Sachs Goes Electric With SaXXX MadAss E Electric Moped

Legendary moped builder Sachs rocked the established tiny-bike world when it launched the original Sachs MadAss bike in 2004. Since its launch, numerous attempts have been made to bring the bike to the US, with the bike having been sold under the Pierspeed and Tomberlin brands or as the AMG Nitro. The biggest obstacle for the cult-following bike has always been getting it emissions-certified in the US. That concern may be a thing of the past, however, because Sachs just released an all-electric MadAss.

Called the SaXXX MadAss E, the latest bike delivers power and acceleration similar to its 125cc Honda-powered cousins without any harmful carbon emissions at the vehicle level. Off the line, the 0 RPM torque peak- more than 180 lb-ft of tire-shredding TQ, by the way- of the electric motor might even make it the preferred choice for urban assault runs on packed city streets!

Visually, the SaXXX differs from the Sachs by not having an engine. More subtly, however, the exposed frame rails are square-section tubes instead of round, which gives the bike a fresher, more modern look compared to the MadAss we’ve come to know and love over the last twelve years.

The new E version of the bike, awesome as it is, won’t be cheap. It will sell for just under 2500 Euro, which is quite a bit more than other bikes its size and which would have it face off squarely against the equally iconic Honda Grom if and when it ever comes to the US.

What do you guys think? Will the EV hype and massive torque help the SaXXX sell well against the sellout success of the Honda Grom, or is the awesome marketing power of Honda just too much to overcome? Comments- leave ’em!

SaXXX MadAss E Electric Moped

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Source | Images: TechVehi.

Bolt M-1 electric moped gets going on Indiegogo - VIDEO

We quite like Bolt M-1 electric moped we were telling you about a while back, and judging from the initial response to the bike's debut on the crowdfunding site Indiegogo, we aren't the only ones. In it's first day, Bolt Motorbikes more than passed the halfway mark of its campaign, raising $133,000 and taking orders for 26 of its shagalicious machines. (We imagine, though, some of these are from its original pre-order list.)

For its initial production run, the outfit plans to build 100 copies of the M-1 at its new home in Brisbane, just south of San Francisco, CA. Prices begin at $5,495 (+shipping) – the 25 early-bird bikes at $4,995 have sold out – with a delivery window that stretches from March to October of 2016. If you'd like one earlier, you can pay the $6,495 premium price and take delivery in a much more expedient January-to-March time frame.

As a reminder, for their money, buyers get a moped-sized bike that stays within 20-miles-per-hour electric bicycle legal limits with a range of up to 50 miles (30-35 miles city). In (sport) off-road mode, it can hit 40 mph. Designed to be removed and brought inside for charging, if desired, the battery charges up in five hours. The M-1 connects to your phone with bluetooth, its app giving you all the info you might desire, as well as enabling over-the-air software updates.

You can see the bike in action in the pitch video above, and get more details from the official press release below. If you want to order one up for yourself, or maybe just get the t-shirt, the Indiegogo page is here.

Bolt Motorbikes, the electric motorbike that has been rapidly gaining momentum in both the media and with bike enthusiasts for revolutionizing urban transportation, launched a campaign today for a limited run of 100 M-1 motorbikes via an IndieGogo campaign.

With this highly-anticipated production run, Bolt aims to bring to market a simple to operate, fully electric motorbike that brings the vintage feel of a 1970s moped to the sleek, smartphone-connected world of today. The inaugural model, the M-1, combines the thrill of a motorcycle, the practicality of a scooter, and the approachability of a bicycle in a way that is accessible to all.

Bolt Motorbikes is the brainchild of Dr. Nathan Jauvtis, a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and holder of 13 patents, who also happens to be a longtime enthusiast of all two-wheeled modes of transport. Recalling his days in the San Francisco moped "gang" dubbed "Creatures of the 'Loin," Jauvtis longed to bring that exhilarating feeling of freedom to a wider audience. Motivated by his girlfriend, who was fearful of motorcycles and had never ridden anything with a throttle, Jauvtis wanted to enable her and others to share in his passion through an unintimidating ride.

The M-1 is designed to meet electric bicycle regulations in Economy Mode. Riders do not need a special driver's license, registration, or insurance, but can share all of the same parking and traffic benefits as bicycles. With the push of a button or swipe of a finger on a smartphone, the adventurous can enjoy Sport Mode, which unlocks the highest performance of any electric bicycle in production today.

Jauvtis and his team have spent three years designing and perfecting the Bolt M-1 from concept to reality. Spurred on by the overwhelmingly positive reaction from the community, they turned to IndieGogo for an initial $200,000 campaign to assist with the high up-front costs associated with bringing an electric vehicle to market. In less than 24 hours, the campaign had already surpassed over half of its goal. Says Jauvtis, "This funding will help ramp up and scale the production to meet the demand, and will also help develop next-generation tooling and fixtures for ease of manufacturing and assembly."

Bolt's aim is simple: go faster and farther than any bicycle and get to places motorcycles can't, all while doing so in a way Mother Nature would approve. According to Jauvtis, "My vision is to get people outside exploring their city, unencumbered by traffic, parking difficulties, or expensive and polluting gas. Let's just ride!"