Scooter

How good does a bike have to look in order to make up for the fact it's functionally compromised? From futuristic customs to retro throwbacks, these five motorcycles make hefty practical sacrifices at the altar of vanity.

One of the rarest, most bizarre and most sought after Vespa scooters of all time is for sale ... at around half the price it usually sells for.

Chinese manufacturer Doufeng is set to release a tilting three-wheeler with a roof to keep the rain – and sun – off riders in traffic. Electric and combustion versions are set to drop, with price tags that'd look cheap on an ebike.

If you're looking to zip through the city and beyond, Segway has launched a new ZT series of electric kickscooters at IFA 2024. First up is the ZT3 Pro model, which has been "engineered for both urban adventures and off-road excursions."

Built on a crossover platform, the CV-R5 prototype further blurs the lines between an adventure bike and a scooter. With an off-road chassis, semi-knobby tires, and a 427cc engine, the CV-R5 is designed to spruce up the adventure scooter category.

It's not an ebike as such. And it's not an electric scooter either. It's described as a micro bike, so that's what we'll stick with. The original JackRabbit electric micro bike has now been upgraded for its second generation.

Honda started the step-through motorcycle craze in 1958 with the Honda Super Cub C100. It's been hailed as the most popular motor vehicle of all time. Not just motorcycle, but motor vehicle. Can CSC reach these kinds of figures with Chinese clones?

Finding that many ebike riders prefer to throttle through commutes and urban adventures, LA-based startup Owlet opted to ditch the pedals altogether for its upcoming One model – a high-torque angular beast with attitude.

Last year, Brooklyn-based e-mobility startup Infinite Machine launched a futuristic electric scooter rocking angular Cybertruck lines. Now the company has announced a limited second production run called the P1: First Edition.

The UK's Solar Scooters is getting ready to unleash a beast of a stand-up e-scoot on US shores. The dual-motor, full-suspension Hyperion can cruise at a leisurely 15 mph but can also open up to highway speeds of up to 65 mph.

While rickshaws are useful for hauling cargo in urban settings, scooters are much nimbler and easier to park. The Surge S32 combines both forms of transit in one modular vehicle, as it features a scooter that can be detached from a rickshaw body.

Consumer electronics multinational Acer nudged into the electric mobility space last year with the cool-looking ebii ebike. Now its Predator gaming arm is joining the party with the Extreme e-scooter.