Bruce Arnold
Well-Known Member
After 100 miles on the Scorpion, something has become clear: it's deceptively efficient.
Like most of us, looking at the geometry, I figured most people would depend on the throttle, with the pedals to keep it legally in the non-licensed bicycle world. But when I went looking at step-throughs because my knees don't want me to swing my leg over the seat any more, this one looked like what I wanted to try.
Maybe most owners do depend on the throttle, I have no way of knowing. But I was wrong about the pedals. They don't function in the way that we're used to on diamond-frame bikes, but function they do. I even spend some time in 0 mode, to save battery, and it works okay.
I can easily cruise at 18 mph in PAS 1 on level ground, or Eco if I want to put in just a little more effort (not a lot more.) And you get up to 18 mph in very short order. My wife took a trial run on the Scorpion (she rides a Pedego City Commuter, for comparison), and she said the same thing. It reminds me of the time, when I was 18 years old, when my neighbor who was an oral surgeon asked me to take his Benz to the Mercedes dealer in the big city an hour away for service. I found myself cruising at 85 before I knew it. Between the powerful engine and the smooth ride, it felt like my mother's Impala at 55.
I think it's two things. One is the 52 volt system, providing more power than 48 v systems over more of the charge. And the second is that it has a 25 amp controller, instead of the 20 amps my CCS had. As far as the nominal 750 watt motor versus 650 watt motor, assuming there really is a distinction (I doubt it), that's not much of a distinction in the first place.
The place where our guesses about pedaling the Scorpion do pan out is on hills. I live in the coastal plains of NC, and we don't have a lot of hills. But we do have some in my neighborhood. I find it works best to bump the PAS up to 3 or S, get up a good head of steam up around 20 mph, and then downshift as needed. That is due as much to the weight of the bike as it is to the geometry. 100 lbs, instead of the 65 I'm used to on the CCS, is nothing to sneeze at.
A couple of days ago I miscalculated how much battery I had left. It got low enough that the voltage read-out and battery meter were winking at me. Somewhere between 44-45 volts IIRC. I have never ever meant to let it get that low -- we're talking less than 20% state of charge and we know that stresses the battery -- but I didn't account for the way lithium batteries have that steep drop off towards the end of their charge. I put it in 0 mode and pedaled the rest of the way home. Slow, but doable, although believe me I won't make a habit of it.
One final thought: all of the Kickstarter and pre-orders have shipped, which is a lot of Scorpions. Yet we're not seeing people posting about their Scorpion here on EBR. To me, that means it's not a hobbyist's bike. I'm guessing they're being bought by people who just see how much damn fun they are. I'm sure some will be used for commuting/running errands, as I do. But I wonder if they aren't being bought mostly for recreation. Those folks aren't posting on forums, they're out having a blast.
And this thing is a blast.
Like most of us, looking at the geometry, I figured most people would depend on the throttle, with the pedals to keep it legally in the non-licensed bicycle world. But when I went looking at step-throughs because my knees don't want me to swing my leg over the seat any more, this one looked like what I wanted to try.
Maybe most owners do depend on the throttle, I have no way of knowing. But I was wrong about the pedals. They don't function in the way that we're used to on diamond-frame bikes, but function they do. I even spend some time in 0 mode, to save battery, and it works okay.
I can easily cruise at 18 mph in PAS 1 on level ground, or Eco if I want to put in just a little more effort (not a lot more.) And you get up to 18 mph in very short order. My wife took a trial run on the Scorpion (she rides a Pedego City Commuter, for comparison), and she said the same thing. It reminds me of the time, when I was 18 years old, when my neighbor who was an oral surgeon asked me to take his Benz to the Mercedes dealer in the big city an hour away for service. I found myself cruising at 85 before I knew it. Between the powerful engine and the smooth ride, it felt like my mother's Impala at 55.
I think it's two things. One is the 52 volt system, providing more power than 48 v systems over more of the charge. And the second is that it has a 25 amp controller, instead of the 20 amps my CCS had. As far as the nominal 750 watt motor versus 650 watt motor, assuming there really is a distinction (I doubt it), that's not much of a distinction in the first place.
The place where our guesses about pedaling the Scorpion do pan out is on hills. I live in the coastal plains of NC, and we don't have a lot of hills. But we do have some in my neighborhood. I find it works best to bump the PAS up to 3 or S, get up a good head of steam up around 20 mph, and then downshift as needed. That is due as much to the weight of the bike as it is to the geometry. 100 lbs, instead of the 65 I'm used to on the CCS, is nothing to sneeze at.
A couple of days ago I miscalculated how much battery I had left. It got low enough that the voltage read-out and battery meter were winking at me. Somewhere between 44-45 volts IIRC. I have never ever meant to let it get that low -- we're talking less than 20% state of charge and we know that stresses the battery -- but I didn't account for the way lithium batteries have that steep drop off towards the end of their charge. I put it in 0 mode and pedaled the rest of the way home. Slow, but doable, although believe me I won't make a habit of it.
One final thought: all of the Kickstarter and pre-orders have shipped, which is a lot of Scorpions. Yet we're not seeing people posting about their Scorpion here on EBR. To me, that means it's not a hobbyist's bike. I'm guessing they're being bought by people who just see how much damn fun they are. I'm sure some will be used for commuting/running errands, as I do. But I wonder if they aren't being bought mostly for recreation. Those folks aren't posting on forums, they're out having a blast.
And this thing is a blast.
