Aprilia Enjoy - Power Assisted Bicycle
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 12. 1.05
Walking to my post office box the other week, I was pulled up short. There in the window of this unassuming store was a slick looking electric bicycle. Nah, couldn’t be. I know we write about them in TreeHugger, but to see one in real life, well, it’s sorta like a celebrity spotter getting a glimpse of Brad. Anyhow the Aprilia 'Enjoy' comes in two flavours. Racing (shown here) and City. The extruded aluminium frame and aluminium alloy wheels compensate somewhat for the weight of the Ni MeH battery. This can apparently be charged on-or-off the bike in 3.5 hours, for 40 km (25 miles) of travel. In bicycle mode you can click through the Shimano 6 speed "Mega-Range" gearing. And reviews suggest it works perfecto at assisting ones’ normal riding action. The Racing model hefts on the scales at 29 kg (64 lb), and $2,530 AUD. (Although Apirilia is an Italian motorbike company, so is no doubt available elsewhere.) ::Aprilia Australia.
Cloud Cult: Greening the Planet, One Record at a Time
|
Ralper — More Fair Trade, Organic Cotton T-shirts
|
The only thing this bicycle needs are those new flashers that don't require batteries. ;)
Hi,
Me and my wife have used an Enjoy for more than two years hauling the kids back and forth to daycare and it is wonderful. We plug it in in the garage each night and with a fresh charge in the morning get the assistance we feel we need to pull the little trailer with two kids up and down hills to daycare, without being totally exhausted for work. It is so smooth in how it adds the power and really silent. It feels like vehicles should feel this century, advanced silent, easy to maintain and sturdy. Im so glad Aprilia still sells it.
BR,
Marcus
As a big fan of power assisted bikes, I have tried a few models.
The enjoy is without doubt the most stylish and manoeuvrable.
However ! its micro computer and sensor array may make it sound like the USS Enterprise, it is just as prone to problems, without the joy of having Scotty there "ti hold er ti gether captin".
Parts are rare and maintenance cost high.
dear all, please check out the following two sites about the aprillia enjoy....www.atob.org and www.extraenergy.org.the sad fact is that the bike looks wonderful but in practice it is jerky to use and the battery is both liable to overheat and horribly inefficient..........for a better electric bike please check out the eZee range of bikes at www.50cycles .com in the UK........have fun