Vectrix VX-1 on Austin Craigslist, I test rode it...

[edamame]

Hey y'all,

I test rode a Vectric VX-1 in Austin last Thursday. The price was right but it didn't fit my needs but if anybody is looking for one here it is:

http://austin.craigslist.org/mcy/2972962134.html

Bike is clean with a new battery pack, controller to motor harness and encoder for hubmotor. Worked perfectly for me with about 40 mile range at about hwy speeds. If you are looking for a fast maxi escooter here's your chance. I'm plugging it cause the owner's a pretty nice dude and a fellow Leafer.

[oatnet]

3k is a decent ask for an NiMh bike. I'd want to know when the batteries were replaced, because if it has been a while they could be run down too.

However, 40 highway miles is not accurate. Maybe 40 miles range at 25-30mph, but not at 60mph -most people claimed about 20 highway miles on the NiMh pack. I've owned a Vectrix for two years, and engineered/built/installed a 164v50ah LiFePO4 pack (CLICK HERE), which gives me a range of 46.5 miles. The factory 136v 30ah NiMh pack has roughly half the kwh of my pack, and much higher resistance, so 20 miles is about right. When my NiMh pack was new and ran cool, I'd get about 28miles from it at 35-45mph.

I'd talk him down to 2,600, run the NiMh pack into the ground, and use it as a platform for whatever wonder battery we are using in a few years.

-JD


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Highway-speed commuter electric motorcyle (Vectrix VX1) - $3000 (North Austin)

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Date: 2012-05-21, 9:13PM CDT
Reply to: h3rdr-2972962134@sale.craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
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2007 Vectrix VX1. The only credible highway-capable step-through electric motorcycle on the market. Very green!

**** UPDATE - Price reduced to $3000 ****
- 9,900 miles
- New NiMH battery and controller from Vectrix in 2011 (A bad NiMH cell was throwing an error code so Vectrix replaced the battery and controller for free). The estimated life expectancy for this almost new battery is 10 yrs or 50,000 miles
- 100% electric. Zero emissions. About 50 cents per charge, which is about 5 times cheaper than a comparable 150cc gas scooter, and about 20 times less expensive than a car.
- Recharges anywhere with a 110-220 volt on board charger.
- Recharges to 80% capacity in two and a half hrs.
- Front and rear Brembo disc brakes. Really impressive stopping power.
- Storage under rear seat for a full faced helmet, glove box up front.
- Two-up rider capability. Plenty of power for two.
- This is a highway class maxi-scooter, top speed of 68mph. Very quick acceleration. The regenerative throttle is a work of genius. After 9000 miles the brake pads still look like new, because you use the motor for 90% of braking (by twisting the throttle forward; very intuitive).
- Range varies from 32-42 miles per charge. Like all current EV's, driving speed and style affect range.
- No scratches or damage. Does not need any work. It's ready to ride today.
- The bike is no longer under warranty, but there are few moving parts in an electric bike so maintenance costs are low, and Alien Scooters in Austin has done a great job with service.
- Comes with a large installed GIVI trunk.
- I've saved >$3000 in gas riding this great bike, but I just started driving a Nissan Leaf and can only afford one electric vehicle.

For more information about the Vectrix VX1 and the new Lithium model see http://evworld.com/news.cfm?newsid=26365

New Vectrix with NiMH batteries is about $11,000.
This 2007 Vectrix is yours for ***$3000***(updated) That's about a 74% discount.

Serious inquiries only. If you're just looking to experience an electric motorcycle to see what it's like (which I understand, because they are seriously fun to ride), please stop by Alien Scooters to test ride their bikes.

Contact: Matt

[deVries]

Bike is clean with a new battery pack, controller to motor harness and encoder for hubmotor. Worked perfectly for me with about 40 mile range at about hwy speeds. If you are looking for a fast maxi escooter here's your chance. I'm plugging it cause the owner's a pretty nice dude and a fellow Leafer.

I've communicated with this guy too. He admits a temp light is coming on for the batteries. Some cells may be failing or will soon or have already gone sub-par.

It's only "a deal" IF you are going to upgrade the bike with A123 cells or ?, which is a MAJOR PROJECT, imo.

I am personally considering buying this, but I'm waiting until I've figured-out all the battery upgrade issues & high expense to do it, IMO. More & more of these Vectrix scooters will come-up for sale, because of newer bikes AND their batteries are dying completely now. Too expensive for people to upgrade, and it's an advanced tech-job to do a battery install that big yourself, imo.

