The Big, Low $ Minibike Returns - Super 73 Scout

It's been all over the e-bike news this week. Lithium Cycles re-introduced the Super 73 Scout model.

Totally googular search results

 

The two flavors of Scoutiness

 

Mesquite Huggery types rejoice - the Scout is much more affordable than the other Super 73 models and it's probably cheaper than you could build it yourself. If you pre-order soon, you can get one for about $1000. So, if you've been holding out for just the right inexpensive oddball e-bike, your time has come.

A Rose Avenue by any other name...

 

And if you're truly the Mesquite Huggery type, you can pony up a few hundred $ more and end up with more powerful oddball somewhat-cargo-bike version - the Super 73 Scout Rose Avenue edition. This one has more power and range (48 volts and 14.5 Amp-hours), a rear rack, and some lights. It also has a black frame and red wheels, in case you are into that sort of thing.

Easy-to-compare specs

 

Are there any drawbacks to the Scout version? Well, there are a few. The first one is that you won't get to enjoy it until (practically) next year - they hope to ship in December. If you're in a hurry, you might want to keep looking. (You can order the $3200 2018 Super 73 now and get it in October 2017.) Also, if you plan to do much pedaling (you know - for more range and more exercise) you may be disappointed to find that this model is a single speed. The other Super 73's have 7-speed running gear.

 

[A 2018 Super 73 note: It looks like Lithium has thrown out the 2016 model's mid-drive motor in favor of a 1000 watt rear hub motor on the 2018 model. Hmm...]

In case you are missing the mid-drive or want to build your own, here are a few options to check out from Luna Cycle:

The I'll-add-my-own-darn-motor version

and some hub motors you can add

The 30mph mid-drive version

One truly bad mamma jamma - make sure you have health insurance!

 

In case you're wanting a somewhat-cargo-bike version

 

Okay, that's about it for this big minibike post. May you roll green while re-living your childhood dreams!

 

A few previous Mesquite Hugger posts about big mini-bikes:

 

When mini isn't mini - the Super 73 (6-17-2016)

 

2 More DIY Oddball E-Bike options (12-9-2016)

 

Follow-up on the Big Electric MiniBike (12-1-2016) Lots of 2016 Scout info and pics

 

Back to the Big Electric Mini Bikes (3-18-2017) A little Scout info

Fossil Free (Almost) Friday: Back to the Big Electric Mini Bikes

Luna, Super 73, and now Moke - If you're in the market for a Maxi-Mini and have $2000 to $5000 to spend, you are very much in luck these days.

Have you heard about the Moke?

The Moke is the latest of the big minis, and it speaks Spanish. It hails from Barcelona. The Moke is currently finishing up a very successful Indiegogo campaign and they are selling a version for $1990 if you want to pick it up in Spain or $2490 plus shipping if you want it shipped. (There was a $1799 version, but that window has already closed.) After the campaign closes, the price will be 40% more.

The Moke has a rear hub motor and can be had in 250-watt, 500-watt, and 1000-watt versions.

It has a really big seat and some cargo-hauling capabilities.

The Moke seems a really cool machine, but by the time you can get it over here, you're probably better off buying a made-in-California Super 73 (or a Banana -  keep reading.)

After checking the Moke out, I hopped over to the Super 73 site to see if anything new is going on. Sure enough, there were two new, fancier, and more expensive models...

Holy (S)Moke, Batman! That's a $4500 maxi-mini!

(It has an extra battery, lights, and knobby tires.)

And there's a $3500 copper-plated model.

But there was also a model missing -  the $1600 Super 73 Scout:



Yep, it was completely gone (or so I thought.)

Learn more about the MIA Scout here: Follow-up on the Big Electric MiniBike

(If you look at the bottom of the Super 73 Adventure page, a little Scout lingers there.)

Not seeing the budget-model Scout broke my heart a little. This is Mesquite Hugger where we love bikes that are attainable for those on a tighter budget. RIP Scout.

What was that about a Banana?

The other Maxi-Mini out there is the Luna Banana.

This is the 1000-watt version

(with lots of upgrade options)

This is the Super Banana 3000-watt Bad Mamma Jamma!

The Zero-watt Luna Banana (pedal-only)

If you're like me, you're probably thinking, Hey Self, I wonder if we could build one ourself for even less money. It's that kind of thinking that keeps me (and Grizz) in all kinds of trouble, so let's trudge on and see what kind of trouble we can get started.

So, I started plugging along on the LunaCycle website and came up with a few lower dollar options.

  

The lowest dollar option - $1450 plus shipping (which came out to $115 for my house)

The drawbacks to this setup? The battery is only 36 volts (you can upgrade to 48 volts for $80 more) and you will need to pay someone to lace the motor up for you (or wait for Luna to get the $275 1000-watt already laced in a rim version back in stock, which would lower the price $25 too.) 

