With a brand new electric motor and battery, the iconic GDR Schwalbe becomes a modern electric moped.
The rattling of the two-stroke engine stops, the hum of the electric drives comes. The Berlin start-up Second Ride tries to bridge the gap between the past and the present – with conversion kits that turn the rattling cult mopeds from Simson into modern e-bikes.
The conversion kits provide all the ingredients to convert a vintage moped from a combustion engine to an electric vehicle. The old two-stroke engine is replaced by an electric motor, and a new throttle grip with a small display moves to the right handlebar grip. The tank for the oil-petrol mixture has meanwhile become obsolete, because Second Ride hides the battery in the new seat supplied. It basically consists of just a 1.8 kWh battery with a seat cushion above it. A new chain, small parts, 12 volt lamp and the right charger are also included, and the entire kit is TÜV-certified.
With the electric drive, which is offered for the Simson mopeds S50 and S51 as well as the KR51/2 known as the Schwalbe, a maximum range of 50 kilometers should be possible. However, as usual, this depends on many factors such as weight, temperature, distance traveled and, last but not least, speed. Speaking of which: Even after the electric conversion, you can roll through the country with the Schwalbe at a top speed of 60 km/h.
Gently and quietly through the exhibition hall
The brushless DC motor delivers 3 kW (4 hp) nominal and 4 kW (5.4 hp) peak power. The throttled version, which we were able to drive briefly in the exhibition hall, accelerated rather tamely, but it should go quite quickly with full power. The driving experience corresponds exactly to that of the old Schwalbe, including the very tame brakes and the agile steering behavior. The only difference: You are whisper quiet on the road, only the quiet crackling of the chain, the wind and the rolling noise of the tires interrupt the silence.
A cheap fun is like that Second Ride Simson conversion kit though not. A deposit of 190 euros is required for the pre-order, the final price for the first batch, which is to be delivered this autumn, is 2690 euros. From next year the prices will rise to 2990 euros – without a moped, mind you. You must already own this at Second Ride or buy it elsewhere. The prices of the amateur mopeds are also clearly in four figures.
