xb-600 or xb-700li

I have the 700Li so I can talk to that. Someone else might give you 2 Cents worth about the 600.
I have had mine for about 18 months and have not had real issues. Nothing going up in smoke etc.
But if I had to do it again I would go for the Veloteq line.
I don't read or hear of negative commetns like the Xtremes seem to get -- remember mine has been fairly relieable.
So why would I switch brands???
Quality seems to be higher, the lighting system is 12v, bikes generally seem more solidly built.

Just my 2 cents worth. Good luck on whatver you choose --- they are a fun ride.

Thom

Hi, We use the 700Li everyday and sell these scooters. We only sell what we can support and recommend. Our opinion might not count because we are dealer but we can still tell you what we think about the bikes.
We recommend the 700Li because of the Lithium batteries. Yes it is more expensive and might look like it is not worth the extra investment. Lead acid batteries need lots of care to make them last. Distance per charge us usually doubled with the Lithium batteries. Rigth now Xtetreme is out of stock on the 700Li . They are expecting a brand new and improved 700Li. This is what their dealer site says:

ALL NEW IMPROVED XB-700Li COMING LATE JANUARY 2010 WITH NEW IMPROVED LiPo4 LITHIUM BATTERIES. THESE ARE THE SAME TYPE OF CELLS WE USE IN OUR $6000 E-MOTORCYCLES & THEY ARE THE MOST DEPENDABLE & STABLE LITHIUM CELL AVAILABLE TODAY. IT'S WORTH THE WAIT. BACK ORDERS ARE WELCOME.

We have not tested the new bikes yet. We will as soon as they are available. We are expecting them on late February early March.

Our 700Li has almost 2000 miles on the odometer. We got ours on August 2008. It was one of the first 700Li delivered. We installed an inexpensive bicycle computer. The 700Li does not come with an Odometer and the speedometer is not accurate at all.

We have heard very good things about the 600 scooter and it can be highly modified. It is a great platform for modifications. We recommend these scooter for people that are not afraid to work on them. There are not too many places that have experience working with them.

The reason we recommend these bikes to people that are not afraid to work on them is because these bikes are made in China. Quality is not very high sometimes. You will have to final assemble the bike and make sure all the bolts and nuts are tight. If something goes bad during the warranty period the distributor can only give you customer support over email and sometimes over the phone. We as dealers also support our customers via phone and our website.

We sold several of the 700Li and we only had two defective batteries including ours. Xtreme took its time but the batteries were replaced free of charge. You can see that info in the forum.

We wish we could get this kind of bikes built in the US. Unfortunately labor and manufacturing costs would make this bike very expensive. As we mentioned before these bikes are a great platform for modifications and upgrades. We have done nothing to the bike besides replacing the battery under warranty and it still works fine for us. These bikes are not perfect but they are adequate for the amount paid. We know people that have replaces the electric motors, change the controller, add more batteries, etc, etc.

You can not get a Lithium powered bicycle kit for under 1000 that we know of. The 700Li is a great value in our opinion.

Al

My wife and I've been using an XB600 for about a year in daily use for a ~3 mi. round trip, charging each night. When she needs the car, I use the scoot. We have been quite happy with it, though it is no speed demon. It has a 12V bus, though it uses a common ground for both the 12V and 48V side.

The choice of chemistries relates to your tolerance for living on the technological edge. Lead acid is well understood. Lead acid really should be rewired with a series/parallel plug and charged with a 12V charger to maintain balance between the batteries in the pack. Lack of balance can quickly destroy the pack in a few weeks. If you're lucky, the stock 48V series charger will keep your pack going for years. If you are not lucky, you can cook the pack.

Lithium batteries, as I understand, MUST be actively controlled both on charge and discharge. I don't know what type of BMS is included by the XB factory. (I have taken the BMS board apart on an old laptop pack, and was impressed by the complexity.) Personally, the extra cost is a big problem for me.

Mark

WEll, someone mentioned Veloteq. One thing that stands out about Veloteq is they claim full safety compliance in both USA and Canada, which means, they may be only 500 Watts, I'd check their website for updates to that. Veloteq is one of the more expensive builds of electric scooter, priced at close to $2000 or so. I also think they are only using sealed Lead-acid batteries They are still built in China, but allegedly to their specs, and to meet CPSC standards. Another distinct thing about them is that instead of the standard hub motor, they use an outboard gear motor and transmission (reduction gearbox). This might be more noisy than a hub motor, BUT I have not seen the XB-600, 700Li or any of the Veloteq line in person. After my experience with an ebike/scooter, I'm wishing i had bought any one of these rather than the bike i have now, which is sitting with a useless spindle, and "socket-ratchet" style pedals that cant take 3 revolutions without falling off, and thus "not legal" as the pedals arent functional (Thank you, Changzhou New-District Benshen Bicycle Co., Ltd. ) (model BS-WH600, branded under another name) Do your homework, and you may save the cost of a scooter in frustration and regret. Lots to read on this forum, videos on Youtube for comparison as well as pics from the X-treme website. It might even be worth some travel time to see them in person if you can find a place selling both. If you go with the lead acid battery scooter, and have to lug that battery anywhere thats what?.. 60 pounds?.... weight advantages arent just for riding! :-)

one drawback to gas scooters, they arent elevator/interior friendly, as battery bikes are

You'll need to get something you are comfortable maintaining. ALL these small scoots need consistent, detailed attention to keep going. There are just too many small vibrating parts that are vitally needed for safe operation.

Mark