A few of you have reached out to me over the winter months to inquire if I have been riding my Flux EM1. I think some of you were thinking that I would stop riding entirely over the winter. As I have relayed in past blog posts, I take the Metra train every week day, and have a short distance commute to and from the Metra station. I have similar short distance transportation needs for runs to the grocery store, the hardware store, church, and similar “around town” places. The reality is, I greatly prefer using my Flux EM1 as my local ride around Elmhurst, even in the winter! Of course, I don’t ride if it’s snowy, rainy, or heavy rain is predicted, but the temperature is not a barrier to riding as one might think. As I have found, for the short ride (let’s say a mile or two) to a destination around town, non-moped choices boil down to getting dropped off and picked up by a family member (inefficient), waiting for a family car to be available (a pain), taking Uber or Lyft (expensive), or walking (slow and cold). If you were going to walk, you would bundle up and dress appropriately, right? Well, I do the same, but riding my Flux EM1 for the 2-3 minute ride is way faster. I’m bundled up, wearing a warm, full motorcycle helmet. Heck, I would argue I’m far warmer doing that for a short ride somewhere than walking for 20 minutes. And I feel better about my choice to ride my electric moped than driving or riding in a gas-powered vehicle for a 3 minute trip to the Metra station or the grocery store. In my case, my Flux EM1 is the “3rd vehicle” in my household. For you, it might be the 2nd or 4th vehicle in your household. Whatever it may be, I hope I’ve “debunked” the rumor that you have to park your moped in the garage all winter.

- Scott Christensen