GuyBoden
Guru
- Location
- Warrington
If I was getting an electric bike because my legs couldn't pedal anymore, I'd get a Maeving RM for £6000.
https://maeving.com
https://maeving.com
Maeving Electric bike.
- Thread starter GuyBoden
- Start date
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a.twiddler
Veteran
Looks nice in a retro sort of way. Any electric motorbike is bound to be a stopgap model and its rider a sort of test pilot as the designs mature and evolve. They will develop an appearance of their own related to their function without needing to ape the designs which developed around the internal combustion engine. Perhaps something resembling a fuel tank will remain, as a useful storage compartment or glove box. The strengths of real retro motorcycles were a certain simplicity and ease of access to parts that needed to be maintained often. So you had such things as easily detachable wheels with no need to disturb the transmission, usually a chain, which stayed in place when the rear wheel was out.
Current motorbikes look the way they do because of the needs of the internal combustion engine and for most motorcyclists the sound, smells of fuel and hot oil, vibration, tractability, surge of acceleration between gear changes and so on is all part of the experience. Maybe less these days, but a big part of the experience was also maintaining your bike and finding ways to deal with its quirks and shortcomings.
I can foresee a time in years to come when a new generation of electric bike owners will have had no experience of these sort of things. If the fuel is still available, as it gets harder and harder to keep cars and bikes with internal combustion engines on the road, it will become the realm of diehard enthusiasts, eccentrics and historical vehicle restorers. Electric car and bike users will have got used to a smooth surge of power between starting off and maximum speed with no need to think about clutches or gears. Of course in places where automatic cars are common, this happens now, but drivers are still aware that something is going on under the bonnet by the change in tone and progress as the gears change automatically.
At the moment your driving licence covers auto only or all types of transmission, whether you have one for a car or a bike. Once electric vehicles are common most people's licences will be auto only as there won't be a need for anything else. Many people won't drive at all if self driving vehicles become the big thing that promoters say they will. Unless someone invents a self balancing system for electric motorcycles they are unlikely to become self driving, but who knows? With a mindset that accepts self driving vehicles as normal, anything could become possible. None of us who were alive in the 1980s could have predicted the all pervading nature of the internet, or mobile phones.
Perhaps like cars of the future, electric motorbikes of the future will just be seen by users as an appliance for getting from A to B, without some of the macho associations inherent in current motorbikes, when public transport can't cover the journey, with no real emotional attachment. I would hope not.
Current motorbikes look the way they do because of the needs of the internal combustion engine and for most motorcyclists the sound, smells of fuel and hot oil, vibration, tractability, surge of acceleration between gear changes and so on is all part of the experience. Maybe less these days, but a big part of the experience was also maintaining your bike and finding ways to deal with its quirks and shortcomings.
I can foresee a time in years to come when a new generation of electric bike owners will have had no experience of these sort of things. If the fuel is still available, as it gets harder and harder to keep cars and bikes with internal combustion engines on the road, it will become the realm of diehard enthusiasts, eccentrics and historical vehicle restorers. Electric car and bike users will have got used to a smooth surge of power between starting off and maximum speed with no need to think about clutches or gears. Of course in places where automatic cars are common, this happens now, but drivers are still aware that something is going on under the bonnet by the change in tone and progress as the gears change automatically.
At the moment your driving licence covers auto only or all types of transmission, whether you have one for a car or a bike. Once electric vehicles are common most people's licences will be auto only as there won't be a need for anything else. Many people won't drive at all if self driving vehicles become the big thing that promoters say they will. Unless someone invents a self balancing system for electric motorcycles they are unlikely to become self driving, but who knows? With a mindset that accepts self driving vehicles as normal, anything could become possible. None of us who were alive in the 1980s could have predicted the all pervading nature of the internet, or mobile phones.
Perhaps like cars of the future, electric motorbikes of the future will just be seen by users as an appliance for getting from A to B, without some of the macho associations inherent in current motorbikes, when public transport can't cover the journey, with no real emotional attachment. I would hope not.
notmyrealnamebutclose
Senior Member
crude suspension anything to go by, i'd forget it
D
Deleted member 26715
Guest
They had a blank piece of paper & they copied off the magazine in the corner of the room
D
Deleted member 1258
Guest
Thats a fugly looking thing.
D
Deleted member 26715
Guest
That's being polite
a.twiddler
Veteran
Forks look pretty conventional. Frame and swinging arm also, with twin shocks. Nothing wrong with that in light of its modest performance. I would have liked to see some of that £6000 spent on some rims that could take tubeless tyres as those look pretty basic and would need tubed tyres, if it really must have spoked wheels. Range is a bit disappointing, even with dual batteries. Quality of finish, durability after a few British winters, who can say from photos? A centre stand would have been useful for maintenance. Both front and rear brake levers are on the handlebars, similar to most auto scooters so perhaps this will become a new standard for non pedalled electric two wheelers. I wonder how much the lights will take out of the range if used for night riding rather than as daytime running lights.
It seems to have the performance of something like a Honda 90 Cub but with less range in its present iteration. The appeal of the Cub, which has endured for over 60 years, to non motorcyclists was that its mechanical gubbins were out of sight and maybe that is the area in which a new generation of commuter electric motorcycles might flourish rather than aping the styling of internal combustion ones. Honda produced a concept electric Cub not so long ago, though I don't know if it ever went any further. Petrolheads might scoff at the Honda Super Cub but in its various forms it has been the world's largest selling powered vehicle, ever. If an established major manufacturer were to enter the field, producing electrics alongside their current range, it would give more credibility to the concept of electric motorcycles, and they might more quickly become a mainstream thing.
