The Scrambler Craze Has Made Its Way To Electric Bicycles

Troy Siahaan
by Troy Siahaan

It’s a little out of Motorcycle.com’s wheelhouse to be talking about bicycles, but in the case of the Scrambler from Vintage Electric Bicycles it’s easy to make an exception. That’s because at first glance the Scrambler could almost be confused for a motorcycle.

Vintage Electric Bicycles is a small, boutique shop out of San Jose, California building, you guessed it, electric bicycles. However, with the word Vintage in its name you’d expect the company’s products to be a little bit different – and you’d be right. The company’s three offerings: the Cruz, Tracker, and now the Scrambler, are all inspired by vintage motorcycles. But where the Cruz and Tracker are meant for the road, the Scrambler stays true to its heritage and can be taken off the beaten path, thanks to knobby tires, and its moto-inspired inverted front fork.

A 3,000 watt hub-mounted motor provides forward motivation for the Scrambler, and it’s powered by a 52v, 13.5AH lithium battery mounted in between the frame spars in VEB’s patent pending aluminum battery box. Apart from protecting vital components, the box also acts as a heat sink and helps disperse heat. In order to comply with federal regulations, the Scrambler (as well as the rest of the VEB lineup) is governed to a top speed of 20 mph. However, after signing a waiver to receive a software plug-in, the owner can unlock Race Mode, which unleashes the full 3,000 watts from the hub motor and allows the Scrambler to reach… 36 miles per hour!

When the battery power runs out the traditional pedals are there to operate the Scrambler like a standard bicycle. Vintage Electric says a recharge takes two hours and regenerative braking is also an option. Other details include a fat, wide handlebar, hydraulic disc brakes, a race-inspired number plate, and a LED headlight and taillight.

In our eyes, both the Scrambler and Tracker are sweet-looking rides. In the case of the Scrambler only 50 will be made, carrying a price tag of $6,995. Financing is available, as is a 12-month, 30,000-mile warranty. It’s definitely not cheap, but it’ll most definitely get you looks. Depending where you live it could even replace a car as an economical means of transportation.

More info can be found at vintageelectricbikes.com.

Troy Siahaan
Troy Siahaan

Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.

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  • Vrooom Vrooom on Aug 11, 2016

    Cool yes. $7K cool, no.

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    • HeDidn'tWeDid HeDidn'tWeDid on Aug 11, 2016

      Yeah, it's like a roadbike/mountain bike...there is about $800.00 worth of metal and mechanical bits and the rest of the price is pure fluff.

  • TheMarvelous1310 TheMarvelous1310 on Aug 14, 2016

    Or, you could buy LITERALLY ANY USED MOTORCYCLE, for the same price. Anything. Street Triple. Hayabusa. Yamaha R6. Ducati 999-I'm just naming bikes I like, but I bet you can find them for the same price! !

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