I seem to be getting bigger and bigger fun out of smaller and smaller bikes these days.
You may remember, for example, what a hoot I had riding the tiny 9.25bhp Honda Monkey Bike through Scotland last year, and more recently how much I loved the 20bhp new Royal Enfield Meteor 350.
At this rate I’ll soon be the Mirror’s horse correspondent, raving about the latest one-horsepower model. As opposed to just raving.
Particularly since I’ve just had a blast riding a new scooter and bike from Chinese company Sunra.
Sunwho? Indeed. I’d never heard of it either, but it was founded in a garage in Beijing in 1999, now produces a staggering 4.1 million electric vehicles a year, and has just arrived in the UK with three models – the Robo scooter with one battery and a range of 40 miles, the Robo-S with two batteries which increase the range to 84 miles, and the Miku Super motorbike with the same spec as the Robo-S. All have a top speed of 50mph.
The most remarkable thing about them at face value, though, is the price, pitched deliberately low for at least a year to give competitors a shock, pun intended.
The other financial benefits, of course, are zero road tax and about 27p to charge them in four hours, about the same cost as boiling a kettle. If you’re the impatient sort, you can lift out the batteries and slot in fresh ones.
No wonder sales of electric scooters went up by 49% at one point last year thanks to commuters fleeing public transport, not to mention clean air legislation in London and Oxford.
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And so to the road, first on the Robo-S, which has a surprisingly comfortable riding position and a nice clear instrument panel, with a big speed indicator showing what big speeds you’re not going to be doing, what percentage of battery life you have left, and which of the three modes you’re in – Eco, Normal and Sport.
The first two limit your top speed to 30 and 40mph respectively, and polar bears line the route to give you a clap. The mirrors are fairly good, and the indicator’s a bit weird. Rather than push to cancel, you move it back to the middle. Still, minor detail.
It took me a good five seconds to get bored with Eco mode, and 10 seconds with Normal, so it was into Sport, although with only 4bhp on tap, that’s a bit of an oxymoron, like Boris Johnson’s hair stylist.
You twist the throttle, and after thinking about it for a second, the engine launches you towards the horizon with the enthusiasm of a Chihuahua puppy, finally reaching the giddy heights of 50mph, at which point you black out due to the g-forces and lack of oxygen.
It’s never going to set your pants on fire, but who wants their pants on fire?
The throttle’s quite sensitive, which initially led to progress like an epileptic kangaroo every time I went over a speed bump, but you get used to it pretty quickly.
With 12in wheels, handling is lively, with a tendency to understeer, but with the machine only weighing 93kg, it’s hardly threatening. For the same reason, the brakes are entirely adequate, with nice feel and progressive bite if you use both together.
It’s also fitted with reverse gear, which is hilarious and may actually have been faster than forward. Only joking, Sunra. Put that Taser away.
In practical terms, there’s 24 litres of storage space under the seat, which is enough for a full-face helmet, and a futuristic touch is that you can start it with keyless fingerprint recognition. It’s also got a USB charging point and app connectivity.
And so to the Miku Super, which in spite of its dinky dimensions also has a surprisingly comfortable riding position even for me at 6ft 7ins.
“Geoff, you’re a perfect example of how to make a small bike look even smaller,” said Dave Dew from the organisers.
The dash is a bit simpler than on the Robo-S, but has the same info, and the mirrors are just as good, although even in Sport mode, performance is actually not as frisky as the Robo, presumably because the Miku weighs 102kg compared with the scooter’s 93kg.
It’s got the same 12in wheels, but handling is a bit more agile, since you can move around on the bike, and regenerative braking helps extend the range.
The suspension on both was a bit clattery over bumps, although you can adjust the rear preload on the Miku.
After an hour’s spirited riding on the Miku, my battery was down to 30%, although one of the other riders had drained his so much he had to limp the last few miles home in Eco mode.
Sunra’s future plans include a more powerful cruiser next year, although that’s all it’s saying at the moment.
So that’s it – big fun for small power and money. Now I must see if I can get my hands on Sunra’s entry level Miku Max, which is £2,199, has 1bhp and is aimed at teenagers.
After all, Red Rum only had one horsepower, and look how fast he went. As the Mirror’s horse correspondent, you can trust me on this one.
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