💼 Comparing Honda’s Two "Suitcase Scooters"
Plus creative minibike builds and Domino's custom-designed pizza-delivery ebike.
Welcome to Mod Monday! This is your weekly newsletter on all things brilliant and bizarre in the world of DIY riding.
Remember to use the hashtag #ModMonday if you want us to cover your project, like this custom KR1 from Super73 that pays tribute to the iconic Yamaha YZR500. Pay attention to the Magura MT5e dual-piston brake kit, which pairs seamlessly with the gold-coated cast front wheel, along with a 220mm Magura front rotor and a 180mm Magura rear rotor.
What You Need to Know Today
Domino’s has used electric bikes for delivery in the past, but now they’ve taken it to a whole new level with a custom delivery ebike. It features a sizable rear-mounted oven that gives the bike futuristic space vehicle vibes, while also keeping the delicious cargo hot and safe from bumps.
What’s it like to actually use an ebike as a food-delivery courier? The intrepid Micah Toll went undercover in Miami to find out and discovered a world of dangerous drivers, harsh conditions, and nearly impossible demands. “I was surprised at just how difficult the job was. I’m a hard worker, I’ve worked plenty of manual labor jobs, I served in the military, and I’m no stranger to getting my hands dirty. But I still have a newfound respect for the job performed by delivery riders.”
Another area where electric bikes continue to gain traction is with law enforcement. Electric bikes provide plenty of advantages for officers, including making it possible to pursue and catch illegal ebike riders in areas where other motor vehicles can’t go.
There are many PEVs designed as adaptive mobility devices, but for Trevor Cowlishaw the best one was none other than Future Motion’s Onewheel. His story of recovery from spinal injury to regaining his mobility thanks to his Onewheel is truly touching.
Just because your frame is small doesn’t mean your power output has to be. This simple custom minibike has an eye-popping 7,000 watt motor and a top speed of 35 mph (56 km/h).
Adding a second motor is a great way to amp up the power of your electric bike… but why stop there? CitizenCycle has a series of videos documenting his upgrades to his Ariel Grizzly, and in the latest episode he’s making it a triple-motor setup by adding a mid-drive.
Continuing with the “Why not Three?” theme, check out this three-wheeled minibike with rugged chopper vibes built by the folks at Engineered To Design.
Electric bikes face a lot of resistance from the acoustic mountain biking community, but they’re steadily gaining traction. This video from Evans MTB Saga details why he’s been testing out e-bikes in secret, why he’s starting to love them, and why they still have some room for improvement.
Here’s a short but powerful story about why micromobility is so important for low- and fixed-income people.
Sometimes a relatively simple mod can greatly improve your riding experience. This Redditor installed a motorcycle CarPlay unit onto his Super73 RX, with plans to use a splitter to power it in tandem with the headlight.
Honda’s recently announced Motocompacto may be a new vehicle, but it pays homage to the gas-powered Motocompo from 1983. TFL bike provides an excellent side-by-side comparison of the two scooters disguised as suitcases.
If you’ve enjoyed Wrong Way’s massive jumps on electric unicycles and thought “I want to do that”, then his latest guide on How to FLY Electric Unicycles is just what you need.
The EPA wants to hear about your experience with electric vehicles, so much that they’re putting on a video challenge competition with a chance to win $3,000.
And finally, if you want to be able to see behind you while riding but aren’t happy with the usual handlebar- or helmet-mounted mirror options, how about a pair of sunglasses with built-in mirrors? These Hindsight glasses provide a clear view of what’s behind you while also making you feel a bit like a secret agent.
Scooters are nice for the young, BUT, how about a two passenger city/urban, all electric vehicle with two very comfortable seats, A/C, radio, heat, regenerative one pedal braking, optional solar panel for a vent fan on hot days to keep the enclosed interior cool while parked, solid state battery with a 150 mile range, affordable price, $25,000 or less, very few options because it comes fully equipped as produced, passes USA road requirements, top speed 55 MPH, but purpose built for city driving mainly.
Currently their is a near vacuum for a vehicle of this nature, only very expensive electrics available. How about calling it a city Quadracycle with less stringent road requirements?? Freddie87002