Hi all,

Brian Germein and I went on an electric scooter fact finding trip on Tuesday, firstly to a farm west of Kilcoy and then on to Toowoomba. We saw two electric scooters, one being used by the owner (a real character), and the other a demo machine at the home of the Australian importer.

See some photos of both machines and a short video of the Swei scooter here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/maleny_steve/sets/72157605065977215/

The first machine we looked at was the Evader EV1000. This was a nice looking machine. To me it seemed very heavy to move around and although it pulled away okay from standing start it maxed out at 42-45 km/h - well under the designed 50km/h on the flat. With only 1000w sized motor I feel this unit is under-powered and it would no doubt struggle up hills. If they had a 2000w model, and if the weight could be reduced by 30kg, this would be a top machine for use around Maleny. It had great instruments including range remaining in km, which dynamically updated depending on speed, battery load and gradient of hill. These bikes are around $2,000 from a dealer in Sandgate. Not recommended.

See the website here:
http://www.evadermotorsports.com/1000.php

The second machine we looked at was the Swei SW0008. The demo model was dusty, had under inflated tyres, had not been ridden for some time, had a half torn off protective plastic coating on the instrument panel, and the batteries were nearly flat. Despite all this, the Swei performance from standing start and up a nearby hill was quite impressive. The unit is small, but I could comfortably ride it and I’m 195cm tall 80kg. If you weigh over 100kg, electric scooters are not for you...

Easily twice as powerful as the Evader, and a lot smaller and lighter as well, the Swei is a serious contender for use around Maleny. With a fully charged battery, properly inflated types and a bit of shine on the paint, the Swei would be a whole lot of fun to ride. Highly recommended.

Usually, they are freighted in carton partially assembled to the customer. The Australian importer is located in Toowoomba and he is willing to travel to Maleny with a trailer load of bikes - already fully assembled at a reduced delivery fee. He has 8 left in stock, with no new import delivery pending as he is a small businessman. He will be able to chat with other potential purchasers as well. If we are interested in a bulk buy, and there is space, he may bring an extra bike up on the off chance of a sale on the day to someone else. He has silver and red available as well as black.

So, who is interested in a bulk buy? The price delivered to Maleny is going to be around $1,800. Rego and insurance is $250PA. Recharging is 25c per charge!

See the website details, spares, warranty info here:
http://www.ozscootersdirect.com.au/showroom/sw0008.html
http://www.ozscootersdirect.com.au/partscatalogue/sw0008.html
http://www.ozscootersdirect.com.au/showroom/warranty.html