[oatnet]

Bike is clean with a new battery pack, controller to motor harness and encoder for hubmotor. Worked perfectly for me with about 40 mile range at about hwy speeds. If you are looking for a fast maxi escooter here's your chance. I'm plugging it cause the owner's a pretty nice dude and a fellow Leafer.

I've communicated with this guy too. He admits a temp light is coming on for the batteries. Some cells may be failing or will soon or have already gone sub-par.

It's only "a deal" IF you are going to upgrade the bike with A123 cells or ?, which is a MAJOR PROJECT, imo.

I am personally considering buying this, but I'm waiting until I've figured-out all the battery upgrade issues & high expense to do it, IMO. More & more of these Vectrix scooters will come-up for sale, because of newer bikes AND their batteries are dying completely now. Too expensive for people to upgrade, and it's an advanced tech-job to do a battery install that big yourself, imo.

Ohhhh, the battery temp light is not a good sign, that means the 'batteries replaced' statement is misleading. You are correct, to demonstrate here is short vid of upgrading with headways, which was a really tough project to plan and execute. Not being sure what other exxagerations come with the deal, I'd offer $1800 on the bike if I was ready to swap the battery immediately.

[IBScootn]

Whoever buys this bike, please read the VX-1 threads out on Visforvoltage.org first. This is a very expensive bike to repair and parts are hard to come by. There is a reason why these $10K bikes are being dumped for $1500-2000. However for someone that has too much excess time on their hands and a whole lot of spare money, maintaining one of the first production electric bikes can be a great nostalgic experience.

Best of luck,

[oatnet]

Whoever buys this bike, please read the VX-1 threads out on Visforvoltage.org first. This is a very expensive bike to repair and parts are hard to come by. There is a reason why these $10K bikes are being dumped for $1500-2000. However for someone that has too much excess time on their hands and a whole lot of spare money, maintaining one of the first production electric bikes can be a great nostalgic experience.

Best of luck,

These bikes started at 13k, and ended at 9k. However, a very large portion of the bikes manufactured by "Vectrix 1.0" were sold new-without-warrantee - like mine, which cost $3,250 brand new, right off the dealer's lot. That pretty much established the used price.

Also I'd reckon that people who buy factory bikes for 9k/13k don't have the skills to replace the battery, but here where we roll our own, it isn't a big deal. My battery upgrade was trickier because I was repurposing cells I already owned, but it would be easy to throw in some a123 prisimatics.

Do you actually own a Vectrix? The only thing I had problems with are were common, the $15 125a fuse fix (to service a 200a+ load ) and the NiMh battery. If I kill the controller, I'll replace it with a Kelly controller. If I kill the motor or gearbox, I'll replace them with a Markcycle motor. Suspension and brakes are name-brand. Not sure what else there is that is a big deal...

Anyhow, if you see them being dumped at $1,500 let me know, I'll buy them all day long - it seems like they would be a handy source of those expensive spare parts I could get rich.

[grindz145]

Anyhow, if you see them being dumped at $1,500 let me know, I'll buy them all day long - it seems like they would be a handy source of those expensive spare parts I could get rich.

Agreed, they are simple and well designed. Expensive to maintain if you don't know what you're doing maybe...

[oatnet]

Anyhow, if you see them being dumped at $1,500 let me know, I'll buy them all day long - it seems like they would be a handy source of those expensive spare parts I could get rich.

Agreed, they are simple and well designed. Expensive to maintain if you don't know what you're doing maybe...

After skimming through IBScootin's posts, I see he is a ZEV-scooter fanboy, maybe that means Vectrix is the "enemy" because it competes in the same market.

[IBScootn]

Seems someone is getting defensive for no need. All I meant with my post is - I hope it goes to a tech savvy tinkerer with the time & money to make it the best it can be (as Oatnet did). I would suggest the buyer read at least these posts:
http://visforvoltage.org/forum/12321-la ... structions
http://visforvoltage.org/forum/10583-ve ... ersion-kit
http://visforvoltage.org/forum/11679-lo ... ase-advice

But a thorough week of reading the Vectrix forum threads would let them know if they are technically ready for this bike.

Expenses are such a relative term: the ZEV controller is $350 vs the Vectrix $900-$1600; charger $140 vs the Vectrix $1500; complete set of painted replacement body panels $500 vs Vectrix $??. Based on a ZEV, the Vectrix parts seem overly expensive.