So the bike highlighted by the OP, like others at this stage, should be seen as an interim model, and given time and development it's likely that the range will improve and charging time will decrease. Also, hopefully the price will come down as the cost of the relatively simple components reduces, as they become more commonplace.
It seems to have the performance of something like a Honda 90 Cub but with less range in its present iteration. The appeal of the Cub, which has endured for over 60 years, to non motorcyclists was that its mechanical gubbins were out of sight and maybe that is the area in which a new generation of commuter electric motorcycles might flourish rather than aping the styling of internal combustion ones. Honda produced a concept electric Cub not so long ago, though I don't know if it ever went any further. Petrolheads might scoff at the Honda Super Cub but in its various forms it has been the world's largest selling powered vehicle, ever. If an established major manufacturer were to enter the field, producing electrics alongside their current range, it would give more credibility to the concept of electric motorcycles, and they might more quickly become a mainstream thing.
So the bike highlighted by the OP, like others at this stage, should be seen as an interim model, and given time and development it's likely that the range will improve and charging time will decrease. Also, hopefully the price will come down as the cost of the relatively simple components reduces, as they become more commonplace.
OP
OP
GuyBoden
Guru
- Location
- Warrington
Yes, I admit that I'm suffering from being a "look back bore" by liking the retro styling of the Maeving RM bike.
It reminds me of an old bike I had in the 1970's, which had a Villiers engine.
Similar to the bike in the picture below.
It reminds me of an old bike I had in the 1970's, which had a Villiers engine.
Similar to the bike in the picture below.
D
Deleted member 26715
Guest
I had a James Comet, very similar bike, 97cc engine with 2 speed hand change
IanSmithCSE
Guru
- Location
- Worcester, Worcestershire
Good afternoon,
£6k and an "annual service" every 3,000 miles, yup it sure is a retro British Bike Experience!
More seriously is seems to be aimed at people whose take-home salary is £10k+ per month, as something to buy and then when not used, well so what, it wasn't that expensive, it was the same as a basic Rolex Oyster model!
This is quite a large market in London and non trivial in Brum.
However their web site makes them look confused about the purpose of the product.
Is almost an e Brompton leaving a train station after a commute and
Is a full on motorcycle experience, to me the size implying the performance and range of a low tuned 500/600cc ICE, showing my age, say a Honda CB500/Suzuki Bandit.
But it is neither.
I did like the idea of the e-moped configuration, people of my age could ride one without a CBT as our car licences are that old, but that minor benefit flies out of the window when coughing up £6k, plus the service hassles and the extra £1K to get another battery so that I could go anywhere.
Peugeot have a well established e scooters range that reflects the reality of the technology, not promising a million miles at 600mph and a 10 second full recharge time. Yes the style of these products is functional but I can't see there being many buyers who didn't understand what they were buying.
Bye
Ian
£6k and an "annual service" every 3,000 miles, yup it sure is a retro British Bike Experience!
More seriously is seems to be aimed at people whose take-home salary is £10k+ per month, as something to buy and then when not used, well so what, it wasn't that expensive, it was the same as a basic Rolex Oyster model!
This is quite a large market in London and non trivial in Brum.
However their web site makes them look confused about the purpose of the product.
Is almost an e Brompton leaving a train station after a commute and
Is a full on motorcycle experience, to me the size implying the performance and range of a low tuned 500/600cc ICE, showing my age, say a Honda CB500/Suzuki Bandit.
But it is neither.
I did like the idea of the e-moped configuration, people of my age could ride one without a CBT as our car licences are that old, but that minor benefit flies out of the window when coughing up £6k, plus the service hassles and the extra £1K to get another battery so that I could go anywhere.
Peugeot have a well established e scooters range that reflects the reality of the technology, not promising a million miles at 600mph and a 10 second full recharge time. Yes the style of these products is functional but I can't see there being many buyers who didn't understand what they were buying.
Bye
Ian
Last edited:
D
Deleted member 26715
Guest
I think it's ridiculously expensive, but then again
OP
OP
GuyBoden
Guru
- Location
- Warrington
Good afternoon,
£6k and an "annual service" every 3,000 miles, yup it sure is a retro British Bike Experience!
More seriously is seems to be aimed at people whose take-home salary is £10k+ per month, as something to buy and then when not used, well so what, it wasn't that expensive, it was the same as a basic Rolex Oyster model!
This is quite a large market in London and non trivial in Brum.
However their web site makes them look confused about the purpose of the product.
View attachment 671969
Is almost an e Brompton leaving a train station after a commute and
View attachment 671971
Is a full on motorcycle experience, to me the size implying the performance and range of a low tuned 500/600cc ICE, showing my age, say a Honda CB500/Suzuki Bandit.
But it is neither.
I did like the idea of the e-moped configuration, people of my age could ride one without a CBT as our car licences are that old, but that minor benefit flies out of the window when coughing up £6k, plus the service hassles and the extra £1K to get another battery so that I could go anywhere.
Peugeot have a well established e scooters range that reflects the reality of the technology, not promising a million miles at 600mph and a 10 second full recharge time. Yes the style of these products is functional but I can't see there being many buyers who didn't understand what they were buying.
Bye
Ian
The Peugeot is probably more practical, if a bit boring.
OP
OP
GuyBoden
Guru
- Location
- Warrington
That wouldn't be an option if I was getting an electric bike because my legs couldn't pedal anymore.
a.twiddler
Veteran
What does that do that other ebikes don't, for the price of a small car?
