How an Electric Motorbike Made LA Feel Smaller, Easier and More Fun
Key takeaways
- The cars stack at lights, then inch forward and stop again, over and over, for eternity, moving just enough to make you feel like you're always negotiating for your place.
- I'm sitting at a red light on Santa Monica Boulevard, one foot on the pavement, the other resting on a pedal that feels out of place on something this commanding.
- I twist the throttle and take off without a sound.
Los Angeles isn't built for hesitation. The cars stack at lights, then inch forward and stop again, over and over, for eternity, moving just enough to make you feel like you're always negotiating for your place.
I'm sitting at a red light on Santa Monica Boulevard, one foot on the pavement, the other resting on a pedal that feels out of place on something this commanding. A Tesla inches up beside me. The driver glances over. Confused? Impressed? I think he's mostly just trying to figure out what I am riding.
The light turns. I twist the throttle and take off without a sound. The cars fall away behind me, and suddenly there's space on the road where there usually shouldn't be. It feels good, almost unnervingly so. Better than driving a car in LA ever does, that's for sure.