Another entry in the electric scooter market is the Boxx scooter.  In its “upgrade” model , the scooter charges in 1 hour via a standard domestic plug and gives you up to 80 miles (129kms) travel.  Weighing 120 lbs (55 kg) with all aluminium construction the unit comes standard with ABS, traction control, drive by wire, oversized all LED dot lighting system, and two useful cargo holds. Options include a heated seat and extra battery pack to double your distance.

Though they claim “superior comfort ergonomics”, it certainly doesn’t look that comfortable to me. So going 80 miles in one go might be a bit ambitious,  and I’m guessing a pillion is completely out of the question.  I suspect you won’t be getting your knee down on that sweeping corner either

Customisable at Boxx the price starts at $3995.

Filed in categories: Gear, News

Tagged: Motorcycle, Scooter

Boxx Electric Scooter – Looks as Comfortable as…a Box originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 31, 2012 at 2:30 pm.

Zero Motorcycles out of California has just released its 2012 lineup of electric motorcycles which include new power trains, models capable of exceeding 100 miles range, a new powerpack designed to last the life of the bike, and top speeds of up to 88mph.  This will be the first time that a mass produced electric motorcycle will exceed the 100 mile range.

“The 2012 model line is truly game changing. It marks the first time in history that riders can actually own an electric motorcycle that is capable of exceeding 100 miles of range on a single charge,” said Scot Harden, VP of Global Marketing of Zero Motorcycles. “Every model in the lineup goes faster, further and is more fun than ever before. These are not concepts. In less than three months, riders can see and purchase 2012 models at authorized Zero Motorcycles dealers.”

The Zero S, a street fighter , and Zero DS, a dual sport, are both available in 6 or 9kWH configurations . The Zeros S is capable of achieving up to 114 miles and speeds of 88mph.  The DS is capable of hitting 80mph.

With a 2 year limited warranty, these will start shipping in February 2012 and as a 100% electric vehicle, these are applicable to receive government rebates and credits where available.

Prices start at $7,695 for the Zero XU  ( designed for inner city riding ) and up to $13,995 for the Zero S ( 9kWH ).  Find your nearest dealer at Zero Motorcycles.

(Prices do not include shipping, taxes, PDI or road registration fees.)

Julie, how do I get one of these to review ???

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: Motorcycle

Zero Motorcycles – New range of electric motorcycles originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 11, 2011 at 11:00 am.

As a motorcycle rider as much as I love my MotoGP bike racing (go Stoner !!), as a Citizen of Planet Earth I always wonder how much of our precious fossil fuel is used up during a weekend of racing  (and that’s not even taking into account transport to and from events and other things).

Recently at the famous Bonneville Salt Flats, Lightning Motorcycles, specialist in electric scooters and motorbikes, set a new World Landspeed record for electric Bikes .  With an average run speed of  205.238mph this is the fastest Electric Bike out there. Their fastest run, a very respectable 208.386mph.

Riding the bike for Lightning was Race-Tech’s Paul Thede, a veteran of the salt in his own right. Thede’s 200+ mph passes meant his induction into Bonneville’s 200 MPH Club. One of only 65 motorcycles inductees ever to set a record over the 200 mark, Thede was the first to do so on an electric motorcycle.

Of course the big balance with any electric vehicle is distance between charges.  No good  if you can’t go very far at 200mph before you have to refill the electron tank

Check out their bikes at Lightning Motorcycles

Filed in categories: News, Outdoor Gear

Tagged: Motorcycle

Motorcycle + Salt + Electricity = Landspeed Record originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 21, 2011 at 10:03 am.

Full-cover motorcycle helmets can restrict neck movement for the driver when attempting to keep an eye behind him/her.   Rear-view mirrors on bikes do not always reveal everything going on and can vibrate.

The Reevu helmet (not available yet) may be a viable work around.  It has a set of mirrors effecting it into a rear-view mirror similar to that of a car.

