For some people – adults included – there's nothing quite as cool-looking as a chopper bicycle. The things aren't all that practical for commuting, however. Well, that's where the Chop-E comes in. It's a semi-recumbent electric scooter, modeled after the chopper bikes that would have made you the hero of the 7-11 parking lot.
Created by a group of Estonian entrepreneurs, the 6.6 ft (2 m)-long Chop-E features a 1-kW motor in its 20-inch front wheel, powered by a rear-mounted 20-Ah 48-volt battery pack consisting of 16 LiFePo4 cells. Its hard-to-miss rear wheel is made up of an 18-inch alloy rim, clad in a Pirelli Diablo motorcycle tire.
It tips the scales at about 140 lb (63.5 kg), has a claimed range of approximately 35 miles (56 km) per charge, and an adjustable top speed of 20 mph (32 km/h). The rider's feet rest on pegs attached to the front axle, and it cannot be pedaled – so no, it's not really an electric bicycle, as is claimed.
Should it be to your liking, its designers are currently raising production funds on Kickstarter. A pledge of US$4,499 will currently get you one, when and if they're ready to go.
You can see the Chop-E in action, in the following video.
Sources: Chop-E, Kickstarter
Not a nice prospect when you are sitting so low and at such an angle, so that you cannot easily lift your leg(s) out of harm's way if they touch the ground at speed, which could cause a nasty accident, torn ligaments, broken bones, especially if your leg(s) get drawn under the fat rear wheel.
They should put fully supportive footrests on instead, and this can still be achieved in both functional and very stylish manner, as long as they don't try to be over minimalistic in their styling.