NIU Life (or life at 28mph)

 It's about time I mentioned about the dealer who I bought my NIU UQi GT Pro from. I bought it from Eco-Move in Bristol - their website is here https://eco-move.co.uk/   I cannot recommend them highly enough - they have been brilliant . Why did I choose a dealer so far away? The main two reasons were - they had the bike I wanted, and they offered part-exchange on my old bike (the SYM Joyride). The part exchange offered was at the upper end of what I was expecting - all they needed was the details of the machine and a few phone-photos. We agreed a price over the phone within minutes. Delivery was included in the price I paid (I'm not sure if that's standard, or I'm the Special One) - and delivery was within 10 days. The only delay in delivering the machine was getting the registration done through the DVLA. I paid a deposit (£200 as I remember) by bank transfer on the day I placed the order. Then I set up a bank transfer for the balance - after PEx - for a couple of

I've taken the NIU on a couple more rides and today was intended to be a ride up to my doctor's surgery and back. But it rained! The rain had nicely gathered in droplets on the seat and was easily brushed off - helmet on, key pressed, green button pressed, brake lever in - no green GO light.... try again, nothing. and again..... Eventually the penny dropped - the kick stand was down. Away I went. I parked it at the surgery in a 'non-parking' space where I'd seen a staff bike before, and went in for my appointment. That's when it started raining - not just any old rain, this was a biblical downpour.  As I came out into the waiting room, there was a 'proper biker' there (you know the type full leathers and a mean look!) and we commiserated each other on the weather. He was interested in the NIU and I told him my reasons for getting it - and far from being dismissive or ridiculing the bike he was interested and could see this type of machine as a good urban

 I used a job I've got to do where I volunteer as an excuse for another ride today. It was three and a half miles each way, with a stop for shopping on the way back. Yesterday, I mentioned the ride quality - and I wonder if the 'nervousness' I talked about from the bike relates to a higher centre of gravity for the machine than I'm used to. Certainly I feel as though I'm sitting ON the bike not IN it, as I did with the SYM. The mirrors are daft - yes they give a view behind, but only just, and when slightly out of position they lose their target - maybe I'm too wide! I haven't quite got the parking sequence yet - I'm always setting the alarm off while securing the machine. This will take a bit of practice methinks. I've got the app to send me an alert every time the alarm goes off.(And, I've set the dash clock to local, as opposed Beijing, time through the app). It doesn't seem to be possible to change the indicator tone - as is feasible on o

 Yay! It's been delivered! I'll post about the dealer and the service later. The bike was unloaded and set up - 100% battery charge, all good. I did the 'binding' thing with the app, and was just about to go for a quick spin before the delivery guy left, and I noticed the battery display was blank and I had a red light on the dash....... This was the dreaded 'error 99' fault, which required a lot of battery disconecting, reconnecting, restarting, waiting - and hey presto! it's gone. It might have been the binding, and a firmware update that did it. The biggest first impression was the silence - there's (obviously) no audio feedback from the engine, no vroom. This is a bit disconcerting when starting the thing up. The next thing I noticed was the harsh suspension - this isn't a bike for long distance comfort. The ride isn't 'bad' but there's a lot of feedback from the road surface. While it's sure footed (probably more so than my

  Anyone on two wheels worries about security . Bicycle theft is a huge problem, and there are continual worries for motorcycle,  motor scooter and moped riders as well. There are multiple security options for the riders of two wheeled machines, and some of these are common to all of the above. Leave the machine in a well lit, public place. Use two different locks. Use a secure parking provider. Lock the thing to something immovable. Make it hard for a lock to be attacked with a sledgehammer / cutting disk.  None are infallible. The NIU UQI GT Pro has another trick up its sleeve - and I wait to see how this works in action. This is the app based alert if the machine is moved. I think this is linked to the inbuilt alarm, and GPS tracker.  Now, I'm not a huge fan of alarms - they are too prevalent in the UK, and when anyone hears one it tends to get ignored. Alarms can be triggered by strong winds - and this may be a problem with something as lightweight as this eMoped, we'll see

 Go on - imagine a motor scooter . What comes to mind?  I'll wager it looks like a classic Vespa or Lambretta. Now - imagine a motorbike . What do you see? It's probably a racing bike, or a police BMW. Go on - try thinking of a moped . Hard isn't it? If you're of a certain age it might be a classic Puch, Tomos or Mobylette. If you're a bit younger, you might be seeing a Yamaha FS1e (the infamous 'Fizzy'). With these images in mind, it's not hard to see why the purveyors of electric two wheelers (not bicycles though) are having a hard time knowing what their machines should look like in order to both attract customers, and not to deter buyers either. Most companies in this market have gone for the 'classic scooter' look - the wannabe Vespa - although I'll make an honorable mention of Govecs for their rendition of the classic Schwalbe design! Some go for the motorcycle / moped vibe - but for an eMoped neither feels right to me. The scooter look

 Read almost anything on the internet on 30 mph mopeds and you'll quickly be convinced that they are dangerous. You will come away assuming that anyone riding one has a life expectancy measured in minutes. Is this really the case? If it is, then why are they allowed on the roads of the UK? I haven't got access to collision statistics - if they exist separately for 30 mph restricted machines - if you do have then I'd love to see a link in the comments. What I do have is - as noted in earlier posts - a vast experience of cycling, and a number of years experience of casual motorcycling (and slightly more as a car driver). There are a number of interesting comments made by "Teflon-Mike" in the BCF Forum at  https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=299314&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=50   and I've drawn on these comments extensively to shape my thinking. A two wheel rider in Britain faces - in my opinion - two main dangers : vehicles turning in

 You may have read my earlier post on my motorcycling, and my decision to buy a NIU UQI GT Pro. If you have you will have noticed that most of my motorcycling journeys are less than 15 miles. Ha! You say 'Ride a bicycle for those. You are lazy. Get fit!' So why an e-moped as opposed to a bicycle or electric bike? Good question. I am proud to be a Cyclist. I have always been a cyclist. I am a lifelong member of The Cyclists' Touring Club (or Cycling UK as the fashion now disctates). I am a member of Audax UK and YACF. I own several bicycles (and a tricycle in a state of disrepair). Personal circumstances dictate that I can no longer tour by bicycle or take part in Audax events - although I did volunteer at a control for the last London-Edinburgh-London event. I now only do shorter rides lasting half a day or less. I have lost most of my fitness for cycling, and frankly, the local roads are boring! If I were to attempt to do the 'motorbike journeys' by bicycle I would

 I'm no stranger to motorcycles.  I've been riding powered two wheelers since I was 23, that's 43 years. But I've never been into the 'bike scene' and never had anything with an engine bigger than 250cc.  My list of bikes with engines includes Honda C90, MZ 250/1, Gilera Runner, Piaggio X9, Sym Joyride - and importantly for this blog a Tomos moped. The Tomos was a Yugoslavian 50cc true moped, with pedals and a self-destructing exhaust system. It was sold in the UK - so I'm told - by the retail chain Woolworth. It was a horror to ride. It wasn't uncomfortable, it wasn't particularly unreliable - it just needed a lot of attention. But it was slow. Yes, it would do the statutory 30mph, eventually, after about 10 minutes of downhill riding. And it had no acceleration to speak of, which made it a dangerous nightmare at traffic lights with modern cars lined up behind you itching to get up to at least 20mph before the next set of lights. I sold it. My most