Silent steeze: Umdloti resident’s ‘Hardly-Davidson’ electric scooter raises eyebrows

Umdloti resident Darryl Moodie’s eye-catching Swing electric scooter at first glance looks like a Harley-Davidson low rider. But lacking the distinctive low, deep-throated vibration emanating from a V configurated two-cylinder piston engine, it hardly is. Which is why he calls it his “Hardly-Davidson”.

Sporting a unique design for an e-bike, Moodie’s electric scooter is completely silent and he often gets a surprised reaction from people when he passes them from behind, eliciting comments such as “you dropped your engine”. There literally is a gaping hole where the engine should be.

Powered by two lithium batteries, the primary one located under the footboard and the backup tucked away under the seat, the bike produces 60 Volts of electromotive force, making it environmentally friendly and easy on the pocket to run.

Moodie claims to have reached speeds of around 75 to 80 kilometres per hour and charges the bike every two to three days for about four hours.

The manufacturer claims the bike can produce a maximum of 95 newton-metres of torque and is capable of cruising up 30 degree angles – not ideal in hilly areas but perfect for Umdloti’s beachfront roads.

With a wheel base of 1 660mm, an ultra low seat height of only 580mm (compared to the Sym Crox’s seat height of 850mm) and weighing in at 110kg, handling is a breeze.

The front and rear tyres are different sizes with the front 13-inch tyre slightly outgunning the ultra wide rear 12-inch tyre. But what the smaller rear tyre lacks in size is more than made up with the added width which adds some sexy muscle to the bike’s bad boy looks.

Attracted to its unique design, Moodie bought the bike from a friend in Ballito who he said imported it about two years ago from China for around R42 000. Moodie said to his knowledge there is currently no agent for the bike in South Africa and he had to do some deep digging to find someone capable of replacing the controller when it failed.

Neither the motorbike nor the bicycle shops who dealt in e-bicycles were up for the challenge. He has since found a local private mechanic to service the brakes.

Interestingly, there is currently no registration category for this e-scooter in South Africa and Moodie is unable to get a vehicle license and registration plate for the bike.

There is also, to his knowledge, currently no drivers licensing requirements for this bike in South Africa since it is technically not a motorcycle but an e-bike.

He said this has lead to some interesting and often comical interactions with Metro police who are not quite sure what to make of this muted steezy beast.

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