Electric Scooters

[Phil P]

Unless the law has changed I think it is illegal to use them on the public highway and pavement unless they are part of a hire scheme. They can only be used legally on private land ...... at the moment.

Our councils are hire ones, after having a go I do think they will be more & more popular. Imagine if we didn’t have so much rain! I’d have one myself you could easily commute to work on one but not in poor weather.

 

[DrJuanKerr]

I think you will be disappointed with a scooter.

I say this because of my own experience of buying an e-bike. Before now all I've ever cycled for the last 50 years is to the corner shop and back. Getting an e-bike has changed my life. I can't keep myself off it and I now have at least 10 years of projects and trips planned.

I suspect within 5 minutes of having a scooter you will be wishing you had opted for a bike.

Pre-lockdown I bought the Mrs and I one of these each
Zero 9 Scooter

They're not cheap at £800 each and have a 600W motor illegal on all counts! The suspension works really well. We have a proven range of 18.5 miles but at full throttle [29 MPH]. Lowering the speed to 15 MPH returned 26 miles. At just over 17KG they're not light.

The Mrs made two carry holdalls for them so we take them to the shops, gym, pubs etc as they pack relatively small.

The Cali has 2 of Rogers' solar panels and an inverter hard wired to the battery under the passengers seat so charging is not a problem

 

[Phil P]

29mph on a scooter, lol alright if you are a young daredevil mind you would love to whizz past the cars on that!

 

[GrannyJen]

Pre-lockdown I bought the Mrs and I one of these each
Zero 9 Scooter

They're not cheap at £800 each and have a 600W motor illegal on all counts! The suspension works really well. We have a proven range of 18.5 miles but at full throttle [29 MPH]. Lowering the speed to 15 MPH returned 26 miles. At just over 17KG they're not light.

The Mrs made two carry holdalls for them so we take them to the shops, gym, pubs etc as they pack relatively small.

The Cali has 2 of Rogers' solar panels and an inverter hard wired to the battery under the passengers seat so charging is not a problem

and disk brakes as well

 

[DrJuanKerr]

and disk brakes as well

I wouldn't dare to try and guess how many hours research I undertook before buying them but, they're a hoot!

 

[soulstyledevon]

Pre-lockdown I bought the Mrs and I one of these each
Zero 9 Scooter

They're not cheap at £800 each and have a 600W motor illegal on all counts! The suspension works really well. We have a proven range of 18.5 miles but at full throttle [29 MPH]. Lowering the speed to 15 MPH returned 26 miles. At just over 17KG they're not light.

The Mrs made two carry holdalls for them so we take them to the shops, gym, pubs etc as they pack relatively small.

The Cali has 2 of Rogers' solar panels and an inverter hard wired to the battery under the passengers seat so charging is not a problem

When do you ever get to use them...?

 

[DrJuanKerr]

When do you ever get to use them...?

Everytime we take the Cali we take these. I like to wild camp so they're great to get to a country pub, local shop etc. I wouldn't recommend too many strong ciders and try to pilot one though. You'd be asking for trouble . I also take mine to the supermarket and gym. It's small enough to sit in the corner of the gym and be quite inconspicuous.

 

[cooky73]

I've got one of these: https://www.pureelectric.com/collec...-scooters/products/xiaomi-1s-electric-scooter

...and it is brilliant! It does max 15mph which is fast enough.

You can ride it in light rain and it is pretty light to put in the van. I've not taken it camping yet but it is great for just zipping to the shops for a few bits in a rucksack rather than the car.

Illegal - yes, but don't ride like a nob and you will be fine. I hear stories that they are hard to see etc. but they have lights?

If you are near a Pure store you can go and have play on lots of different ones - I found the Pure scooters too heavy and I will never be 100kg so it's all good.

 

[DrJuanKerr]

The Xiaomi was my first choice. It was from there things went “amiss”. After doing a test ride on both I bought the Zero instead. I had hoped with the release of this new Xiaomi model the stem would collapse more than it does and the bars would fold in. Lots do now so I don’t see why they didn’t implement those changes.

 

[andyinluton]

Everytime we take the Cali we take these. I like to wild camp so they're great to get to a country pub, local shop etc. I wouldn't recommend too many strong ciders and try to pilot one though. You'd be asking for trouble . I also take mine to the supermarket and gym. It's small enough to sit in the corner of the gym and be quite inconspicuous.

Pre covid - there were quite a lot of people getting stopped round Covent Garden on them.
Ive seen enough people stopped to put me off risking my driving license buying one until they are legal.

If you get caught its 6 points for no insurance
If you are drinking you get treated the same as a car driver so ban etc

The Hire ones have the insurance angle covered but you still have to behave when using one.

 

[DrJuanKerr]

Pre covid - there were quite a lot of people getting stopped round Covent Garden on them.
Ive seen enough people stopped to put me off risking my driving license buying one until they are legal.

If you get caught its 6 points for no insurance
If you are drinking you get treated the same as a car driver so ban etc

The Hire ones have the insurance angle covered but you still have to behave when using one.

Brutally, using a known illegal mode of transport in somewhere as densely populated with joe public and the law as Covent Garden is, you’d need to be a mug!

I wear a helmet, high viz, obey rules of the road and don’t ride like a muppet. I figure the police have bigger fish to fry

 

[Aidy P]

I've got one of these: https://www.pureelectric.com/collec...-scooters/products/xiaomi-1s-electric-scooter

...and it is brilliant! It does max 15mph which is fast enough.

You can ride it in light rain and it is pretty light to put in the van. I've not taken it camping yet but it is great for just zipping to the shops for a few bits in a rucksack rather than the car.

Illegal - yes, but don't ride like a nob and you will be fine. I hear stories that they are hard to see etc. but they have lights?

If you are near a Pure store you can go and have play on lots of different ones - I found the Pure scooters too heavy and I will never be 100kg so it's all good.

And that’s the point. Don’t ride it like a nob. There are plenty of Lycra clad idiots on the road without risk of prosecution.

 

[Whistler]

And that’s the point. Don’t ride it like a nob. There are plenty of Lycra clad idiots on the road without risk of prosecution.

Problem is a fair portion of them will probably be driven poorly. I doubt most users appreciate the damage they can do to an innocent pedestrian when they crash into them at 15 mph. Even at low speed a swipe of an electric scooter against an ankle the scooter is going to win.

 

[Aidy P]

Problem is a fair portion of them will probably be driven poorly. I doubt most users appreciate the damage they can do to an innocent pedestrian when they crash into them at 15 mph. Even at low speed a swipe of an electric scooter against an ankle the scooter is going to win.

Versus bikes? Hmmmm. I hate cyclists on our roads and pavements (I’m a cyclist). In France they seem to be better (I travel and feel safer).

 

[orbital]

Has anyone bought an electric scooter for their van? I’ve been looking at this https://campingsecrets.co.uk/riley-rs1-electric-scooter-review/ but I’m not sure about charging it when away.
Thinking it may be better than a folding bike.

Don’t do it. I almost squashed a man on one the other day. He decided to turn right, across my path, just as I was overtaking him. He wobbled alarmingly as he looked over his shoulder and veered into my path. Luckily I avoided him but if I hadn’t he would have ended up right under my front wheels. The wheels are too small to be stable so even minor movements and potholes throw them further into the road. I’d hate to think what the death rate must be. To make matters worse, I was hit by one while walking through our local park. He seemed to think that pedestrians should just get out of his way even if he’s on the ‘wrong’ side of the path. I’m surprised they’re allowed, tbh.

 

[Amarillo]

Don’t do it. I almost squashed a man on one the other day. He decided to turn right, across my path, just as I was overtaking him. He wobbled alarmingly as he looked over his shoulder and veered into my path. Luckily I avoided him but if I hadn’t he would have ended up right under my front wheels. The wheels are too small to be stable so even minor movements and potholes throw them further into the road. I’d hate to think what the death rate must be. To make matters worse, I was hit by one while walking through our local park. He seemed to think that pedestrians should just get out of his way even if he’s on the ‘wrong’ side of the path. I’m surprised they’re allowed, tbh.

Reading this all points to Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, and motor traffic lanes reallocated to cyclists, e-cyclists, mobility scooters and e-scooters being essential as we decarbonise our transport.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Brutally, using a known illegal mode of transport in somewhere as densely populated with joe public and the law as Covent Garden is, you’d need to be a mug!

I wear a helmet, high viz, obey rules of the road and don’t ride like a muppet. I figure the police have bigger fish to fry

To be fair, Warwickshire police currently have a zero tolerance policy with e-scooters and are clamping down hard on users.
It’s not something I would risk at present.

 

[Whistler]

Versus bikes? Hmmmm. I hate cyclists on our roads and pavements (I’m a cyclist). In France they seem to be better (I travel and feel safer).

Just because some bike riders are a menace doesn't mean we should add a different kind of menace to our roads and pavements.

 

[Aidy P]

Just because some bike riders are a menace doesn't mean we should add a different kind of menace to our roads and pavements.

Menace? That’s the user not the technology

 

[Denzilgts]

We have a couple of M365 pro scooters for the van, they are brilliant. So much so we use them more than the car now. We haven’t been stopped by police yet , passed them many times over no problem. They don’t expect an older person to ride one I think.
go to one of the pure electric stores loads of advice and they let us test them inside the store before purchasing. We do however ride with the upmost respect, always giving way , always saying thank you and ringing the bell with warning.

 

[Dec Downey]

Has anyone bought an electric scooter for their van? I’ve been looking at this https://campingsecrets.co.uk/riley-rs1-electric-scooter-review/ but I’m not sure about charging it when away.
Thinking it may be better than a folding bike.

I bought an electric trike from French company Damius, at 30+kg it’s a bit heavy for lifting onto the tailgate bike rack, but it just takes a few minutes to split into two parts which can go into the van Or the rear wheels in the van and front half on the bike rack. I think it’s going to do the trick, great machine

 

[Anthony1]

As I understand it they are not legal for road or pavement and I would guess it’s only a matter of time until campsites ban them. Even if road legal I think they would be dangerous.....pot holes and small wheels don’t mix!

It is true, they are technically illegal but they appear to be everywhere. I don't imagine the police will bother with any prosecutions until perhaps there is an accident. Look how they ignore all those people cycling on pavements.

Campsites are private land so should be allowed. Not many pot holes in a decent campsite.

 

[Anthony1]

I’m pretty sure my next bike will be an E-Brompton. I’ve had my current Brompton for nearly 20 years and love it still. The price tag of £2800 for the electric version isn’t much when divided by 20 years.

Depends how old you are. I doubt I have 20 years left in the tank.

 

[ArunAlec]

I read today that an e-scooter rider is being done for drunken driving and no insurance after falling off his scooter in Hyde Park on Boxing Day. Apparently he was carrying his dog whilst riding and managed to break the dogs leg in the accident.

 

[Mickyb123]

Excellent, RSPCA should also do him for injuring the dog.
Hopefully they will take his licence of him (if he has one) if he is daft enough to do it on a scooter carrying a dog then probably daft enough to do it in a car.
Think the message here back to the original thread is maybe wait before forking out and buying an electric scooter until the rules change.