A Good Alternative for Short Commutes
Written: Aug 12 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fast, fuel efficient, fun
Cons: Need smooth roads, might be illegal
The Bottom Line: Not really a toy, but rather a nice commuter vehicle for short trips that's cheap and fuel efficient. A fun, unique way to get around.
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| DavidGriffiths's Full Review: Sport Goped |
Commuting sucks. Mine is only about an hour if I walk to the train, or 45 minutes if I am organized to make it to the bus stop at the right time, which doesn't happen very often. That's two hours a day, most days, and sometimes 90 minutes. I've been racking my brain, trying to figure out how to shorten it without getting a second car.
I thought about bicycles, but the transit authority has strict rules about no bikes on the train during rush-hour (and other times, only one bike on the last car of the train). With a folding bike, I could probably get around that if it was one of the smaller bikes, but the bikes I've tried have been kind of flimsy, and my trip home is all up hill; most of the folding bikes have limited gearing, and at the end of the day, it's usually the last thing I feel like doing. There are electric folding bikes, but they're excessively heavy, and excessively expensive.
I've even looked at battery-powered skateboard, but they look pretty silly, and I've never skateboarded, and I don't want to learn now.
I first saw Go-Peds a few years ago, when I was looking for our sailboat. We'd arrive on some small Gulf Island, and want to get into town to go for dinner or get supplies, but it might be a few hour walk each way. At the time, they were pretty expensive ($800 Canadian each, and we needed two), so I held off. We had two kids, and the boat got put on the back burner until they're older. Back then, I lived closer to work, so I never considered them a commuting option.
After researching all the possibilities, I decided to get a Go-Ped. I got a modified Sport (with an aluminum deck and better spindle – more on that later), and haven't looked back.
The Go-Ped
The picture of the Go-Ped at the top of the review gives a pretty good idea of what one looks like, but it won't give an idea about the size. I was a bit surprised at how big they were. I measured mine at 35 inches long, 17 inches wide, and 15 inches tall (handlebar folded down).
The engine at the back is a two-stroke Japanese weed-wacker engine, 22 cc's and about 1.2 horsepower, and is enough to push both you and the Go-Ped along at about 20 miles per hour. The gas tank on the side holds about a quarter of a gallon (1 litre) of pre-mixed fuel (you need gas with a 91 or greater octane rating, and some high-quality two-stroke engine oil.
The deck that you stand on is about 14 inches wide (remember, mine was upgraded to an aluminum deck), and you can stand with your feet pointing forward, or assume more of a sideways stance. I prefer feet facing forward, knees together – it feels like I'm downhill skiing – I keep my knees slightly flexed, and it gives me a pivot point to shift my weight around to supliment the steering. The handlebars are up about 4 feet from the deck, which is perfect for my height (5' 10”).
The Go-Ped runs on solid rubber tires, about two inches wide. On the front tire, there is a caliper-style u-brake (like what you'd see on a bicycle, but without the rubber pads – higher-end models have a disc-brake). There is no shock absorbsion – you feel the road, and a bulge from a tree root or a bad crack can spell disaster if you don't pay attention. I shift my weight back a bit when I hit bumpy sections to stop the front wheel from coming to an abrupt stop. As I mentioned earlier, I also keep my knees bent a bit to keep my center of gravity a bit lower.
Driving down a rough road is not an enjoyable experience – if you want something for off-road, look at the GSR models, with inflatable tires.
The throttle is a lever on the right side of the handlebars (the brake lever is on the left), and is pretty self explanatory. Pull it, and more gas goes to the engine, increasing the revolutions-per-minute of the back tire.
Starting The Go-Ped
The Sport model (and S25) are direct-drive – there is no clutch between the engine an the tire, so stopping the Go-Ped stops the engine (unless you lift the back wheel up). Starting is a push-start, but only takes about 10 tries to master it – put your dominant foot at the back by the engine, left the back fo the Go-Ped up by pushing forward on the handlebars, roll forward a bit on the front tire, while pushing with your non-dominant foot, and drop the back tire. The engine will fire to life, and you'll be off.
There is also a pull-start, but it's of limited use (as you can't start the pull-start engine with the back tire on the ground), and a choke for starting it up when the engine is cool. My cold-engine-starting prodecure is as follows: I prime the engine (there is a primer button under the engine that delivers fuel), close the choke, put one foot under the deck at the back, lift the back tire off the ground with it, and use the pull-starter to start the engine. I let it run until it stalls, turn the choke off, and then push-start it.
The connection between the engine and the back tire is a spindle that looks like a really thick gear. I have an upgraded spindle that grips the tire better (other reviews complained about sluggish performance in wet weather – that's cause by the spindle slipping on the tire). The spindle wears the back tire down a bit, and once a month you have to make a small adjustment to get the tire closer to the engine (depending on how much you ride your Go-Ped). New tires are pretty inexpensive ($12 each), and they last for quite a while. The GSR Go-Peds (mentioned earlier) have a centrifugal clutch – these ones can be pull-started with both tires on the ground, and will just idle until the throttle increases (and the clutch engages).
Riding the Go-Ped
As I mentioned earlier, the ride will be as bumpy as the surface you're riding over. I recommend taking it easy over the rough areas.
It takes a bit of getting used to – there can be a bit of wobble as you are riding along, but as my confidence grew, so did my comfort level with my Go-Ped.
I remember that the first time I rode it, I was surprised at how fast it went. I also remember that a few days later, I was wishing I could get a bit more speed out of it.
I wouldn't suggest using one of these 1.2 horsepower models if you have some steep hills to climb; at 190 pounds, my Go-Ped can't haul me up a steep grade.
I would strongly suggest a helmet (I use a bicycle helmet), and if you are not used to devices like this, you might want knee and elbow pads (I've owned motorcycles, so this isn't much of a stretch).
The legality of riding the Go-Ped in public areas varies dramatically, depending on where you live. The owner of the shop where I bought mine said that in off-the-record conversations he's had with the local police, you won't be hassled so long as you are wearing a helmet, not riding on the sidewalks, and not doing something stupid. I haven't been stopped yet, but you never know. If you plan on using a Go-Ped for transportation on public roads, I'd strongly suggest you look into it. Talk to the local police, tell them what you are planning on doing. If you approach them before, rather than argue afterwards, you'll probably have more success.
Overall Impressions
This is a fun little machine, and very practical for shorter trips. With fuel prices skyrocketing, this is a more practical way of getting around than being the only person in a full sized car.
It's about as safe as a bicycle, and you won't be sweating as you walk into work.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 500
Type of Toy: Other
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Epinions.com ID:
DavidGriffiths
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Member: David Griffiths
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Reviews written: 90
Trusted by: 79 members
About Me:
Nothing much.
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