Where are they now: the MotoChimp Electric Scooter

Yep, I hear you, there's not a lot of joyfulnicity in eco news lately. The mirth has been a little elusive.

But it still rears its lovely and funky head here and there.

A new Fully Charged video came out this week reviewing a little scooter we talked about last year - the MotoChimp. Last year it was a fun little sidebar, but this year there's lot more to the story. Check out the video.

The Fully Charged Video Review

Here in Lubbock it's been amusing (and a little terrifying) to see all the young college guys embracing two oddball scooters - the Honda Ruckus and the Honda Grom. And if they'll ride those...

Why not?

Really, why not? If you're looking for cheap, local, eco-friendly transportation, why not ride something that makes you (and everyone around you) smile in a really big way. It has a 40 mile range, charges in one hour, will fit in your sock drawer, and it let's the world know that you take your planet-saving very, very seriously (but not your tough guy/gal image.)

The Last MH Post with a MotoChimp

Nope, it's not available here yet, but that just gives you a little more time to get used to the idea before you place your order.

Learn more about the MotoChimp at motochimp.com

Knippa, you could wear your gorilla suit!

May you have some eco-friendly fun today.

A More Beastly Beast - How Did I Miss This?

I have to give it up for Daymak, they keep me on my toes. They keep offering up new stuff and it's very appealing stuff. I have a hard time keeping up with them. Unlike those !@#$% stooges at TransCanada (Ugh!), these are some Canadians who are trying to offer something positive to the world.

This time, it's a bigger, badder Beast - this one is two-wheel drive and runs 30mph! And it's only $300 more than the Beast Ultimate. If the normal Beast was just too citified for your taste, this is the Beast for you - the Beast D!

This 2WD Electric Ruckus Will Take You Anywhere (Gas 2)

 

So, let's look at specs:

• 2WD (You can hang with mountain goats who hang out on 36 degree slopes!)
• removable 60 volt 20 amp-hour lithium battery (with a solar panel built in)
• 2 - 500 watt hub motors
• 2 USB ports for your electronics
• It weighs only four pounds more than your favorite blogger

 

To be honest, I am not in the market for a Beast, but my less practical rugged manly side sure wants one. I want to be able to say things like, "I am going to hop on my eco-friendly Beast and run over your TransCanadian a##, b*****s!" and other macho Captain Planet kind of stuff. I want to be able to get away from it all and know that my transport is sitting in the sun charging itself while I'm off doing manly things like writing poetry and looking at birds through a monocular. When I see a muddy alley, I want to think Hell yeah! Let's see what the neighbors are throwing away! Yes, I want a 2wd 31mph Beast. Now where did I leave that $4300 I had lying around?

 

May your Rambo fantasies feature a beast and some quest or another to save our battered world.

The (Daymak) Beast has escaped!

Image from Daymak.com

I was having breakfast with a bunch of scooterists a few weeks ago. One guy was telling stories of some pretty amazing scooter exploits. My friend Daniel looked across the table and said, "Where's the pictures? Dude, if there ain't no pictures, it didn't happen!" (Daniel really talks like that.)

I have come to realize that "...it didn't happen" phrase is a new motto for our youtubily-Instagrammatically-driven culture. And it's especially true when we look at new electric things with wheels. And I am very susceptible to the hype. I will run across an article on that new thing, get all excited, and then wait to see the first images posted by real consumers in the real world. Lots of them never materialize. (The e-bike world is currently waiting to see if the Sondors [formerly the Storm] fat-tired e-bike from Kickstarter ever materializes.) I write about a lot of those electric things on this blog.

And I am always excited to share news when those electric things do appear in the consumer wilds.

I had heard nothing about the Daymak Beast in a while, so I did a quick search and found that they have indeed been shipping them to Kickstarter supporters. I even found one of their supporters who posted a video on youtube the day after he received his back in April. While it may not be the greatest video you watch this year - or even today - it is exciting to see that thing is indeed being built and delivered!

The beast ebike by Daymak review (standard model)

If you are still thirsting for Beast video, I also ran across the assembly video for this unholy offspring of an e-bike, a Honda Ruckus, and a solar panel.

Beast Assembly Video (on the Kickstarter page)

May the thing you've been waiting for arrive and be even better than you hoped!

(On a related note, I received a little communication from Superpedestrian about the Copenhagen Wheel this morning - they are apparently going to start shipping this month. If so, I will apologize for referring to their product as "mythical" in yesterday's MH post.)

Double Followup on the Daymak Beast Kickstarter

Yes, the Beast has become a weird little obsession lately. No, I have not sold anything valuable and thrown any money at the campaign, but I have been watching from the sidelines, a lot.

As for the Kickstarter campaign, things look promising - 7 days to go and slightly over 80% has been pledged. Now, if six people pony up for the Early Bird Deluxe 2.0 (which looks like a smoking bargain to me,) then Daymak will reach their goal and go into production.

Today I ran across something I have been hoping to find - a third-party review. And, since I know y'all are having the same weird little obsession with the Beast (Right?), I wanted to share it with you:

 Motorcycle.com: Daymak Beast Electric Bike First Ride Review

It did answer a few questions for me. I had wondered if the 48V version had lead-acid batteries - it does. (So, if you are planning to support the Kickstarter in a big way, go for one of the 60V versions with a lithium battery pack.) That was a little unclear on their website. I had also wondered about the seat being so close to the pedals and whether or not the floorboard is too long. Apparently yes, those are both issues they are dealing with for the finalized versions.

So, is it just me? Am I the only one with this strange obsession with this ugly but practical machine? Talk amongst yourselves - I will keep watching the drama unfold.

May you enjoy your own little eco-soap operas.