The French company Red Electric offers electric scooters in three different variants. While there are plenty of options when it comes to electric scooters these days, Red’s are special in that they offer long ranges between charging.
The three different versions are called E50, E100, and E125. The difference here is that they have two, three, or four batteries hidden beneath some interesting-looking bodywork.
The E50 may just have a 28 mph top speed, but the little scoot can do roughly 186 miles per charge. That would make it an excellent little commuter.
Next up is the E100. This scooter has a higher top speed of 50 mph, but as you might imagine, going faster means using up more electricity. It does have an additional battery, though, and it can go 137 miles before needing a charge.
The E125 is the highest-spec version from Red Electric. This scooter can do about 124 miles on a single charge. The top speed for this one is about 75 mph. That’s highway speeds, folks.
All scooters come with a 7-inch smart dashboard, backlighting, GPS navigation, and keyless ignition. It also pairs with your smartphone app. The pairing with your smartphone allows the bike to turn on and off automatically when you park it or hop on. You also get live stats of your bike, including battery power, and any maintenance issues that might spring up, which should be few because electric scooters are low on maintenance.
Overall, this looks like it could be a real winner. However, I think the styling is a bit odd. It’s a kind of chunky looking machine. Svelt is the last word you’d use to describe it. However, I’d suspect the folks interested in commuting or traveling on an electric scooter would be willing to put up with the styling.
Now, more details are available that show it also has airbags, crushable zones front and back like a car, seat belts and aerodynamic winglets that automatically change angle according to speed.
I’ve got to ask … why?
The German company currently has five scooters: the C 650 GT, C 650 Sport, C 400 X and C 400 GT, plus the C Evolution electric scooter which has not yet been imported to Australia.
BMW C Evolution electric scooter
The new patent drawings show the detachable roof with rear storage area on the electric scooter, but it may also be adapted for the petrol-powered models.
It could even be retrofitted to current models.
Retrofit roof
This is not the first time BMW has thought about bringing back the scooter roof. In 2009, BMW’s first electric scooter was the roofed C1-E concept, powered by a Vectrix motor.
C1-E concept
C1 failure
The whole idea of a motorcycle or scooter is to experience freedom from the cage of cars.
Adding a roof to a motorcycle or scooter not only looks ridiculous, but also makes it heavier and more unwieldy to ride because of its high centre of gravity.
Old C1 scooters can still be seen in crowded European cities such as Paris, but it was a dismal flop around the rest of the civilised world.
C1
The idea was to attract car drivers to two wheels. In some countries, riders of the quirky BMW scooter were even allowed to go helmet-less!
Given the sales flop of the C1 which was only built from 2000 to 2002, you have to ask why BMW would consider its reintroduction?
Hopefully, the BMW patent doesn’t give safety nannies the idea that the introduction of a scooter with a protective cage and seatbelt is the answer to two-wheeled injuries and deaths.
Australian car parking costs, which are among the highest in the world, should make motorcycling more attractive as bike parking is often free or discounted.
The 2020 Parking Price Index of car parking costs in 65 major cities shows Sydney in third place only behind New York and Boston.
Brisbane was in fifth place, Melbourne 18th and Perth 39th with no mention of Canberra, Adelaide or Hobart.
Sydney’s shopping district car parks were a whopping 498% higher than the median for the 65 cities listed.
UK car maintenance service Fixter did not consider motorcycle parking prices in their survey because many cities allow motorcycles to park free or at substantially discounted prices.
However, there are a few anomalies in Australia where motorcycle riders are being ripped off as they are charged the same price as cars.
Also, Melbourne airport, which charges 68.78% above the median price, has no discount for motorcycles.
Meanwhile, Sydney has free parking for motorcycles at the domestic and International airports and Brisbane offers a discount of $10/day for up to seven days then $5/day.
KYMCO Australia spokesman Michael Poynton says their sales were “flat” over the past two quarters.
“We saw a drop-off in our entry-level models, commonly used for food delivery, however an increase in our mid-range commuting models,” he says.
City
Agility City
The Agility City 125i 16+ features a 4-valve, EFI 125cc engine that meets Euro 4 standards.
It also comes with longer travel suspension including a twin rear shock for a smoother ride and front and rear hydraulic disc brakes in a new combined braking system.
