainly a cheaper alternative than the Vectrix, and is more likely to get me off my arse and ride to the local shops rather than drive, which of course is better for the environment too. Even the Prius sucks a fair bit of fuel on short trips, particularly if it's starting from cold.
I found an interesting forum discussion on Whirlpool regarding the pros and cons of the various methods of electric bike propulsion; ie whether its a chain drive, rear hub or front hub replacement.