I don't consider the old Vectrix competition to a ZEV, a new lithium version might get closer. But this isn't about competition, this is about making sure the right person gets this bike, with realistic expectations so that they are completely satisfied and this bike doesn't ever have to go back on the auction block. You see, the more happy scooter riders we get, the faster it will become mainstream. They say once you get past a 10% adoption rate, a technology can take off like wildfire. To see that happen is my goal.

Oatnet, you might want to update your signature, as the ZEV can do 80mph.

[oatnet]

Oatnet, you might want to update your signature, as the ZEV can do 80mph.

Sorry, is there something in my signature that says your ZEV has a speed restriction like the NiMh and the Lithium models of the Vectrix?

Expenses are such a relative term: the ZEV controller is $350 vs the Vectrix $900-$1600; charger $140 vs the Vectrix $1500; complete set of painted replacement body panels $500 vs Vectrix $??. Based on a ZEV, the Vectrix parts seem overly expensive.

Well, there is the disconnect, we have widely different perspectives - I spend more than $350 for controllers for my Bicycles. The replacement Kelly controller I would use is $2000. I'm not sure I would be comfortable putting a 34kw eMoto load (150v,225a) through a $350 controller, but I am glad it works for you. Heck, I don't think I could buy the parts to build a 34kw controller for $350, so I'm not sure how you pull that off.

OhOhOh I see - I just looked up the 6100 model you list in your signature - it has a 7kw peak, which is less than most of my bicycles, which is why the controller is so cheap compared the the 35kw, resulting in the slow accelleration demonstrated in the YouTube video below. The 6100's peak load is 20% of what the Vectrix's can carry. It is 160lbs lighter than my Vectrix, but with 260% the KWH the ZEV has, I can see why.

Wait - I noticed something funny here. So I am looking at the ZEV page selling the 6100:
http://www.zelectricvehicle.com/17.html
And I see it boasts statistics from a Customer's Post:
http://visforvoltage.org/forum/11219-zev-6100-climbs-3000-elevation-rocky-mountains
Who just happens to be "IBScootin". It all seems sort of incestuous to me...

Also on that page, the first thing the scooter has to do is compare itself to the Vextrix:
"Faster than the $10,000 or the $8,700 Vectrix scooter."

Of course, "Faster" means "we didn't put a limit on pack-draining top speed," certainly not acceleration, because I have bicycles that are faster than the youtube video on that page:



-JD

[IBScootn]

LOL - I obviously have pressed one of your buttons, now if we can just find your off button.

Focus on the goal - that is to help get this bike sold to the right person. I have no doubt the seller will be successful at the right price.

[oatnet]

Seems someone is getting defensive for no need.

LOL - I obviously have pressed one of your buttons, now if we can just find your off button

What a great 'Troll' response, sorry I missed it the first time!

So basically your MO is to drop in on threads about your competitor's products, take a dump on them, and then rather than defend the claims you just imagineered, stand back and pretend shock and suprise about the reaction you get ... You are pretty good at that, and I see threads where you have done the same thing to people posting about Brammos and Zeros. The question remains, are you a guy hyping his own product, or a seriously obsessed, dedicated fanboy who can't stand anything different from the one scooter he has bought?

No worries, I rather enjoyed researching the differences between your ZEV 6100 and the Vectrix. It is reassuring to know that my Vectrix has a higher top speed (72mph vs 61mph), faster accelleration (34kw vs 7kw), more range (8.2kwh vs 3.4kwh), and cost me less ($3250 vs $6500) than your ZEV 6100. Further, if I ever choose to emasculate my Vectrix, I can source a ZEV controller for only $350, since I could install that just as easily as the Vectrix controller.

No wonder you want to find an off button.

-JD

[pradeepswain]

Wonder why vectrix went out of business; If they had a great product, then was price the only factor? Their newer product at $12k looks pricey though.

Both scooters look decent in their own segment, but zev IMO is definitely appealing at lower cost. Don't exactly know the claims about fastest (7100 model or 8500 model). But cannt rule that out after seeing what's in another popular model in Australia (erider). They look similar and in some of the videos that the owner has compiled, the acceleration appears to be extremely good. The reason, i'm mentioning this is because there are similarities in the motors and frames between zev an erider. Zero motors, no doubt is good, but again something above $10,000.

Currently on my ebike, been riding for 10 months for daily commuting and loving it.
Wishing for popularity and wider adoption of electric scooters and motorcycles in general, because here in NC, people are just not aware of these vehicles..