Other highlights include a new ergonomically designed seat, larger under seat storage space, updated digital dashboard, 12 Volt charging outlet, new LED lights and a colour code top case as a standard feature.
It is available in Bright Blue.
Agility 300i
Agility 300i
The Agility 300i is powered by KYMCO’s 279cc EFI Euro 4 engine producing 17.1kW of power and 22.5NM of torque.
It also has front and rear hydraulic disc brakes and a Bosch ABS braking system.
Features include large under seat storage space with enough room for two full-face helmets and a wider seat with a wider backrest.
This scooter comes with Kymco’s recently introduced Noodoe interactive dashboard that connects a smart phone to the scooter.
It provides navigation, a customisable dash display and allows riders to share their ride through the Noodoe cloud – an online social community.
Additional features include a large windscreen and handle bar wind deflectors, all-LED lighting, keyless start technology and dual rear shock absorbers.
The Agility 300i is available in two colour schemes, Matte Silver or Dark Blue.
Both scooters come with KYMCO’s three-year factory warranty.
It shows that in the 12 months to March 2020, motor vehicle theft rose 11% while motorcycle and scooter theft was up a whopping 19% to 9938.
Motorcycle thefts by state
State or Territory
2018-04 to 2019-03
2019-04 to 2020-03
% change
Thefts
% of thefts
Thefts
% of thefts
ACT
105
1.2
122
1.2
16.2%
NSW
2,023
22.6
2,155
21.7
6.5%
NT
85
1.0
94
0.9
10.6%
QLD
1,792
20.0
2,128
21.4
18.8%
SA
623
7.0
865
8.7
38.8%
TAS
163
1.8
219
2.2
34.4%
VIC
2,057
23.0
2,177
21.9
5.8%
WA
2,090
23.4
2,178
21.9
4.2%
AUS
8,938
100.0
9,938
100.0
11.2%
Time to recover
Worse still for the owners, stolen motorcycle recovered within seven days dropped by 10%.
The time to recover stolen motorcycles increased most in Victoria and was more pronounced in metropolitan areas.
Most stolen vehicles took longer to recover the more expensive and younger they were.
However, stolen motorcycles did not show any considerable differences in the time to recover across vehicle age.
The Council believes some of the reasons for the longer recovery period for motorcycles include:
An increase in the use of cloned number platesto avoid detection and the elimination of registration labels. This makes it more difficult for police to detect stolen vehicles and gives thieves more time to use the stolen vehicle.
Changes in police priorities including a greater focus on drugs, terrorism and domestic violence.
An indication that offenders are getting older and less likely to be detected by police based purely on their age.
A community shift to a “mind your own business” approach to crime. People may be less likely to ‘get involved’ if they see an abandoned vehicle resulting in a delay in it being report to authorities. There is also a possibility that this change in social attitude is more evident in metropolitan areas.
Ebikes or pedal-assisted electric bicycles are growing out of control in many countries, creating danger for other road users, robbing motorcyclists of parking and giving all riders a bad name.
There are now calls in Australia and around the world for regulation or registration for these vehicles.
In China it is so bad, more than 10 major cities have restricted or banned them, despite the bikes providing cheap and easy transport.
Many see them as a green transport alternative that free up the city and provide cheap transportation with some health benefits.
However, some Chinese authorities claim ebikes are dominating bike lanes, endangering bicycle, motorcycle and scooter riders as well as other motorists. They are also riding on footpaths and paying little attention to road rules.
Ebikes epidemic
Chinese bikes destined for Europe (Image: Electrek)
Many other countries are now finding similar problems with the burgeoning growth of ebikes and the EU has complained about China dumping bikes in Europe.
There is a fear that they will grow even faster in the post-pandemic world where people eschew public transport because of the dangers of infection.
Motorcycle manufacturers such as Ducati and even Harley-Davidson are getting into the ebikes trend.
Harley ebikes
Like many countries including Australia, you can ride an ebike without a licence.
In Australia, they are limited to 25km/h, but illegal and virtually untraceable modifications can make them such faster and more dangerous.
Should motorcycles and scooters be allowed in bicycle lanes for short intervals at a limited speed to free up inner-city commuter traffic?
It’s not such an unusual proposal.
Motorcycles and scooters have their own lanes in several countries and even VicRoads considered it for inclusion in the lane filtering rules after it was recommended in a 2014 online cycling survey.
Unfortunately, the proposal was rejected, but now many be the time to reconsider.
As pandemic restrictions ease, many people believe public transport is a health risk.
This could turn the commute from lockdown to gridlock as train and bus commuters return to their cars!
Maybe we should put the two proposals together and allow motorcycles and scooters to share bicycle lanes!
The Australian Motorcycle Council points out that bicycle lanes rob traffic lanes of space which makes lane filtering more difficult.
Bicycle lanes trial
Rodney Brown wants motorcycles and scooters t be allowed to use bicycle lanes
Long-term motorcycle advocate Rodney Brown made an application in 2015 for motorcycles and scooters to use bicycle lanes.
He is now calling for the issue to be reconsidered.
Rod does not believe motorcycles and scooters should travel in bicycle lanes for the whole of their journey.
He suggests a six-month trial where motorcyclists and scooter riders are allowed to use them only for short parts of the journey where traffic is congested, not just at intersections where they can access bike lanes now.
“This would have a number of benefits, including easing of traffic congestion, improving rider safety through reduced motorcycle and scooter crashes, better use of road space and an environmental win as a result of reduced emissions,” he says.
His initial proposal was backed by several rider advocacy groups, including the popular motorcycle riders’ rights group, Freedom Riders Australia, who would like the plan introduced nationwide.
An Indian rider has escaped serious injury when his scooter sparked a fireball as it was sanitised at a roadside coronavirus checkpoint.
The health measure is one of many used to try to control the coronavirus infection rate in India which is almost 200,000 with more than 5500 deaths.
Thankfully the rider jumps free, although he initially runs straight back through the flames.
Fireball
Sanitiser has an alcohol base which can burst into flames if sprayed near an open flame or a very hot surface such as an exhaust or a catalytic convertor.
A cat can run at temperatures exceeding 500C. In fact, the more clogged the convertor, the hotter it gets and we expect that could be the case with this scooter.
You will notice that the fireball is sparked on the right side where the exhaust is located.
It’s not actually the scooter that burns. It’s the built-up deposit of spray on the ground.
However, its a timely warning about correctly filling your motorcycle tank.
Overfill and you could spill fuel on to the exhaust or catalytic convertor with disastrous consequences such as in this video.
Once again, this happened in India where the rider on the KTM 200 Duke allows the service station attendant to fill the tank while he is sitting on board.
That wouldn’t happen in Australia where most servos insist you get off your motorcycle.
In the video, the attendant overfills or the nozzle shut-off fails and the petrol spills and bursts into flames instantly.
The rider suffered burns to both legs and his right arm.
Overfilling motorcycle tank
Overfilling a motorcycle fuel tank is easy to do.
Cars have long filler necks which bubble up when the tank is near full and shuts off the nozzle.
There is rarely a splash back on the first “click” because the fuel has a long way to travel up the filler neck.
However, motorcycles either have a short filler neck or none at all. So the nozzle shuts off when the fuel tank is almost full and can easily splash out of the tank opening.
The correct way to fuel your bike, is to shove the nozzle down into the tank, not leave the tip near the top.
That way, the nozzle will shut off before the tank is full and near the fuel cap opening.
You then pull the nozzle back to the edge of the opening and slowly fill the tank by watching and listening.
Of course, you should first switch off the ignition, get off your bike and put it on the side stand or centre stand.
However, you need to be able to listen to the fuel gurgling in your tank. That may be difficult while wearing some helmets. I also wear ear plugs, so I take off my helmet and remove at least one ear plug when refuelling.
Squeezing in the most fuel
Some riders believe they fit more fuel in their bike if they put it on the centre stand, but it depends on the bike and the shape of the tank.
However, you really shouldn’t try to squeeze in as much fuel as possible.
Motorcycle tanks have filler recesses, hoses and an air gap at the top and will hold more fuel than the volume stated on the technical specifications.
That gap is there to allow the fuel to expand as it heats up. If you fill the gap, the fuel will simply spill out of the breather hose as you ride off.
The motorcycle tank is usually placed above the engine and in direct sunlight so they are susceptible to fuel expanding with the heat which pushes more fuel out of the breather hose.
Inaccurate pumps
If you haven’t totally filled up but the bowser suggests you’ve put in more than you believe is possible, it could be an inaccurate pump and you should lodge a complaint.
