PHOTO CREDITS: Retrokit
Want to ride a battery bike…Â and you also want a vintage Vespa? Retrokit can help you with that, and it looks like a fairly simple process.
There are two main parts to the Retrokit system—a 7,000 watt motor that installs at the back of the scooter, and a 2,350 watt-hour battery pack. That li-ion battery pack is removable, and takes about four hours to charge. From the images, it looks as if it’s a very quick and easy task to remove the battery, so theoretically you could have a second unit and quick-swap them out instead of waiting for a recharge.
The new powertrain comes with Eco, Drive and Sport riding modes, as well as regenerative braking. In theory, the battery will last you for an 80-kilometer range.
Because the kit is so simple, Retrokit says someone who knows what they’re doing can install it in a Vespa chassis in “just three hours.” Realistically, we’d expect that time to stretch out to maybe half a weekend or even a weekend for someone who isn’t experienced with this sort of thing. Just disassembling the old parts and removing them off your Vespa may take a while if things are old and unwilling to come apart.
Once installed, your scooter will look mostly the same as the Retrokit conversion fits into the existing bodywork. They supply a new gauge to replace the original clocks, which tells you the remaining battery life and what ride mode you’re in, as well as your speed.
Want more details? You can find the Retrokit conversion here. We have certainly heard of nobody ordering one to Canada, so… it’s your big chance to be the first!
