Vectrix on Craigslist, Portland, OR

I believe the same handful of bikes have also shown up on eBay, but as being sold from someplace in Idaho.. Perhaps simply posting to "nearby" cities on craigslist to get more exposure.

I live in the Portland area and just recently bought a 2007 Vectrix with 4200 miles on it. I responded to the recently placed add and inquired about the condition of the bikes. Got the following response:

"These scooters have been in our possession since they left the factory in mid '07. They have been stored indoors in a climate controled warehouse for that entire time. I can tell you that I personally check the charge on the units every morning and if the charge is any lower than three bars under full it is pulled out and charged back to full that day. These are not repo units, we have the original titles for all of them. i appreciate your questions, if I can answer any more please let me know."

My question, most likely unanswerable, is: how well do you suppose the batteries would survive ~3 years in a showroom? From what I have read on this forum, maintenance and exercise of the batteries is critical. If the batteries were in excellent shape, the price would seem well justified for the battery alone.

Any thoughts?

Matt

Exercise of the batteries is not that important for standing bike. What is more important, and they're doing it, is to keep the battery charged. So, 3 years is no problem if they maintain the battery properly - and by their words, they do.

If you're interested to purchase one, make sure they have installed the latest firmware. If you can go check it out, you can see if it has the latest firmware by doing the following:
- turn the bike on and wait for the end of initialization (speedometer goes to max and back to zero)
- put the red kill switch to OFF position
- pull the left break lever (rear brake) and keep it pulled

The speedometer should be between 40kmh-45km/h AND THE LEFT LCD DISPLAY SHOULD DISPLAY VOLTAGE (between 130-145) AND BATTERY TEMPERATURE at the bottom of the display. If it's not, tell them to upload the latest firmware. Without it, you battery won't last long.

And ask them if they installed the 200A fuse. By default, these bikes have 125A main fuse installed and it's to weak. If not, tell them to install the 200A fuse. Without it, you may get stranded on the road if you push the bike hard enough.

If you decide to buy one - congratulations! You'll love the bike ;-)

I'm waiting for the price to drop to AU$ 2000.-

Without a warranty, they are not worth much more than that. No reason to believe that the standing around for several years has made these buggy bikes any better!

Be clear about it: You would be buying a project, not a mature, reliable and supported bike. You might be lucky and it is one of those bikes that just run quietly and without problems, they do exist. But it is much more likely that something essential will brake in the first few thousand km.

As a project, it's a good price, but you really need to buy two because failures are very likely, and in the USA you might not be able to find spares easily.

Thanks for the suggestions. As I mentioned, I already own a 2007 Vectrix. I bought it with the understanding that I was more-or-less on my own. I’m afraid it was love at first sight, and I am aware that there will most likely be problems ahead. I have only taken it to work ( ~ 24 miles rt) a few times thus far. I’m a wimp and don’t like to ride in the rain and dark on fast two-way country roads competing with hyper-caffeinated SUV drivers.

I tried making it round trip on a charge the first voyage and didn’t make it. I suspect that the bike had been sitting for awhile before I purchased it. It wanted a full conditioning charge after my first voyage, and I haven’t tried the single-charge round trip since.

Anyway, I like the bike, in spite of it’s flaws, and as Mik mentioned, the idea of having one for parts appeals to me. Still a lot of money, however.

Also, thanks for the tip concerning diagnostics for determining if I have the latest firmware for my 2007. I will test it out when I get home this evening. I don’t know where (or if) I can get support in the Portland area to do a firmware upgrade if I need it, however. This is all new to me so far.

Electric vehicles have been a long standing interest for me. When I was a kid, I built an electric go kart out of plywood, 2x4s, a Cadillac starter motor, and a car battery. Two speeds; on and off. First time I pushed the pedal (two pieces of copper that sparked furiously) it went backwards. Back to the drawing board.

Matt