Electric-Scooter-World.com Road Test & Report - 2/09/2004
(Beauty is in the eye of the beholder)
The shopping trip of 5.2 miles is one of the best and most practical test for low to medium priced scooters. It has several long inclines 4-5% both going and returning. It also has a 8%-10 hill at the 3 mile mark. The PUKKA 'easily' handled the trip with both the 170 and the '235 lb' rider!! The PUKKA is one of the highest performing electric scooters under $1000! I have lost track of what CURRIE is doing, but the PUKKA performs similarly to the old 'SE', with perhaps more climbing power!
Summary:
The PUKKA beat the Vego IQ-450 in speed and hill climbing. It will be the first under $300 scooter that will be entered into the 2004 Grand Prix, and it should hold its own!
The PUKKA is small but it is not a light-weight. It weighs 70 lbs. The weight is all in the extremely strong and sound steel frame, with 30 lbs of battery (24v 18ah).
The PUKKA is virtually indestructible unless you throw it out a third floor window. There is almost nothing to go wrong with it, and I know dealers will love it because there will be few warranty claims.
There is almost no justification for buying any other scooter for the youth market. It will out perform 'all' current competition and it is safe and almost has to be reliable. It has a simple design with no frills. The money has gone into performance, soundness and safety, rather than smoke and mirrors.
Is it perfect for the price - yes! I would like, however, to see the following:
Raise the handle bar three inches
Make the battery pack quick-swap
Add a battery status indicator as part of the thumb throttle (like on many scooters)
One of the biggest fears and annoyances for scooters is a flat tire. The PUKKA has tubeless tires so you can plug a puncture without taking the wheel off. This is the best one could hope for in an air filled tire.
The PUKKA has a 'parental control' key that can be set such that the PUKKA is set for smaller kids 11-14 mph or larger kids and adults 17-20 mph. I suspect many kids will be fighting their parents for use of their PUKKA.
The PUKKA has a single large rear band brake, similar to Rad2Go. It stops a 235 lb rider well down steep hills, but a front brake would be nice for those 12% and up hills.
In summary the PUKKA is the best buy on the market if you can fit it (6'3" and down should be fine). It is an early leader for scooter of the year 2004, and is the best scooter under $300!
If you like detail facts and performance figures like: maximum speed, range, hill climbing ability, etc, then get the March 2004 issue of ESW NEWS.
J.B.