1973 Auranthetic Charger

In America, Scooter by AbhiLeave a Comment

Post Listing Update: This Auranthetic did not get any interest at the BIN of $1,450.


A few years ago, Vy went to Chicago to film an episode of Chicago PD. I decided to join her, and while I was in town I visited a reader with an amazing collection of motorcycles. He had some incredible stuff, and I knew we’d get along when he picked me up in one of the coolest sedans ever, a Mercedes 500E. Despite the prevalence of several big dollar bikes, one of my favorite two-wheelers in his collection was a small electric minibike called the Auranthetic Charger – which is now up for sale.

The main reason I find the Auranthetic so fascinating is the way the throttle works. Common sense would dictate that the throttle would be a potentiometer, so you’d have some sort of linear relationship between how far the throttle was open and how many volts were being sent to the drive wheel. Instead, the throttle just had two settings: pull it a little bit and you got 12V, or half-power. Pull the throttle harder and you got all 24 volts. Otherwise, there was no modulation between off/half/full!

Using a 1 horsepower, 24 volt DC motor, this 200-pound bike was able to hit 25-30 miles per hour, with a range of approximately 20-30 miles. And while it looks like the right side tank emblem is missing, that’s actually the charging port. Want to learn more? Head on over to Econogics for all the information you’d want.

I’ve featured a few of these in the past but this looks to be the nicest one – helped in large part because this seller always does a great job of documenting his listings from a photography standpoint. Unlike the few I’ve shared, this one’s a runner – it “is actually ridden quite a bit. It’s a LOT of fun to ride and runs and rides with absolutely no issues. Everything on this motorcycles is original with exception of the batteries, which have recently been replaced. Every one of the other finishes, as far as I can tell, are original, as is the seat.”

Find this Auranthetic Charger for sale in Chicago, Illinois with a BIN of $1,450 or best offer here on eBay.