Lower half = your view; upper quarter = rear view

I’m not sure how accurate the above figure is, but the Reevu site claims that this is how your view would appear when wearing the helmet.  Also there does not appear to be a way to purchase the product yet, but something to keep an eye on.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: Motorcycle, Spotlight Gadgets

Reevu Helmet — Makes the Exorcist Passe originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 10, 2010 at 9:00 am.

I have been riding motorcycles for over two decades; nearly twice as long as I have been a true tech-junkie. While I love putting around on my bike, I have always wanted to ride with music playing. I have attempted to make this happen many times over the years but nothing I have tried was either comfortable or convenient. The Cardo SCALA RIDER Q2 MultiSet Bluetooth (Motorcycle Helmet) Headset not only provides music while riding, but cellular conductivity, rider to rider/passenger communications, FM radio, and audible GPS instructions (via bluetooth).  I have my hopes up….I hope I am not disappointed.

The SCALA RIDER Q2 MultiSet comes very nicely and effectively packaged.

The MultiSet is just that; two complete, pre-paired Q2 setups. I often complain about manufactures shipping their (tiny) products in huge packaging. Cardo does just the opposite with the Q2 MultiSet, they jam both Q2′s into a relatively small volume.

Here is one of the two SCALA RIDER Q2 headset setups Cardo includes in the MultiSet.

Package Contents

• 2 x SCALA RIDER Q2 MultiSet Bluetooth Headset Units
• 2 x Helmet clamps w/attached speaker & microphone unit
• 2 x Dual-voltage universal travel charges
• Microphone sponges
• 4 x Velcro pads
• 2 x Allen wrenches
• 2 x Carrying Pouches
• 2 x Spacers for clamps
• User guide & registration card

Hardware Specifications

Features

• Bike-to-Bike intercom communications (w/up to three bikers) within a range of up to 500 m / 1,640 ft
• Rider-to-Passenger communications
• Works with up to four different Bluetooth devices (cellphone, GPS unit, other SCALA RIDER Q2 Headsets, SCALA RIDER solo)
• Ultra-slim speakers
• System adjusts volume automatically
• Embedded FM Radio
• mp3 player input

Installation

The installation went reasonably well. My helmet’s padding did not allow me to use the clamp Cardo includes to attach the Q2. The clamp is the recommended method of attaching the Q2 to your motorcycle helmet.

But thankfully Cardo also includes an optional Q2 mount that attaches to the helmet with a glue pad. The adhesive appears to be very strong and does not seem likely to fail with normal use. I have been using it for several weeks now and it gives no indication of falling off (which would definitely stink while motoring along @ 75mph).

The speaker & microphone unit screws onto the clamp/glue plate.  At this point, the two pieces are firmly attached to the side of the helmet.

Once the speaker & microphone unit are attached to the helmet, the speakers are the next piece that need to be installed.

It took a bit of trial and error to place the speakers and tuck the wires properly. The speakers themselves need to be situated directly on the outside of your ears for the best sound. The velcro on the back of the speakers gripped themselves very well to the inner padding material that lines the inside of my helmet. Once in place, if you decide to move or remove the speakers, it requires a good amount of pull to get them detached from the lining material.

The speaker wires are exposed the way I installed my Q2 system but should not get in the way. Although, I am considering cutting into my helmet padding to better install the speakers and wiring.

On a full face helmet, the microphone is suppose to be tucked between your mouth/chin and the inner-front of the helmet. With a 3/4 open-faced helmet, the microphone is simply positioned in front of your mouth. In my case, I prefer my helmets to be snug fitting leaving little room for either the speakers or microphone. But with a bit of experimentation, I located both where I hardly notice the speakers and place the mic within my helmet when I need it.

The SCALA RIDER Q2 MultiSet Bluetooth Headset Unit slides easily along the rails of the speaker/microphone unit and clicks into place.

Here is the bottom side of the assembly giving you a better view of how the bluetooth unit and rails come together.

