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Di Blasi R7

Di Blasi has mastered the art of scooter folding.49cc, 30kg, $2999+orc

Words & photography by JEREMY BOWDLER

Having ridden just about every motorcycle on the market and plenty that arenít, there are not too many motorcycles that make my knees tremble. I may not be the best rider in the world, but I like to think Iím pretty much in control pretty much most of the time. Then I rode the Di Blasi.

The what? Veicoli pieghevoli dal 1974, proudly states the pamphlet. Now those with more Italian than me will know why I was intimidated. Folding vehicles since 1974. Hmm.

Okay, so I accept that even MotoGP machines have controlled chassis flex, but surely putting hinges in the chassis is a sure-fire recipe for disaster.

On a GP bike maybe, on a moped less so. And that ís what the R7 is. A moped.

Or, as the pamphlet goes on to claim: Unique as auxiliary vehicle for boats, caravans and motorhomes, lights [sic] aircrafts.

So why am I bopping along on an auxiliary vehicle in the middle of Sydneyís peak hour on a 49cc, 0.86kW pre-mix two-stroke? Because, despite the absence of any instrumentation whatever, it was registered.

And that was a challenge.

Of course, 45km/h is not really an acceptable top speed for a serious commuter and, to do the job, youíd want a little bit more. Which seemed to be the opinion of the other road users, if the comments were anything to go by.

Still, Ive never ridden a vehicle that brought so much joy to the world, if smiles and laughter from the pedestrians figure in the counting. Maybe it was my height (195cm) compared with the mopedís seat height (knee level). Still, commute I would and commute I did.

And do you know what? I got home and back to the office in one piece. I folded the R7 up at either end of the journey and carried it up the stairs. At 30kg itís hardly heavy, though the shape makes it slightly awkward. It does, however, come with its own garage, made out of heavy-duty vinyl with a big zip and handles. Sort of like a large handbag.

My commute can be on main roads or on back roads. I chose the latter, both out of consideration for the other traffic and for my own safety.

Because the performance is so limited, you need a considerable amount of experience and/or roadsense to be safe in heavier traffic. On the backroads I chose, you just needed to keep both hands on the bars.

With five-inch wheels, the Di Blasi makes flighty scooters with 10-inch rims seem positively cumbersome. You get used to it, but there was certainly a lot of involuntary side to side swervery before I did, though the R7 seemed to track okay over bumps and potholes. Still, youíre talking rudimentary suspension, small tyres and basic brakes for a road vehicle, which the moped is not. Or not in the accepted sense.

If your planned use is short-hop travel, on quiet roads at quiet times and you want a vehicle thatís easy to store, then the Di Blasi is an option, though an expensive one. If, on the other hand, you need simple transport coupled with portability, then the Di Blasi, with folded dimensions of 795 x 353 x 615mm, will fit into the back of a station wagon and offers extended transport options once youíve put up the tent or moored the boat.

In Europe, where the attitude to scooters and mopeds is far more accepting, population density is high and travel distances are short, I can see a place for the R7 as a commuter. I can also see a place for it in our country towns, areas close to transport hubs and in CBD apartments and I can see that place growing.

For now, though, you'd have to be braver than I.

As published in TW SCOOTER MAGAZINE - 28/12/2007
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