In a potential embarrassment for the New Zealand Army, the Kiwi-made UBCO electric utility motorcycle could stop in its tracks.
The official Australian safety recall notice for certain new UBCO 2X2 Adventure vehicles sold from January 2020 to January 2022 blames a manufacturing issue with the wheel hub component.
The wheel hub may become loose. If this occurs it may cause the wheel motors to seize,” the notice says.
“If the wheel motors seize without warning, it may increase the risk of an accident, causing injury or death to the rider, passenger or other road users.”
This could be more than an embarrassment for the Kiwi army which has been testing the two-wheel-drive UBCO electric motorcycles.
The 134 Aussie owners of the bikes can contact their preferred authorised UBCO service dealer to make an appointment to have the work carried out as soon as possible, free of charge.
UBCO launched in 2015 and was developed by a Kiwi company as a two-wheel-drive bike with special capabilities on slippery and muddy hills.
Ubco 2×2 electric motorcycleSince its launch, UBCO 2X2s have been used for food delivery by Dominos, tourism, farm bikes, recreation and commuting.
The 2×2 model costs $NZ7995 (about $A7450), has range of about 120km, a top speed of 50km/h and weighs just 65kg.
It has a motor in both wheels with no clutch, drivetrain, emissions, or noise.
They come with a “Portage Battery System” to charge on the run.
Even though manufacturers and importers usually contact owners when a recall is issued, the bike may have been sold privately to a rider unknown to the company.
Therefore, Motorbike Writer publishes all motorcycle and scooter recalls as a service to all riders.
If you believe there is an endemic problem with your bike that should be recalled, contact the ACCC on 1300 302 502.
To check whether your motorcycle has been recalled, click on these sites: