The Electric Mighty Mini…
The Tromox Mino B is physically the smallest motorcycle we’ve ridden this year. Nope – maybe ever. We’d need to compare it with the Honda Grom but it is easily one of the most fun and it’s definitelly the most economical.
The guys from Tromox are bringing some seriously cool little electric bikes into South Africa, and the Mino B is the smallest of the pack. Think pit bike proportions, Grom-like size, and performance somewhere in the 125cc bracket — just with a fully electric twist.
The Mino B is a little pit bike sized, road legal, electric bike with all the advantages of EV’s, with an extremely compact size. If you’ve ever wanted to keep your bike inside your house, or park it in the office, this is the one to do it with.
With a seat height of only 640mm, total height of a mere 950mm and with the weight (or lack thereof) sitting at only 71kg, you could almost put this bike in your pocket! We decided that this would be the bike we take on holidays, so that you have a fun little run around when you’re relaxing at the beach or camping in the bush. In fact, the Mino B is small and light enough that we could actually fit it in the back of our SUV! So pack it in along with the rest of your luggage, and off you go on holiday!
With small size comes small power output. It still gives that lovely electric motor punch when you roll on, but the top speed is rated at around 40km/h, although our test rider saw 57km/h. You see why we want to use it as a holiday runaround? Also an excellent choice for a youngster just learning to ride around the estate, or a quick run to the store. Pushing out 2.5KW and 110Nm, it’s a tame yet exciting ride, and it even has cruise control.
We took it to our local park, to mess around on the foot paths through the forests and next to the lake, and it’s a load of fun! No one complained about a motorised vehicle on the foot paths, because of its extremely small size and electric motor, it seems to be perceived as more of an electric bicycle by pedestrians than a motorbike. We soon found ourselves racing up and down the paths, as if on a race track, tight and twisty, almost as if that’s what the Mino B is made for.
The little Tromox is fitted with some more offroad ready tyres, which means a detour into more adventurous paths.
Sure it’s nippy, but isn’t it cramped?
The handle bars are a bit low, but the overall riding position is very comfortable for a dsmaller rider. Upright, with plenty of leg room and a comfy seat. The seat is a bench style, however to sit comfortably you end up near the rear, making this a one person ride. It doesn’t actually have pillion footpegs anyway. The brakes are more than enough to stop this tiny bike, with a single disc up front and out back. It features proper motorcycle suspension with a motorcycle sized fork in the front and a coil over shock under the seat. The ride is actually super comfortable.
It’s also chain driven so the total maintenance consists of brakes and drive. No oil changes, no air filters, no timing chain or valve clearance adjustments. The glory of electric motorcycling.
But what about your charger? Do you have to bring a whole backpack along just for that? Nope. The charger with the cables and power supply all fit neatly under the seat, ready to charge at the coffee shop, office or mall. Just find a wall outlet and leave it for around 4 hours for a full charge which will give you 90km of range in Eco mode.
As far as tech goes, the Mino B features a LCD screen displaying all the relevant ride info such as charge, speed, odometer, mode and ambient temp. It’s got a sport mode, taking you up to 45km/h and an eco mode that limits you to 30km/h. There is a central intelligence system that uses 20 sensors throughout the bike to regulate power to the wheel and as mentioned earlier you even get cruise control.
To turn the bike on, use the smart remote to unlock it (or it will scream at you when moving it around!) and push the button in the centre to turn the bike on. Touch the little starter button and then it’s ready to go. It also features regen braking, to help you stretch your range a little further.
This little electric machine is a blast to play around on, and although looks are objective, it is definitely not ugly, we do like the green brown and gold colour scheme of this one.
R69000 at www.tromox.co.za, a fun little run around with extremely low running and maintenance costs.
vid to follow soon.
