GoKawiilLos 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.
I'm riding the Onyx RCR 80V -- technically an electric moped, but not in the way most people would think. It's bigger, faster and a little harder to categorize, which is part of the appeal.
For the past week, I've been testing out this $5,000, motorcycle-sized electric bike for the small, in-between trips I'd usually grab my car keys for: grocery runs, coffee stops, park hangs and quick errands around my neighborhood. All on an absurdly fast, but sleek electric motorbike that can catch speeds over 65 mph.
It feels like a better way to move through LA. Well, at least in the moments where it makes sense.
This is the Onyx RCR 80V -- something between an e-bike and a motorcycle. Nelson Aguilar
It's for all the things in between
In my Silver Lake neighborhood, most places I go are 5 to 15 minutes away by car: close enough that driving feels convenient, yet far enough that walking doesn't make sense, especially if you're carrying things. So you default to driving, obviously.
But if you live here, you know that those short trips rarely stay short.
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