On yer electric bike

You’ve probably heard the saying “on yer bike”.

Perhaps it should be “get on yer electric bike”.

OSET New Zealand electric motorcycle retailers Donald Treloar and Donna Symes find that’s certainly the case as more Kiwis take to the light-weight electric bikes they import.

Their introduction to the Wellington based business they took over 18 months ago is a similar story to OSET’s founder, Ian Smith from the United Kingdom.

Ian’s boy Oliver had seen his dad producing motorcycle trial DVDS, and he wanted a bike. In 2004, Ian came up with an electric trial bike concept. The result was that at three years and three months Oliver was riding one.
OSET now deals with importers from more than 25 countries.

Treloar has been in the motorcycle industry over 40 years and saw an opportunity to become the New Zealand importer for OSET e-motorcycles.

Symes and Treloar are partners in life as well as the business. Their five-year-old son Baxter has been riding since the age of three and loves his electric motorcycle. He takes part in trials, mainly with Kapiti Kids Trials, which is about learning riding skills at low speed on an obstacle type course.
The couple believes it’s good to teach young children to ride safely while developing their balance and other skills.

Children can’t burn themselves on an electric motorcycle, there’s no noise to frighten them, no risk of fuel or oil spills, no kick starter and minimal risk of injury if they fall off. That’s because the bikes are so light at around 21kgs for the small 12.5 option, as the pair found at their National Fieldays stand, even an 18-month-old can pick one up.

Baxter follows mum on her mountain bike along tracks near their Stokes Valley home and business.

They easily load all three of their electric motorcycles into their double cab ute to attend events like agricultural shows where they display the OSET bikes to the public, or to rides.

“I have one on the ute’s bike rack on the tow bar,” Treloar says, illustrating how easily transportable they are. “You don’t need a truck or a trailer.”

Despite their light weight, the e-motorcycles are robust. The heaviest bike at 41kg can take a rider of up to 95kgs.

Easily charged (even using their motorhome’s solar power) the bikes can hold battery power for up to about three hours if not thrashed.

Baxter rode his on a Upper Hutt to Featherston track in the Wairarapa. They carried a spare set of batteries but didn’t need them as the bike went 17.5km, three-and-a-half hours of riding time.

“You can operate them at a slow speed and response, and power them down at around five or six kilometres per hour, which is a steady pace and doesn’t chew the battery,” Treloar says.
Symes adds: “Kids run out of go-go juice before the bike does.”

While OSET bikes have been in New Zealand since 2007, they’ve never really been heavily promoted. So the trio travel throughout the Lower North Island to get the bikes in the public eye.

That’s paying dividends, with OSET electrics becoming so popular that 24 were bought for children’s Christmas presents alone last year.
With a price range of around $1950 to $5494, the bikes are well within many familys’ budgets, around what a good road cycle or mountain bike would cost and very comparable to a petrol option.

Little maintenance is required. “You probably need to adjust the chain now and then, and change tyres and brake pads annually,” Treloar says. “It’s great for mums and dads who are not mechanically minded.” He should know with 40 years’ experience and running a motorcycle repair business from their home for the past 12 years.

Symes says it’s about getting more kids developing confidence and learning the right way to ride while having fun.
Senior riders are taking note too. “A couple of older guys at the Fieldays said they were over racing and enduros and a light-weight electric trials bike is a perfect option for them.”

Check out OSET on YouTube, Facebook or email sales@oset.co.nz

or phone Donald Treloar on 0274 748 996 for more information.