The Vectrix electric motorcycle, or motor scooter, — whatever you want to call it — is a fun ride.
The Vectrix has decent performance, the kind that can leave the cars and trucks in its wake at green lights. And it handles like one of the many modern gas engine commuter scooters that have come out in recent years.
The only sounds as it pulls hard away from a stoplight are a rising electric whir and the wind over the windshield.
The DC electric motor makes full power from a dead stop or at any speed if you open the throttle fully, so the company slightly limits its power away from a dead stop. Then, after you reach a rolling speed, you can get full power. A heavy throttle hand reduces range — as the digital readout on the instrument panel will remind you in big digits.
It quickly gets up to its governed top speed of 62 mph, and feels like it would keep accelerating if its electronic brain wasn't putting a damper on the fun.
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Ergonomically, the Vectrix is definitely in the motor scooter camp. There's a wide, soft seat, even wider back on the passenger end. The ergonomics are a bit strange to a motorcyclist; the seating position is of the "sitting-on-the-toilet-reading-newspaper" school. The rider's thighs are parallel to the ground, lower legs vertical and feet flat on the floorboard.
Although the Vectrix is heavy (batteries make up almost half its weight), it doesn't handle sluggishly at low speeds. That's because the batteries are underneath the floorboard, lowering the center of gravity.
Leaning hard into a corner in that upright, sit-up-and-beg position is a bit disconcerting, but the Vectrix felt sure-footed.
The windshield minimizes the wind on the rider's head and torso. Combined with the leg protection from road spray and the barrage of stuff kicked up by car and truck tires, a Vectrix commuter could show up at work and the only giveaway would be the "helmet hair."
There's a glove box in the front and a helmet-sized space under the passenger seat. A hidden armored electric cord in the rear compartment can be plugged in to any standard outlet to charge the Vectrix.
Vectrix specs
• Vectrix's home page: www.vectrixusa.com
Vectrix VX-1
• Price: $9,395 (suggested retail). Made in Poland by Vectrix, a U.S. company.
• Weight: 515 pounds.
• Motor: Brushless DC 5.1 horsepower.
• Battery: Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) 125-volt.
• Estimated battery life: 1,700 discharges, 10 years or 50,000 miles.
• Brakes: Disc front and rear.
• Wheels: Front 14-inch, rear 13-inch.
• Top speed: 62 mph (limited by controller).
• Acceleration: 0 to 50 mph in 6.8 seconds.
• Range: 35-55 miles fully charged.
• Recharge time: 2.5 hours for 80 percent charge.
Source: Vectrix Corp.