Hi, anyone interested in a 1998 Twike? Here is my blog Google Twike 103 for my blogspot blog to see pics. (new users can’t post URLs)
I’ve had it for 5 years, but I just had a melt down of the Nicad Batteries & BMS boards. You can still get new parts from twike dot com They have a LION upgrade pack that will get it back in working condition, but its around 6000Euros. If you are handy and have the time you could get this back together with nicads & $1000 of new BMS boards from Twike. I’ve found websites with pretty inexpensive prices for the 480 C cells with tabs already welded on them.
It has new tires, shocks, replaced some wood & its in really clean condition, all the gears & peddles work wonderfully. I was driving it up until a few months ago & just am not able to replace the bad batteries with my level of expertise. This operates on the same high voltage as a Tesla & you could use Telsa batteries, too, but they are also very expensive.
A new one will run you 35,000 Euros. I like the headlights on my model better. It has VERY LOW miles, like 700km. I think if someone put the Twike Lion pack in it it would be worth in the neighborhood of 16~20k.
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its no longer in LA, but I could sell. (in st louis). just had a 10k$ LION battery upgrade which gets it a whopping range of 40 miles… you can buy electric cars for cheaper! its a novelty & a blast, though. if you are interested lmk & can send pics and vid. motorcycle shipping is inexpensive.
I paid 14k for it, plus 10k in new batteries. you can get a new one for 35k euros and ship it in. where are you located? a Twike friend of mine has a few he is updating when he has time, I think all 20k+. aside from two or three in the USA all of them in the USA are 1998 from am initial shipment. I have been constantly updating mine, new tires, shocks, batteries, breaks, etc. Its an expensive hobby. I hate to see it go, but its not being used due to a toddler and you have to keep them charged and going, but I did spring for the long term storage shut off when I did the battery upgrade. I just charged it up two days ago and was looking for local insurance and to get plates here, but will sell it for the right price. Will send some pictures later today. I just had new wood handle and case and display from Germany installed, too. I am certain mine is the only rolling one in the USA, but they are tempermental! Twike is good at responding and troubleshooting over email.
Alex
I have been a Twike fan for many years since test driving one in Germany in 2011, but have yet to actually own one. Your last post is a year old now, but was wondering if you could share any new info about twikes for sale in the US. You mentioned a friend who was fixing up a few. Thanks.
I still have it and will sell, but my batteries went to 0v last week and trying to trouble shoot to determine if a tab became unwelded. I am pretty sure mine was the only one being operated. Extreme low miles. Most things repaired recently. Email me if interested and if any questions. Apmediallc via gmail
Honestly, I’m not sure I’m ready to pull the trigger just yet, but would certainly like to hear more about your experiences with it so far.
How frequently do you drive it (or pilot it, as they like to say)? Do you think it could work as a daily commuter?
How temperamental are they/ what kinds of repair issues have you had, apart from the batteries you mentioned in a previous post?
Do you notice a huge difference in performance between a single “pilot” vs two passengers/ drivers and fully loaded?
As a current owner of twike 3, what do you think of the Twike 5? On paper, big differences seem to be weight and pedals to generator vs direct drive, but I’d be interested in your opinion.