These days, there are tons of non-intimidating ways to learn how to ride a motorcycle. If some of us learned how to ride a motorbike by simply hopping onto one and twisting the throttle, today’s generation of new motorcyclists has it way easier. Apart, of course, from the easy-to-ride, twist-and-go scooters, there are all sorts of motorcycle-like devices out there, some of them with more than just two wheels.
Take, for example, the new X-OTO seeks to usher in a new form of urban mobility. If you’re thinking that it looks like some standard scooter fitted with two rear wheels as some sort of training wheel setup, well you’ll soon come to realize that it’s so much more than this. This three-wheeled scooter is in fact front-wheel-drive, and is driven by an electric motor mounted on the front wheel. Even more interestingly, it features X-OTO’s patented leaning technology, allowing the scooter to lean as a regular two-wheeler would. This results in the stability of a trike with the agility of a two-wheeler. Pretty interesting, isn’t it?
Lowering the barriers to entry when it comes to experiencing the thrills and joys of motorcycling is always a good thing, and the X-OTO does this in a unique and interesting way. Furthermore, because it has three wheels, it doesn’t require a motorcycle license to operate in California, where the company is headquartered. That said, in other states, as well as other parts of the world, this may not be the case, so it’s best to check the local rules and regulations in your area just to be sure.
As for the motor mounted to the front wheel, it’s packing quite a punch at 4,000 watts, or about 5.3 horsepower. Assuming traction works in your favor, the scooter can hit a top speed of 45 miles per hour, which means it’s pretty much exclusively for use within your neighborhood, or in the urban setting. X-OTO features two removable batteries which offer a combined capacity of 4.3 kilowatt hours. A claimed 90 miles of range is pretty impressive, but chances are you’ll have to be gentle on the accelerator to achieve such mileage.
As for pricing and availability, the X-OTO is a rather pricey piece of kit. At $7,499 USD, don’t expect a lot of people hopping on this thing as a substitute to their daily drivers. Instead, look at it as a novel, quirky little three-wheeler unlike anything in the market.
