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SEAT MO SILENCE

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MARKET PLACE

MARKET PLACE

By Miquel Triay Portella

All my life I have had a motorcycle and for many years there was no other choice than two or four strokes. When the first electric with an acceptable finish level appeared on the market, I bought it but despite the fact that it was of very good quality, it had some drawbacks including being very large and heavy. Some time later, the factory closed so I sold it.

Then the Silence brand appeared on the market, a motorcycle made in Spain that is also the manufacturer of the Seat Mo. It is a light, powerful motorcycle, originally designed for rental fleets, so it is robust and simple. For urban use it is perfect, light, very stable and with good acceleration. It is capable of doing one hundred kilometers on one battery charge in ECO mode, and it can normally be recharged at home in about five or six hours. If it is completely discharged it may take a little longer.

The brakes are very effective, it has a huge storage box which can fit two helmets, and it has a flat platform with a hook to carry a bag. There is a subsidy of €1,210 via the MOVES III plan, which can be deducted from the retail price or a maximum of €1,430 if the old vehicle is scrapped (definitively deregistered).

Finally, I’d like to mention that the technical service is offered by SILENCE Menorca where the manager Jose Bisquerra will assist you in a professional and friendly manner.

Features of the Seat Mo Silence

The most novel feature is the MO’s demountable battery with a remarkably simple detachment system (complete with handle and wheels). This allows you to remove the 40kg battery and wheel it into your house for charging or you can charge it in situ in your driveway or garage. The detachment system makes a pretty good anti-theft mechanism, too.

Despite the mechanical differences, riding the MO is very similar to a 125cc petrol scooter, apart from the fact that there’s no engine noise (just a lowspeed gear whine that declines with speed) and an almost complete lack of vibration.

There are three riding modes, Eco, City or Sport, selectable via a switch on the handlebars. Eco saves the battery but restricts performance, City allows more performance but coasts when you close the twist-grip and Sport gives most performance (0-50km/h in a brisk 3.9sec) but limits range to around 80 km. Eco and Sport both offer regenerative braking (displayed on a neat instrument graphic).

The MO’s performance benefits from the well-known instant torque of electric motors off the mark, and in Sport it will slingshot you quite quickly beyond 80 kph, plenty of speed for what is a fundamentally a city-bound bike.

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