Bosch make a DD hub-motor

[Deleted member 4366]

Look at the motor in this. Actually, that whole bike for £2349 looks pretty good. That battery alone must be worth nearly that!
http://supersoco.co.uk/

 

[craiggor]

It can be a s-pedelec in country's that allow. Looks like a standard bicycle bottom bracket.

Sent from my T1005 using Tapatalk

 

[mike killay]

See,
I TOLD you not to buy a German Bike, they always fall to pieces.

 

[anotherkiwi]

I still prefer the Zero despite it costing 5 times the price. It goes faster and has twice the range (in standard configuration, much more with battery options which make it cost 6x as much...).

 

[MikelBikel]

Cons
Its a motorcycle.. "price includes DVLA Registration fee £55..OLEV motorcycle grant" +insurance +..
Pedalling it with that wide a Q-factor might leave one a bit bow-legged and "foot pegs" appear to foul pedal cranks?
Batteries seem mounted unnecessarily high, bad for balance?
Only 25 mile range, or is it?
DD wheel 'hub' is so large, better just form motor around the inner side of the rim and leave a 5-spoke spider hub in the centre of 16in scooter wheel.
Reform all that useless plastic into a wind & rain shield at the front!
"Carbon steel mainframe, aluminum rear frame", not chrome moly!

Pros
Like Keyless operation
Disc brakes integrated
Upside down hydraulic front shocks , air sprung?
Daytime led running lights DRL, with high low beam

My version would be styled like a Honda Ruckus, hehe.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Cons
Batteries seem mounted unnecessarily high, bad for balance?
Only 25 mile range, or is it?

A low c of g is better for low speed trickling, but makes a bike harder to turn during normal riding. You need the c of g to be in the right place, which is approximately half the wheelbase distance from the ground.

Range is quoted as 40 miles, which sounds about right. The minimum range by using full power continuously would be about 28 miles.

 

[Kenny]

I really like the style of this but would rather it was powered with a 50cc engine.
It would then be able to keep up with the traffic flow and have no range worries.

Nearly all mopeds are boring scooter style and I’ve not seen anything like this since the Suzuki FreeGo concept bike a few years ago.

 

[MikelBikel]

A low c of g is better for low speed trickling, but makes a bike harder to turn during normal riding. You need the c of g to be in the right place, which is approximately half the wheelbase distance from the ground..

Ah right d8veh, i was forgetting about dynamic balance. Of course the c of g depends most on the riders weight and position.

Does the value of the parts really outweigh the price of bike? Cheap for 60v 26ah batt, kw+ motor, etc?
Honda 50cc scooter is €2500 in Ireland due to VRT, 50% 'vehicle registration tax', on top of VAT (value assassination tax!).

Kenny
Style it like an Italjet Dragster w hub centre steering and space frame maybe? https://www.scooterlab.uk/2017-oracle-italjet-dragster-returns-editorial/ haven't seen it or electric version advertised tho.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

If people find a way to hotrod the Soco, I can see it becoming very popular. I think that the price is very fair for what it is. The only reservation I have is for heavy riders, steep hills and no gears

 

[Planemo]

I did some maths some time back re electric scooters/mopeds. It was still better to buy a brand new Honda CBR125 (which is frugal by any standards) and have something which can be used anytime and still do 70mph when you need it to. Granted, you may have to consider the relevant licence but the upshot is that an electric 'moped' is only really worth considering if your commute is very short, doesnt require the use of motorways and you cannot achieve the exact same result with a regular ebike which as many of us know can cost far less than the SOCO. Dont get me wrong, I am very pro for any electric transport but I believe this bike can only fit an extremely niche market.

I have yet to buy the CBR, but only because my present car (Aygo) does not cost significantly more to run and gives me comfort in the winter on my 14 mile commute (each way via motorway). From memory, the CBR would pay for itself in 3 years which is a ruddy good deal IMO but its just handy to have an extra car in the household and the winter convienience. I did look at small electric city cars but reluctantly had to discount them as the purchase cost/depreciation was horrendous when compared to the Aygo which cost me £3k over 3 years ago and will quite likely go for another 3 years without any major issues.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

There's other more powerful electric motorbikes that would compete with a 125cc petrol one. The Soco is in the moped class, so you have to compare it with 50cc motorbikes, which are also limited to 30 mph. People with 50cc ones don't normally do long journeys, so range is not really an issue.

 

[Planemo]

There's other more powerful electric motorbikes that would compete with a 125cc petrol one.

I agree bud, but at what price..?

Go into anything even approaching 'motorbike' territory and the price of electric alternatives rockets exponentially. Unless I have missed something, as the tech is advancing just as quickly.

In any event, whilst the SOCO is relatively cheap for a 'moped', I maintain that it doesnt offer much between say a new oxydrive kit fitted to a decent albeit used mtb (circa £1000 total) and a 125cc I/C motorbike. Hell, if I am being too generic and you would prefer I compare apples, I would say you are better off simply buying an I/C moped instead of the SOCO. Its a good find mate dont get me wrong, but as always with all things electric, people need to do the math and compare price/usability against the alternatives. All too often folks dont, and end up losing big sums of money simply because 'it uses electricity, it must be cheaper'. Hybrid cars are an excellent example of this lemming mentality.