Mabman
E*POWAH Elite World Champion
OK, so right away warning you that this is not about an EMTB but it is e and a concept that I have considered for years....So don't bother to continue if you haven't got an open mind.
eBikes have been associated with Mopeds since day 1 yet legal eBikes are nothing like Mopeds actually. True Mopeds exist however and have their own rules and regulations and are primarily focused on public access road type use. That focus these days seems to be more on the Vespa style scooter type that don't even pretend to have pedals on them however.
The last moto I had, KTM 520exc, was what you would call a dual purpose moto. Ok on pavement and dirt roads but not at all what I would want to use, or ever did for trails, because that is what I use my mtb for. But the problem I had with it was that it was boring to ride even on the twisty bits that I had aplenty in my area to ride on and even though I got some good use out of it commuting into the city for work it just never was much fun and certainly not any real exercise.
So 5 years ago I sold it and built up a drop bar bike with a hub motor and some 45c tires and started to use it for the same purpose of commuting the 23 miles to work. To my surprise it only took me about 5 minutes more time on the bicycle to get there and when I arrived I was much more energized and not traffic stressed....on the way home I would climb up to the twisty bits and have a fun ride back to the barn. Win-win.
I was able to do some light trail work with the bike and behind the locked gate stuff that wasn't available to me on the moto also. Eventually I kitted up my mtb with a torque sensing mid drive and found that to be to my liking for trail rides as well and have since pretty much succumbed to the fact that I ride only ebikes now...
So what does that have to do with the title and this?
www.autoblog.com
Along the way with my roadier bike I have done lots of miles of logging/unimproved paved and gravel road and double track and gotten alot of pleasure out of not having to deal with traffic in general. But my thoughts have drifted towards something with a bit more speed and durability as if there was a more bicycle oriented type of moped that one could actually pedal efficiently enough to add some to the range and get some endorphin flow going.
Bultaco made a machine called the Brinco (Bultaco Brinco Electric Dirt Bikes) for awhile that was close to my liking but never got going enough for it to be made available here in the states. The AMBY sort of tics the same boxes although the whole geofencing thing is a bit big brother and wouldn't be useful to me as I wouldn't want nor expect to ride it in bicycle only territory and fully expect to have to have it registered, insured and licensed for the road. It is just that most of the roads I would ride it on would be in remote areas for the most part behind locked gates of which there are miles and miles of where I live.
The prospect of having heavy rugged high volume low psi tires on rugged rims and spokes with some beefy suspension on a bike that I wouldn't mind if it weighed a hundred lbs. and ripping around at say up to 40 on those type of roads while pedaling in a high enough gear ratio to have resistance enough at the pedals to warm up the muscles would be fine with me also. A good sized battery of course to be included.
I doubt the AMBY will get much attention and go the way of the Brinco that preceded it but if one, or the other, comes my way I would be sorely tempted to add it to the pile.
eBikes have been associated with Mopeds since day 1 yet legal eBikes are nothing like Mopeds actually. True Mopeds exist however and have their own rules and regulations and are primarily focused on public access road type use. That focus these days seems to be more on the Vespa style scooter type that don't even pretend to have pedals on them however.
The last moto I had, KTM 520exc, was what you would call a dual purpose moto. Ok on pavement and dirt roads but not at all what I would want to use, or ever did for trails, because that is what I use my mtb for. But the problem I had with it was that it was boring to ride even on the twisty bits that I had aplenty in my area to ride on and even though I got some good use out of it commuting into the city for work it just never was much fun and certainly not any real exercise.
So 5 years ago I sold it and built up a drop bar bike with a hub motor and some 45c tires and started to use it for the same purpose of commuting the 23 miles to work. To my surprise it only took me about 5 minutes more time on the bicycle to get there and when I arrived I was much more energized and not traffic stressed....on the way home I would climb up to the twisty bits and have a fun ride back to the barn. Win-win.
I was able to do some light trail work with the bike and behind the locked gate stuff that wasn't available to me on the moto also. Eventually I kitted up my mtb with a torque sensing mid drive and found that to be to my liking for trail rides as well and have since pretty much succumbed to the fact that I ride only ebikes now...
So what does that have to do with the title and this?
BMW Motorrad and i Vision AMBY bikes revealed at Munich Motor Show
The Munich Motor Show is home to the reveal of the BMW i Vision AMBY and Motorrad Vision AMBY, both electric bikes.
www.autoblog.com
Along the way with my roadier bike I have done lots of miles of logging/unimproved paved and gravel road and double track and gotten alot of pleasure out of not having to deal with traffic in general. But my thoughts have drifted towards something with a bit more speed and durability as if there was a more bicycle oriented type of moped that one could actually pedal efficiently enough to add some to the range and get some endorphin flow going.
Bultaco made a machine called the Brinco (Bultaco Brinco Electric Dirt Bikes) for awhile that was close to my liking but never got going enough for it to be made available here in the states. The AMBY sort of tics the same boxes although the whole geofencing thing is a bit big brother and wouldn't be useful to me as I wouldn't want nor expect to ride it in bicycle only territory and fully expect to have to have it registered, insured and licensed for the road. It is just that most of the roads I would ride it on would be in remote areas for the most part behind locked gates of which there are miles and miles of where I live.
The prospect of having heavy rugged high volume low psi tires on rugged rims and spokes with some beefy suspension on a bike that I wouldn't mind if it weighed a hundred lbs. and ripping around at say up to 40 on those type of roads while pedaling in a high enough gear ratio to have resistance enough at the pedals to warm up the muscles would be fine with me also. A good sized battery of course to be included.
I doubt the AMBY will get much attention and go the way of the Brinco that preceded it but if one, or the other, comes my way I would be sorely tempted to add it to the pile.
