Hi all,
Just wanted to report in that I've ordered a C124 under the Test Pilot program and I have to say that I'm certainly looking forward to my first ride! I've been a lurker on this site for a couple of years (had considered getting a EVT-R20 when they first appeared) but haven't been a contributor yet. I'll post some pics and initial reports when the bike arrives and let you know how my winter driving goes!
My commute is about 9 miles each way from Waltham into Cambridge, MA and my plan is to ride as often as possible year round. We used to live in Watertown where my commute was only about 3 miles and I'd use my bicycle through the winter months so I'm used to cold weather riding - although I suppose I will feel the difference between 15 and 30-40mph!
The other thing that I wanted to say is that it's pretty cool to be able to read comments dating a few years back. This gave me a lot of confidence in ordering from Current Motor since I've read many of John Harding's posts over the years and have been impressed by his knowledge and openness, especially since starting the company. Nice to see a company run this way.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to contributing to the conversation.
Cheers,
Jeff
Hiya Jeff, and welcome to the owners club. Glad to hear that our conversations here are getting read by others, and that they make a difference.
I'm also a winter rider, but it's a bit easier down here. We get moderate cold but little snow. Yes, you have to protect against wind chill much more on a scooter, but fortunately we've actually got pretty good wind protection. Much better to be on a scooter than on a naked motorcycle. I'll be interested to hear your reports.
My electric vehicle: CuMoCo C130 scooter.
Thanks Mike, am looking forward to being able to report back! How long have you had the C130? Seems like they've been busy upgrading a number of parts/features over the past few months from what I'm read on some posts here. It also sounds like they've tried to make it fairly easy to change/upgrade parts on these machines.
Jeff Holmes
Wheels: Current Motor Co C124
Work: Encyclopedia of Life www.eol.org
Hi Jeff -
I just wanted to add my "welcome to the club" ;-)
For winter riding not only will you get more wind chill but when you bicycle you generate your own heat! You might want to look at getting some heated riding gear ;-)
John H. Founder of Current Motor Company - opinions on this site belong to me; not to my employer
Remember: " 'lectric for local. diesel for distance" - JTH, Amp Bros || "No Gas.
I'm actually the first customer to get a bike delivered, took possession of my C130 in Feb of 2010. I did some of my own upgrades (including the motor & rear wheel), but sent the bike back last Oct for an inspection and significant parts replacement. I've got a significant head start on the rest of the owners, and am over 3,600 miles now.
I'm expecting an upgraded dashboard sometime in the next few months, with a digital LDC for displaying diagnostics and other messages. There's also an upgraded motor coming, with better heat handling allowing higher performance. And John probably has some software updates for us as well. Further down the road I think a BMS change is likely.
The bike is pretty modular in general, so replacing parts isn't too difficult. In fact, you probably spend more time removing and replacing the plastic bodywork than you do on the actual replacement.
Something to think about for winter riding is lighting, since you're likely to be commuting in the dark. The headlights on our bikes aren't great, so I added some driving lights to my front forks. You have to keep the power draw low, but there are some 10w LEDs that put out some serious light. Vision X Solstice Solo pods are the ones I used, but there may be others on the market now.
My electric vehicle: CuMoCo C130 scooter.
Thanks John! Of course, I'm just hoping that the positive energy from riding around on an electric vehicle will keep the frostbite at bay! :-)
Jeff Holmes
Wheels: Current Motor Co C124
Work: Encyclopedia of Life www.eol.org
Thanks for the info, Mike. Great to hear about the upgrades. It's pretty interesting to see the evolution of a product like this. I was reading your comments in the other discussion about lighting as well... good to know. I'll probably look into the LED options.
Jeff Holmes
Wheels: Current Motor Co C124
Work: Encyclopedia of Life www.eol.org