Thread: UBCO - Any experiences?

Anyone here currently running or have run these around the farm? Used for hunting or around town etc...?

Any reports back on reliability (especially over time), pit-falls with them, pros or cons etc...?

Cheers in advance!

I have ridden them before. Quite a bit different feeling to an ICE two wheeler as they drive both wheels. And the wheels are very small diameter in comparison to a standard farm/MX/Enduro 2 wheeler. So that limits them to reasonably smoothish terrain.

The quoted range is on tar seal. Gravel, riverbed, steep country the range quickly diminishes.

Water can ingress along the wheel axles and enter the elec motor. Poof!!! go the electrons. So even shallow wading is off the books. Shallow puddles OK.

They will have their place.

Oh, and you can buy a very tidy 2 wheeler a couple of years old that will grossly out perform it in all respects except noise, for the same dosh.

No real experience here, but from what I've heard from others, I probably wouldn't get one unless it was for a flat farm with very little mud. 2wd is cool for a bike, but is not rated for slopes over a certain percentage, which kind of defeats the purpose. As a whole it's not quite there yet.

We won one a couple years back from Farmsource, used it for a couple weeks mainly just because it was a novelty and sold it, should have sold it straight away. It was completely useless on anything other than flat dry ground, sucked heaps of battery on anything resembling a slope and didn't like wet or rough ground at all with its tiny little wheels, shit suspension and they just feel really ungainly to ride with both wheels driving. Run a petrol bike out of fuel and you can go get some fuel and put it in it and away you go straight away again. Run an ubco out of battery and you need to go get the tractor and carry the whole bike back to a power source and wait a few hours , not sure what you'd do if it was in the proper backcountry..

Pest destruction operator here has a couple. Two men can lift it over a fence- once the batteries are removed.

Local flat land farmer has one. The early ubco bikes had an issue breaking spokes on wheels. Dealer gave up on repairing it, bought the bike of him and sold him updated model cheap to keep him happy. Jury is still out regarding reliability. As others said, alright on flat land. Heavy for what they are.

Originally Posted by Ingrid 51

Pest destruction operator here has a couple. Two men can lift it over a fence- once the batteries are removed.

On a 'proper' hunting bike you simply jump the fence!

As for noise, last night I gave my wife a half hour head start to the top of the hill to begin glassing for animals at 4pm. I puttered up on the 300cc two stroke enduro some time later. parked up when I saw her over on a hillock 100m away glassing. She said she didn't hear me, only saw the movement of me getting off the bike.
5 hours later with a spiker on board I left her at the bike park, with me now carrying both packs on the bike and headed back to the hut. She said my bike noise was gone in 5 seconds.

The same bike ridden recklessly would be heard 3km away.

Best to think of it as an off road moped/utility bike. Not right for everyone. Depends what you're looking for

Bloke picked up an electric Sur-Ron. Really rates it. What he used to spook before in his diesel truck he now nails.

Dunno if these are available in NZ yet but 1 to 3 hrs riding depending on mode but close to 20K

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cowd...l=DirtBikeTest

Originally Posted by Grantn

Best to think of it as an off road moped/utility bike. Not right for everyone. Depends what you're looking for

Looks like a over priced under engineered over weight piece of SHIT

Originally Posted by Grantn

Attachment 213505

That would look awesome clothed with the goat's pelt and the legs strapped to the forks, you would have an Ubigoat.

Originally Posted by m101a1

Looks like a over priced under engineered over weight piece of SHIT

Unfortunately LiPo batteries have a massive energy/weight disadvantage over re-cycled dinosaur.

Originally Posted by TeRei

Bloke picked up an electric Sur-Ron. Really rates it. What he used to spook before in his diesel truck he now nails.

Yes, out of the current crop of E bikes that are actually available, this would be my pick.

But from a cost/weight/capability benefit analysis my 2 stroke hunting bike ain't going nowhere: