I really loved my time with Niu's XQi3. In fact, my kids were pretty saddened when it was time for the street-legal electric dirt bike to go back to the company. I'm pretty sure one actually cried while saying, "No more wheelies!"
But despite the favorable review I gave it, as well as the testimonial my children relayed, I found one aspect of Niu's world domination plan to be suspect: the EVs were sold through existing dealerships, not directly to consumers.
Now, I get the reasoning behind doing it that way, as dealerships get foot traffic and the lower-than-average selling price of the XQi3s likely would attract potential customer eyeballs and cash. But dealerships, even powersport dealerships who've been slightly better in terms of adapting to the EV way of the future, aren't always the best place to sell EVs. Likewise, I and countless others have never had what I'd call a "good" dealership experience. Doesn't matter if it's me buying a car, truck, or powersport thing, there's always an air of "I'm gonna somehow screw you" coming from the salesperson in front of me.
