I immediately noticed the strength of the motor. Starting at a red light, I was easily able to beat cabs off the line! The EVT felt heavy enough to make the power comfortable, but light enough that I felt secure in my handling of the bike, and at 165 pounds I'm not the strongest guy in the world! Within two blocks I was comfortable enough to open up the throttle and the speedometer read about 30mph as I cruised down York Avenue. At this point I couldn't get over the absolute silence of this machine. The loudest thing on the EVT is the blinker. Even with throttle pulled all the way back, the EVT makes almost no sound. The motor and it's accompanying insulation are fantastic, and there is almost no vibration anywhere in the machine while riding. Turning from the Avenues down the number streets was a breeze, and the EVT responds quite well to turns at medium speed. Just letting off the throttle a bit, and leaning into the turn, I felt the tires stick quite well to road. No braking was necessary in the corners. Approaching a yellow light at speed, the front and rear disc brakes shut the EVT down no problem. During braking I didn't feel the bike sketch out at all, and the braking action is smooth. I quickly gained confidence with the brakes, and even during massive stops, both wheels held firm.
The instrument panel is huge, and takes up most of the area above the steering column with a large analog speedometer, 4 LED battery indicators, blinker alert and high beam light. There is also a standard trip counter/odometer. The panel is large and easy to read, but I would suggest EVT angle it slightly up, that way the rider can keep his/her eyes on the road a bit more. The headlights and blinker are on the left hand grip, and can easily be activated with just a flick of the thumb. On the right hand grip is the turbo/economy mode switch.
In Turbo mode, the EVT has a noticeable increase in power at the higher end of the speed spectrum, above 20mph. Below 20 mph, there is no discernible difference in between Turbo and Economy mode. Weaving in and out of crazy Manhattan traffic, I definitely appreciated the extra power for passing and getting around the MTA buses that seem to be blocking the right hand lane on every block. The EVT possesses more speed than I found necessary to safely navigate Manhattan. The EVT also wears its speed quite well, and the handling is responsive from a crawl to pinning the speedometer at the other end. The shocks are soft, and quite responsive, taking out a lot the strain caused by riding over NYC's potholed thoroughfares. I inadvertently dipped into a 4' pothole and was still able to keep the EVT on course.
The charger is industrial strength, made of brushed aluminum, and the plug is the heaviest duty I've ever seen on any electric vehicle. Our EVT 4000 came with the optional trunk, which locks and is great for a helmet, lock and a few other things, usually books in my case. There is an additional lockable storage space underneath the seat.
I love the EVT 4000. Everything about it is extremely well done, and it's a solidly built vehicle. It's also a blast to ride, which is why I like it so much. It's just plain fun. The learning curve is very shallow, and it's a people friendly vehicle. While it is efficient, quiet and environmentally friendly it?s also powerful and sporty. I can honestly say the EVT 4000 is close to perfect and I really enjoy riding it.
