First ride: the Vectrix Electric Maxi-Scooter

The only drawback to the two-way throttle I found was that when my wrist was rolled fully forward in re-gen braking mode, it was hard to jump back onto the right-hand brake lever in an emergency – but that’s something I quickly learned to prepare for. Oh, and yes, engaging the re-gen brake does switch the brake light on – and you need to come to a complete stop and reset the throttle before it’ll start reversing on you, so there’s no safety issues there.

The engine’s fairly sluggish on takeoff, it’s fair to say, but develops a satisfying pull above about 25kmh that builds to an easy 100kmh top speed without much fuss. It’s certainly more than enough to dart in and out of traffic with, making the Vectrix a quick and zippy commuter.

Handling ranks right up there with some of the most fun city bikes I’ve ridden. The Maxi simply carves around corners with a nimble ease that belies its 200kg weight. Throwing the bike from side to side, the Marzocchi forks (standard fitment on Ducatis) and Sachs rear shock gave me such stability and confidence I was soon scraping the side fairings on the ground while staying in my lane, laughing my head off.

Slow-speed handling is also particularly impressive, the low-slung central weight of the batteries making the Maxi an exceptionally easy bike to do u-turns on. After a bit of practice I was using almost all the huge steering lock to pull feet-up u-turns in the width of a single lane.

Being among the first true plug-in electric bikes of a decent size to make it to Australia, the Vectrix turns a lot of heads on the road due to its unique engine whine and Italian good looks. Vectrix Australia’s Marketing Director Charlie Mann has taken to carrying a stack of business cards wherever he rides the Maxi to hand out to boggle-eyed pedestrians and drivers in traffic.

Although our test bikes were only fourth and sixth-generation prototypes, quality and finish seemed excellent, and the Maxi looked stunning in its deep burgundy red. Styling looks Italian despite its American origins, which is no bad thing, and the production models, which will arrive shortly in Australia, will come in five colours.

Downsides? Apart from being slow off the line, the engine’s performance fades noticeably as you reach the end of the battery’s charge. My top-speed run came towards the end of the ride, and midrange pickup after that was well down on what it was earlier. Charlie agrees: “You can feel it when the battery starts fading. Your top speed drops to 80, then to 60. It doesn’t actually stop running for a long time – worst I’ve had was it came down to about 20kmh, which lets you get it home if you’re not too far away. But it’s not an issue if you’ve got the confidence to ask the closest shop owner if you can borrow a power point for 20 minutes.”

It’s also an expensive bike – not surprisingly, given that it’s one of the first viable electric bikes we’ve seen that can do a genuine freeway speed. At AU$17,500 the Vectrix has early adopters paying a premium for the pleasure of going green – although this is offset by the fact that charging it is so cheap – about $45 a year if used for daily commuting – and the fact that it needs virtually no servicing. The battery will last around 10 years, says Frank, and after that it’s recycled and re-used. Other than that it’s pretty much just brake pads, and they’ll last forever since you spend most of your time on the re-gen brake anyway.

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