BugE Reviews?

I have personally inspected the BugE during the OEVA "Electric Vehicle Day" event recently here in Portland. The designer, Mark Murphy, was there (along with some other cohorts) to answer questions. I have also been in e-mail communication with Mark discussing the BugE and alternative design ideas. He is a very nice guy and has been very gracious in our conversations.

My impressions:

1) The BugE is *really* nice looking in person. The pictures on the web really don't do it justice. They had two BugE's on display, and one was "customized" by the owner with several neat additions (including a custom paint job and stereo).
2) That said, the BugE is a decidedly simple vehicle which was designed from a purely practical standpoint with emphasis on keeping the price reasonable. As such, it makes some (very reasonable) compromises in its' design. If you are expecting it to take the place of your SUV, forget it. If you're expecting to use it for long excursions on highways, again, not a good choice. (however, it will go pretty fast - 50+ mph give or take). If you want to use it to commute to work/grocery store/wherever on roads that are not freeways, it's a fantastic choice.
3) The decision to make it a kit as opposed to a finished vehicle is just BRILLIANT in my opinion. The kit is VERY simple (total of 75 parts I think) and it allows for a LOT of customization by the builder/owner. This alone makes it very attractive to people such as myself who are DIY'ers and Tinkerers.
4) The vehicle seems to have a good amount of room since the seat can slide back and forth to accomodate bigger and smaller riders. I was told 6'+ people can fit no problem.
5) Structurally, the vehicle is based on a steel ladder frame with a fiberglass body and acrylic canopy. From what I could tell, it seemed very well engineered and would last a long time (unlike some of the cheapier Chinese scooter frames I've seen).
6) All-in-all, a very tempting vehicle kit to buy. I am currently considering it strongly.

A few design choices I differ with:

1) The BugE is non-tilting. The vehicle I desire is one which can travel freeway speeds with stability. I believe that a 3-wheeler will need to be able to tilt to do so safely. So, I wish the BugE was a tilter. But I understand why it is not. The design criteria precludes this as a feature.

2) The rear wheel is not suspended. This is puzzling to me since putting a swing arm suspension on the rear wheel seems like it would have been simple and cheap to do. I sent Mark and e-mail about this and look forward to his response.

Other notes:

One of the people there (didn't get his name, but he said he worked on the fiberglass body) said that a helmet was not required to drive the BugE in Oregon. He said that he has ridden the BugE many times (up to 55 mph supposedly) and never worn a helmet. I have a hard time believing this is legal because Oregon has requisite helmet law for motorcyclists, and the BugE is licensed as a motorcycle. I will definitely check into this claim (Mark didn't make the claim, another guy did - however, Mark also said he rides sans headbowl) because it doesn't seem like it could be correct to me. (but if it is, then that is a PLUS since driving the BugE would be much more pleasant without having to wear a helmet...albeit I am somewhat of a safety chicken, so I would probably wear a helmet anyway).

Even though it's kind of tangential, I have to comment that I really admire the way the BugE has been designed and produced. It's actually kind of a conglomerate of small local companies working together to produce the BugE - not just Bluesky design. Mark believes strongly in keeping things local, and basically, the BugE is produced through kind of a "co-op" of companies down in Southern Oregon. I am impressed with this.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask me and I'll try to answer if I can..

Chaster

The guy who claimed that the helmet wasn't required said a similar thing ("it is enclosed, so you don't need a helmet"). Of course, the BugE isn't fully enclosed (although I heard Mark mention one of his customers was going to make a cloth enclosure for the back - again, customizing at work!). I am going to have to check that with DMV here in Oregon.

I just heard back from Mark regarding the rear suspension - it actually IS suspended, albeit in a very unique way - there is ONE shock in the ENTIRE vehicle which is connected to both the front AND rear suspension (!). It's "suspended between the front and rear swingarms to work in both directions". They do recommend adding a seat suspension (I think similar to how some bikes nowadays have "pogo style" seats) for tall people who may sit behind the pivot point a bit.

Re: the local assemblers. Indeed. And, anyone can be an assembler/distributor. All you have to do is buy the kits, assemble them, and sell them for a small profit (I think the website recommends something like $500 over the kit price). The website mentions this specifically. With only 75 pieces and no welding or fabrication needed, that could be an interesting & easy hobby/business for anyone with a minimal amount of assembly skills. Mark repeatedly told me it was about as difficult as putting together a typical plastic hobby model.

Eric

*EDIT* Update: I did some web research and found that indeed, Oregon provides an exemption to the helmet law for riders of enclosed motorcycles:

"814.290 Exemptions from motorcycle helmet requirements. This section establishes exemptions from the requirements and penalties relating to the use of motorcycle helmets under ORS 814.260 to 814.280. A person is not in violation of ORS 814.260, 814.269, 814.275 or 814.280 if the person is any of the following:

(1) Within an enclosed cab.

(2) Operating or riding a vehicle designed to travel with three wheels in contact with the ground at speeds of less than 15 miles per hour. [1983 c.338 §693; 1987 c.910 §6; 1995 c.492 §7]"

Of course, whether or not the BugE is truly "enclosed" is another question altogether...

I agree that the Bug-E looks really good. I considered one before buying my XM2K - but ultimately decided I wanted the path of least resistance into electric transport (so I went for low cost, pre-assembled and moped class).

If my time frees up I might buy a Bug-E. If either of you two take the plunge let us all know how your build experience goes.

Like you I was impressed with Bluesky's approach. Do you know if the kit approach also allows this bike to avoid certain NHTSA crash test requirements? i.e. much like kit cars.

Thanks,
John H.
Blue XM-2000
Ann Arbor, MI

Oops - that's got to be one of the dumbest questions I've ever asked. Sorry about that. I was confusing bikes and cars.

However, I am interested in knowing what the legal requirements for selling a kit to the public are, as compared to selling a completed motorcycle...

John H.
Blue XM-2000
Ann Arbor, MI