How the Motorboard has made me (a little, kinda-sorta) cool

L.A. girl Kathryn Pope has a goal for 2008: To get rid of her car entirely by June! After all, her newish Motorboard is worth more than her car... Follow her  de-car-ing adventures in this series.

Earlier: Car-free in L.A.: girl meets Motorboard

While I'm less car-conscious than the average Angelino, the little red roller skate (as my brother-in-law has dubbed my 13-year-old car) hurt my pride ever so slightly while I was still driving it. I'm not exactly a hipster, and the car –- well, it didn't help my image.

But take a look at my ride now. I cruise along on my scooter, ear buds in my ears and the wind in my face. As I bring the Motorboard into the grocery store, a shopper asks to see the scooter, marvels at the fact that it's electric (it really is) and how I can fold it up and carry it around as I browse the bulk bins. When I scooter up to the door at work, a student tells me, "That's so cool!" And I have to admit: It's the first time this book-loving, knitting chick has ever come close to earning such a title. I'm pleased as punch.

There are practical reasons for the Motorboard, though:

• I can ride on sidewalks, as long as I kick-push the scooter a bit and am careful of, kind, and friendly to pedestrians. This was a big factor for my decision to use a Motorboard, since my commute involves several 45 mph roads and messy intersections. While I know there are many cyclists who can confidently navigate streets like this, I am not one of them. With the Motorboard, I can use a sidewalk when traffic is fast-moving and the road when traffic is easier.
• I can carry the scooter on the bus, on subways, into shops, and into the office (I've had bikes stolen or tagged in the past, so this is a nice perk). If a friend offers me a ride, I can also slip the folded board into the back seat of a car.

For me, the two reasons above were enough to convince me to go with a Motorboard rather than a bike (although bikes are certainly cool rides as well). I needed road safety and flexibility, and for me, an electric scooter fit the bill.

Considering giving an electric scooter a shot? A little advice for would-be Motorboarders:

• While it's not necessary to don spandex and sneakers to ride a Motorboard, it's a good idea to wear sturdy shoes. I learned this when my mary janes fell apart on one ride. A loose shoe bolt impaled my foot, causing a medical mess, and I had to stop at a gas station, where the nicest woman in the world patched me up and helped me tape my shoe together for the rest of the ride. I was thankful. Still, sturdy shoes are best.
• Beware of water. The Motorboard isn't made for wet riding –- and just to be safe, I don't ride through any type of wetness. After a while, it gets easy to spot the streams from sprinklers and car washes well in advance, but it does take a little practice.
• Since the Motorboard doesn't work well in rainy weather, it's a good idea to have alternate methods of transport ready in case of a sudden shower. During the rains a few weeks ago, I was on the bus regularly and kept the number for a cab company handy.
• If you buy a Motorboard, get one with a long-range battery. Trust me. It's worth it.
• Before you buy, you might try a Motorboard in person, to make sure the ride is comfortable for you. Sadly, dealers are still few and far between, but I found one in San Diego while there visiting family. It felt good to ride around in the store for a while before making the big decision.

I'm sure my scooter coolness will eventually wear off as the Motorboard becomes less a novelty and more routine. Still, the electric scooter does, I think, fulfill a niche that bikes and buses alone (at least in L.A.) don't always meet -– and the ride can make a commute mighty fun!

Comments

[kenya]

i've been bus and bike only for two years (well, i use the flex/zip car on occasion) ... but i think i need a motorboard.

are there any dealers in LA?

[Linda]

You can purchase a Motorboard at www.rothmotors.com.
And they will ship to you in a few days. Unfortunately, there is really no place to test ride on in the LA area.

I have the extended range model, the 2000XRp, which gets 10 miles and I recommend that one as Kathryn mentioned above if you want more flexibility in range. ($949.00)

There is no other electric "scooter" out there like a Motorboard. The portability factor with Motorboards at 16 lbs. cannot be beat and the lithium batteries are the best on the planet. I love mine.

If you have any questions, you can e-mail me: linda@rothmotors.com

[Nancy Wilson]

Yeah- these boards are cool, and we'll probably see more of them- Perhaps they'll get cheaper!

I recall seeing an electric scooter- a regular sit down type that looked like a small Vespa- in an auto parts store in Bullhead city AZ. (I was living in Needles).

I was impressed- it was only about $400 and claimed it could do 25 mph. On the web howerver, I found I couldn't get one in California, and about the very same time, I saw on television that the legislators in Las Vegas had just passed measures to clamp down on scooter use- just when they were getting popular with teens.

I thought to myself that if I was still in Hollywood, that this would really be excellent local metro transportation. Put a small bicycle trailer on the back, and you could carry a couple of bags of groceries- and have plenty of range to get there- with no gasoline!

The struggle may become to get legislators to be sympathetic with newer alternative modes of transport.

I had a script writing professor at LACC whose motto was always "K.I.S.S.- Keep It Simple Stupid" This concept should govern the future of transportration..

[Kathryn]

Linda, thank you for answering a few questions officially from Roth Motors. Sadly, I wasn't able to find a dealer in LA (hopefully some will be coming soon). The place in San Diego where I gave the Motorboard a test ride was a Segway store (Segway of Pacific Beach in San Diego, www.segwaypb.com). The owner and sales staff there were kind and knowledgeable. In the end, I did order my board directly through Roth Motors, though -- mostly because in LA I knew I wouldn't have local dealer support for repairs and questions.

Nancy, you mentioned another electric scooter that you saw and liked. If you do a little googling, you can find so many different types of scooters, from electric to gas powered. Some have seats. Some have storage compartments. Some are for sidewalks. Others are for streets only. The ranges, weights, and uses vary. Also, I learned that the laws for insurance and road travel vary depending on the type of scooter you get, so it's worth doing a little sleuthing to see what you see. In the end, what sold me on the Motorboard was the fact that it can fold up and that even a little lady like me can carry it around and hoist it on the bus. If you don't need to use the bus, though, you might look at other types as well and see what works?

Getting the Motorboard was a big decision for me, but I have to say so far so good!

[Nancy Wilson]

Yes- the portability of the board with regards to using the subway or the buses is a definite plus.

I meant to mention- at the same time I saw the other scooter (and I haven't seen one since) there were also some kids with some gas powered scooter/boards like the motorboard, buzzing around the neighborhood.

they weren't using them as transportation- only riding them back and forth and back and forth, every few minutes-

and the little whiny two-cycle motors were quite ANNOYING! And they left a visible trail of blue oil mixed with gas smoke. My own hope is that people will stay with electric scooters.

I've seen a lot of scooters at Wal-Mart and places like that- I think some of them are probably not as powerful, and sold as toys- I don't know wjat's available there, but some less expensive boards might be useful to people who only want to glide a few blocks for a burger or coffee.