Arcimoto

[Rickb]

Had a ton of fun on the test ride. They actually remembered KD and his Elio shirt from yesterday, LOL. Both of the Arcimoto reps said nothing but positive things about Elio and wished them luck.

The test ride was an absolute blast. If you are familiar with a motorcycle the controls are a breeze to pick up. Throttle, brake lever (for regen braking) and brake foot pedal (for physical brakes) are right where they are on a bike as is the turn signal/light switchgear on the left. Our route was mostly along the parking lot roads at Zilker Park with a very short section of city street where I was only able to get up to 40 MPH. That being said, it has plenty of pickup. I really did not feel it needed any additional power to make it fun to drive, and low speed modulation was really easy.

I think the rep riding with me may have needed a change of shorts, afterwards he said "well, that was certainly my quickest ride of the day" teehee. I was having fun.

As is, without doors and HVAC it is a no-go as a commuter for me but if I lived closer to the city or the beach (definitely!) I would love one as a runabout. What I really liked about the experience was getting a taste of how the Elio may drive. While it would sit lower it took no time to adjust to driving in the middle of the lane, easily visible outriggers were in less danger of hitting stuff than in a car where the wheels are not visible, and the side mirrors did feel adequate without a rear view. And carrying on a conversation with someone behind you without seeing them was really not that bad.

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They had two there, an older one and this one that had the temporary center headlights. I think they said it was number 20? They said the production headlights would be more streamlined.

Thanks for the review! It was a blast to drive, but it sounds as though yours was a much faster blast. Keep in mind there is both hard shell and soft shell enclosure panels, along with full HVAC options. That’s a great photo.....color coordinated!

 

[Maurtis]

The more I think about it the less I think I would really NEED doors or HVAC. On my bike, when it rained you just put on your rain gear and rode on. At least with the FUV you have a full windshield and roof. If I commuted with one it would just be on days when it is not supposed to rain, so getting caught in an occasional surprise shower would not be the end of the world. And on a bike in the heat you just had to sweat it out under full leathers and a helmet, at least with the FUV you are in the open air.

What I would love to see is soft doors that could roll/fold for storage in a bin behind the passenger area. So you could have them with you but not necessarily always mounted.

At this point if Elio is still in fund raising mode in the next few years I could see an Arcimoto as my "and" vehicle instead. It was a ton of fun and I am sure the production model will be even better.

 

[Rickb]

The owners logging on daily miles state they stay surprisingly dry on typical rainy days, the only real issue of wet was during a horizontal rain. The soft shell door option would provide safeguard insurance if there was rain in the forecast.

 

[Ty]

Okay. This is unfair. You guys are making me want to get one of those now. I don't have room in the garage for that many vehicles. (I have a daughter in 11th grade who won't need her garage space in a year...)

 

[Rickb]

Okay. This is unfair. You guys are making me want to get one of those now. I don't have room in the garage for that many vehicles. (I have a daughter in 11th grade who won't need her garage space in a year...)

The good news is you can fit 3 FUV’s in typical garage stall.

 

[KD]

At this point if Elio is still in fund raising mode in the next few years I could see an Arcimoto as my "and" vehicle instead. It was a ton of fun and I am sure the production model will be even better.

This. Point well made!

 

[KD]

Had a ton of fun on the test ride. They actually remembered KD and his Elio shirt from yesterday, LOL. Both of the Arcimoto reps said nothing but positive things about Elio and wished them luck.

The test ride was an absolute blast. If you are familiar with a motorcycle the controls are a breeze to pick up. Throttle, brake lever (for regen braking) and brake foot pedal (for physical brakes) are right where they are on a bike as is the turn signal/light switchgear on the left. Our route was mostly along the parking lot roads at Zilker Park with a very short section of city street where I was only able to get up to 40 MPH. That being said, it has plenty of pickup. I really did not feel it needed any additional power to make it fun to drive, and low speed modulation was really easy.

I think the rep riding with me may have needed a change of shorts, afterwards he said "well, that was certainly my quickest ride of the day" teehee. I was having fun.

As is, without doors and HVAC it is a no-go as a commuter for me but if I lived closer to the city or the beach (definitely!) I would love one as a runabout. What I really liked about the experience was getting a taste of how the Elio may drive. While it would sit lower it took no time to adjust to driving in the middle of the lane, easily visible outriggers were in less danger of hitting stuff than in a car where the wheels are not visible, and the side mirrors did feel adequate without a rear view. And carrying on a conversation with someone behind you without seeing them was really not that bad.

View attachment 23009

View attachment 23010

They had two there, an older one and this one that had the temporary center headlights. I think they said it was number 20? They said the production headlights would be more streamlined.

That's one way to stand out in a group of people, who wears a $1,000 t-shirt in public!

I'm glad to see you were allowed to get a sport run in it, in S.A. we were only in the park, and there weren't any places to get "up to speed". Although, it is noted there was an ability to chirp a tire so to speak. HA HA

One thing that would be nice is to have the drivers seat maybe have a little fore/aft adjustment. Maybe it does and I just didn't notice it. But then again, like RickB says, it is more motorcycle than automobile. And as memory serves, there isn't any seat adjustment on a 2 wheeler!

 

[Rickb]

That's one way to stand out in a group of people, who wears a $1,000 t-shirt in public!

I'm glad to see you were allowed to get a sport run in it, in S.A. we were only in the park, and there weren't any places to get "up to speed". Although, it is noted there was an ability to chirp a tire so to speak. HA HA

One thing that would be nice is to have the drivers seat maybe have a little fore/aft adjustment. Maybe it does and I just didn't notice it. But then again, like RickB says, it is more motorcycle than automobile. And as memory serves, there isn't any seat adjustment on a 2 wheeler!

My wife had to lean forward slightly to reach the handlebar controls. Arcimoto Joe & Eric said the seat will remain stationary, but the engineers are working on a plan that allows the handlebars to adjust forward/back.

 

[3wheelin]

My wife had to lean forward slightly to reach the handlebar controls. Arcimoto Joe & Eric said the seat will remain stationary, but the engineers are working on a plan that allows the handlebars to adjust forward/back.

Wow, didn't know the seat will be stationary RickB. It'll be a bit uncomfortable leaning forward as opposed to a slider seat specially if you're 5'6" or smaller. I wonder how much will it add to the cost moving to a manual slider seat? I assume it'll be standard on the SOLO!

 

[Rickb]

Wow, didn't know the seat will be stationary RickB. It'll be a bit uncomfortable leaning forward as opposed to a slider seat specially if you're 5'6" or smaller. I wonder how much will it add to the cost moving to a manual slider seat? I assume it'll be standard on the SOLO!

The seat was, is, and will remain stationary. The reach issue is for the 5’< end of the range. The seat and driver position was very comfortable relative to the handlebar controls for my 5’7” height. The tilting handlebars would resolve what is a minor issue for ‘shorter’ drivers. Arcimoto is working hard to reduce, not increase cost. My wife said the seat was so comfortable she wanted to take it home.