According to the National Measurement Institute (NMI), about one in a dozen complaints about inaccurate pumps is found to be correct.
They have trade measurement inspectors throughout Australia who are authorised to visit a place of business “at any reasonable time of day’’ as part of a trade measurement compliance inspection program.
Industry sources say servos are usually not fined, but warned on first offences.
So riders should be skeptical of bowser readings. Buy from reputable fuel suppliers and if you think you have a genuine complaint notify the authorities.
(Consumers can make complaints by ringing the national NMI hotline on 1300 686 664 or via email.
Some motorcycle, scooter and bicycle delivery riders are flouting traffic and parking rules, endangering pedestrians and other road users, says Motorcycle Council of NSW vice-chairman Jason Antony.
He says it has worsened under the current pandemic lockdown, as more and more people use online services to order meals.
Delivery rider scrutiny
“The food delivery industry — part of the burgeoning gig economy — is in dire need of regulatory oversight as well as scrutiny from road safety authorities,” Jason says.
“As a significant number of these workers are from overseas, it would not surprise me if they do not hold an Australian licence.
“Many such riders therefore tend to be unfamiliar with, or have little regard for, Australia’s traffic system and road rules — often endangering other road users, including pedestrians, for very little gain.
“For years, I have observed them on barely roadworthy motorbikes and scooters, choosing to behave in an increasingly dangerous manner as they stare at their mobiles, focussing on text and video conversations instead of their surroundings.
“Even L-platers can be frequently seen lane filtering, lane splitting, kerb filtering, failing to give way, chucking U-turns into the path of oncoming traffic, running red lights, almost striking pedestrians who are crossing legally … the list goes on.”
Under lane filtering rules, only those who hold a full Australian motorcycle licence are permitted to lane filter, not overseas licence holders.
We asked Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne councils if they had an issue with scooter delivery riders and whether they were over-represented in traffic and parking fines. However, they said they didn’t keep records relating to delivery riders. They also didn’t have any specific operations to keep a check on them.
Jason says the perceived lack of targeted action by the relevant authorities to hold errant delivery riders to account is perplexing.
“Over the past few years, I have observed an increase in the number of delivery riders taking more risks, breaking more road rules and creating close calls — yet we have not seen a campaign targeting them,” he says.
“The message needs to be spelled out and enforced with no wiggle room: inconsiderate, reckless and dangerous riding that puts others at needless risk will not be tolerated.”
Cyclists
Jason says it’s not just motorcycle and scooter delivery riders at fault.
He says many push-bike delivery riders are also illegally riding on footpaths, including many on power-assisted electric bikes despite the roads being relatively empty during the lockdown.
“They power through narrow footpaths at ridiculous speeds, speed past shop entrances and intersections, bang the bell when approaching pedestrians and frighten them out of their way — others silently scrape past those on foot with very little room to spare.”
In some states, it is illegal to ride a bicycle on pedestrian footpaths, but there are some exceptions for children.
Licensing and training
Jason says all delivery riders should be made to undertake road rules training and a defensive riding course.
“It could provide the impetus for food delivery riders to understand the responsibilities that come with operating a vehicle on the roads safely, sensibly and considerately,” he says.
“At the end of the day, it is about their safety as well — not merely the general public’s.”
He also points out that people with overseas driver/rider licences must obtain a relevant local licence after a certain period, usually three months.
2021 Honda ADV150. Images courtesy Honda North America.
This is not an April Fools joke…. American Honda has announced that the ADV150 “adventure scooter” will be coming to the U.S. market as early as June 2020, as a 2021 model year machine. The unique scooter has a rugged look, with Showa suspension, aggressive tires, an adjustable windscreen, under-seat storage and a Smart-Key system with built-in theft deterrents. U.S. retail pricing is $4,299.
To quote Chris Cox, American Honda’s Manager of Experiential Marketing/Public Relations, “What do you get when you combine an Africa Twin and a PCX150? We weren’t sure, but we knew it sounded like fun!”
We agree, Chris. We could use a little fun right now, and we can’t wait to get a ride on one.
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Chinese bikes destined for Europe (Image: 
Harley ebikes
Rodney Brown
Rodney Brown wants motorcycles and scooters t be allowed to use bicycle lanes
