This the Go Charged, Velociraptor is a small electric motorcycle… or is it a scooter?
When I picked up this wee electric thing… I had no idea what to expect.
With a range of around 80kilometers, and limited to 50km/h, it's firmly in the scooter market.
And if you don’t need to go any faster than 50kph, then this might actually be the wave of the future.
Equipped with a 72V / 30 Amp battery, and comes with a 240V, standard 3 pin wall socket to charge her up.
It has unbranded non-adjustable forks up front and a single equally unnamed, equally non-adjustable shock down back, machined alloy pegs, All Led lighting, and an LCD display, the modern 2021 aesthetic is complete, yet still entry-level basic.
Impressively for a little thing, it comes with front and rear disc brakes, and pillion pegs, though I’m pretty sure the suspension would be completely maxed out 2 up.
Electric motors produce all their torque from the second the throttle is cracked, so the acceleration from this little Velociraptor is actually quite impressive. And because it's light, it's very manageable, even for new riders.
With 3 “gears” controlled by a switch on the right-hand bar, you have 3 levels of speed restriction.
1st is restricted to 25kph, 2nd 35kph, and 3rd 53kph.
The GoCharged velociraptor is capable of propelling me up to 53kph reasonably quickly, and the feeling of belting around the streets, with the only sound being the wind rushing past your helmet is uncanny. Being a motorcycle rider of some experience, I am used to full-sized bikes, with bigger wheels. So riding the little Velociraptor around the streets, with its 13-inch wheels, I felt a little unstable. And I was thankful for the 50km/h speed restriction. But I’m sure it’s nothing you wouldn’t get used to.
At slow speed, I’m used to loading up the rear brake, ride the clutch and using the momentum of the pistons to help keep balance. With no conventional engine, this is not as easy, and when the brakes are engaged, the drive from the engine is cut, regardless of how much you wail on the throttle.
It's not impossible to control, but it is a little bit of a learning curve.
This bike has 2 levers in the conventional place on the bars, but where you would expect the clutch to be is actually the rear brake.
Note to self: don’t grab a handful of “clutch”
Importers GVI and GoCharged call this a “Café racer inspired moped” and I think it would look right at home outside a café. But, given its $4999 price tag, I wonder if it’s a little overpriced for the quality of the componentry and specs it brings to the table. Don’t get me wrong, it didn’t fall apart under me. It just didn’t exactly inspire confidence. It felt a little “entry-level.”
Maybe I'm being too negative on this wee machine, it is a cool wee electric scooter, If all you need to do is 50kph, then this would be a cheap form of transport, with no fuel costs, and if you can charge it off mum and dads power bull, you’re off to a winner.
If you’re comparing it to conventional scooters, then it’s in the upper end of the price bracket, but it’s also one of the only electric options on the market, and in a world where burning dinosaurs is quickly going out of fashion, the price tag may be well justified.
I hear GoCharged is bringing faster options in 2021, including a fully electric bike that can do 100kph, so we can't wait to test out the future offerings. for more info on the wee Velociraptor, go to gvi.kiwi.