If you're not a fan of hub motors, you can spend a little more and go mid-drive:

This 48-volt setup would give you pretty similar performance to the other mid-drives we've already looked at.

This 52-volt setup will let you go a little faster, but not quite as far. (By the way, if you're over at Luna, be sure to check out the Rhino, what a cool amount of craziness!)

So, where would I start?

Me, I'm a glutton for punishment. I'd start over at GoKarts USA with this little jewel: 

Find it here

Okay, not really. If I were in the market, I'd pick up one of these:

The $1600 Radwagon

They are offering free shipping on the Radwagon of my dreams right now, and I'm afraid I'll look like a dork on a minibike! (Instead of looking like a dork on a cargo bike.)

Regardless of how dorky you look, I hope you find the low-carbon runabout that makes you smile, saves you money, and treads oh-so-much lighter!

Follow-up on the Big Electric MiniBike

(and its little brother)

Once in a while here on Mesquite Hugger, we get all sentimental and delve into the past to see how our old crowd-funded friends are faring. In this case, we found that the family had grown a bit.

You may remember the Super 73 post back in June. Lots of people read that one. I think it struck a blast-from-the-past chord.

So I went back to see how things are going and found that Lithium Cycles now has a second offering - the Super 73 Scout.

I hope you like it in white!

This new maxi minibike is actually a bit of a stripped down version. And that's okay. Sure it has less power and less speed, but it also costs a lot less money. (Around here, we're all about that less money thing. In this case, it's about $1400 less. Yep, good stuff.)

So, what's the difference? I am glad you asked:

Maybe this will help.

Don't get too caught up on the lack of a beer holder. A plastic cup and some duct tape could work wonders. But a few of the other changes are worth talking about.

For me, the most disappointing deletion is the pedal assist followed by the move from a mid-drive motor to a hub motor. I really like hub motors, but in this case it moves the motor weight from the middle to the back where the battery and the rider are already keeping things a little off-balance.

Limey goodness!

Now that I rethink it, though, if I chose to ride about on a massive minibike, I might indeed be more worried about where to put my beer than how the thing handles at high speeds. So forget about that weight thing and bring on the duct tape!

 

 

Oh yeah - the bottle opener too.

 

What else do you give up on the Scout? Orange, Dark gray, Lime Green, Black Matte, and Desert Tan. Yep, the more expensive 73 comes in several colors. The Scout comes only in white.
 

Orange you loving this thing?
 

The original Super 73's purchased on Kickstarter are just beginning to roll off the assembly line and be delivered. The Scouts should start shipping in February.

 

 

So, what's it gonna be? Do you lean toward the Super 73 or the Super 73 Scout?
 

May you get to re-live your childhood dreams without having to put up with gasoline and muffler burns!

Fossil Free Friday: When mini isn't mini - the Super 73

For me, minibikes (and go-carts) have always been the one that got away. When I was a kid, my grandparents always had a subscription to Popular Mechanics. Every time I opened one I went straight to the back looking for ads like these:

 

Whenever the new Sears or Montgomery Wards catalogs arrived, I'd go straight to the minibikes. Oh, how I dreamed. 

 

The stuff dreams were made of.

 

In a junior high science class, I finally figured out why I had never owned a minibike. It was Newton's Third Law - For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. As desperately as I wanted a minibike, my parents desperately wanted me not to crack my skull open.

 

I was 30 years old when I finally brought a minibike home. I fully restored it, rode it up and down my street (illegally) a few times, and sold it a week later. I had outgrown the whole minibike thing.

 

Or so I thought.

This week I became aware of the Super 73. I have not outgrown the whole minibike thing, I just needed a bigger one with an electric motor, pedals, and cup holder. Yep, definitely wanting a (not-so) minibike. Maybe I want a maxibike (but that just sounds wrong).

 

Really, the Super 73 is more of an electric bicycle in really big minibike clothing. It even uses the same type of mid-drive electric motor I have been wanting for my next electric build. And it has 20" fat tires for a smooth ride - unlike the tiny squirrely tires on an old minibike.

What do you think? Would I look this hipster cool on a Super 73?

 

 

Honey, I'm quitting my diet - this thing'll haul 300 pounds!

Woohoo - disc brakes, a cupholder, and 30 miles per hour - sign me up!

 

As you probably already guessed, the Super 73 is currently running a Kickstarter campaign. To order yours, plan on spending somewhere around $2000 before shipping. Not bad money for a 48 volt/1000 watt electric bike with quality components. Lithium Cycles, the parent company, hopes to start shipping in November, so you may be cruising yours around the holidays, but the campaign has been wildly successful ($272,000 with 10 days to go) so don't be surprised if it takes them a little while to get them knocked out.

 

So, how about you? Have you outgrown minibikes, or did this post re-ignite an old spark?

 

May your green fun transportation be this quirky fun!