The overall build and material qualities are both very good. I believe the SCALA RIDER Q2 MultiSet will stand the test of time of many hours of riding in sun, heat, rain, cold, etc.  While the Q2 is not weatherproof, it is definitely weather resistant.

For the most part, the Q2 is a large (feature rich) bluetooth headset that allows you to stay well connected during motorcycle rides. There are two primary control buttons on the main face of the bluetooth headset unit. These are the Main Control and Multi-Connection buttons.

The backside of the headset unit has the volume up and down buttons and the power charging port. The charging port has a rubber cover that seals the opening while not in use. All four of the buttons are easy to operate by feel while operating your bike.

mp3 Input

The mp3 player input is also on the rear of the assembly. The input connects directly into the speaker/microphone unit bypassing the bluetooth control unit. While it is great to be able to listen to music while riding, Cardo’s current Q2 design has limitations. All music control (INCLUDING VOLUME) are controlled via the player itself (versus the Q2). Futzing with your mp3 player while zipping along at highway speeds, controlling the motorcycle, watching out for all the other vehicles is a difficult (to near impossible) thing to do….and definitely not the smartest idea either. The speakers (while great for cellphone/comms) are less than ideal for listening to music. The music is tinny and has little bass. But the speakers are loud enough to be heard over the motorcycle and road noise, giving you ok music experience.

My suggestion to Cardo is to add A2DP (aka stereo bluetooth streaming) to its next iteration of their SCALA RIDER series. Then there would be no need for any wires connecting your player (assuming its bluetooth enabled) to the headset and you would have volume control through the Bluetooth Headset Unit. Especially now that Apple has enabled the 2nd generation iPod Touch’s and iPhone’s stereo bluetooth capability (plus the fact my Bold has that ability as well) with their latest OS update.

Cellphone Connectivity

Those limitations aside, the SCALA RIDER Q2 MultiSet bluetooth headset does an extremely good job of bringing connectivity to your motorcycle helmet. The pairing process was as quick and easy as any other bluetooth headset out today. The phone calls I had while at highway speeds were incredibly crisp and clear. Everyone I talked to could not believe I was taking the call on my motorcycle traveling at 70mph. Cardo’s noise cancellation microphone, automatic volume adjustment (based on speed and ambient noise), and speaker booster work well in concert to bring you an excellent call experience.

Bike-to-Bike/Passenger Communications

Bike-to-bike and rider-to-passenger communications was very clean and clear as well. Bike-to-bike communications allows for up to three bikers to communicate, assuming they are within range. Both bike-to-bike and rider-to-passenger communications allows riders and passenger to also conduct mobile phone calls, listen to the FM radio, or mp3 player. The SCALA RIDER Q2 has full duplex which allows bikers and passengers to talk and listen simultaneously. The Q2 MultiSet are pre-paired with each other and are good to go out of the box…..

FM Receiver

The FM receiver worked well enough. In the greater Seattle area, I was able to find 4-6 of the stronger stations depending on location. The Q2 has the ability to assign (up to) 6 pre-set stations. You can cycle through your pre-sets, which is controlled via the Multi-Connection button. The reception was, for the most part, finicky. Given the choice, I would choose the mp3 input over the FM radio every time.

Conclusions

Overall, I really like the Scala Rider Q2 Multiset bluetooth headset and will continue to use it when I need to talk on my cellphone or when I take a passenger in tow. But as I stated above, the music interface/experience and lack of stereo bluetooth leave something to be desired and will hopefully be improved with Cardo’s next Scala product. If excellent cellular conductivity is what you are looking for then the Q2 does not disappoint. If you are looking for a quality music experience, there are better alternatives out there.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Wireless

Tagged: Bluetooth Gear, Headset, Motorcycle

Cardo SCALA RIDER Q2 MultiSet Bluetooth (Motorcycle Helmet) Headset Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 2, 2009 at 7:52 am.