Here's one for ya.

What would you get if Grandpa got together with Tim Allen out in the garage to design the "next big thing?" I mean, we're talking about some seriously twisted thought process here folks. Imagine several decades of seeing great ideas come and go, combined
with a guy that thinks blown, nitrous injected garden tractors are essential for proper lawn care.

The mind reels at the possibilities. Fortunately Gramps was golfing in Flordia when Tim stopped by, but there's a damn good possibility that the guys from Go-Ped were heavily influenced by the idea of "what might have been." Picture if you will a scooter, kinda' like the one that Gramps had back in the good old days. You know the type - once again they're all the rage with the ankle-biter crowd. OK, here's where things get interesting..

To quote the website at http"//www.go-ped.com, "Beginning in 1985 with a prototype for a new motorized personal transport device Steve Patmont launched Patmont Motor Werks, creators of the Go-Ped, the original motorized scooter, in his garage. He
began by building Go-Peds only for friends and family that just had to have one, and it blossomed from there.

Knowing the market opportunities were endless for his fun, carefree design, Steve secured a patent and began shopping his invention around to purveyors of yachts
and personal aircraft as a light, portable alternative transportation device to extend owners transportation choices on land.

Today Go-Ped is the market leader in motorized scooter sales, and is an established brand among extreme sports enthusiasts."


OH, that's the "official" version of the story. In ealiry, the guys at Go-Ped decided, in Tim Allen fashion, to take the scooter concept just a wee bit further.. redesign the frame to hold some big rubber.add a 2-5 HP gas powered engine, build it beefy enough to stand up to sick amounts of off-road aaaarrrrggg, argggghhHHH ARRRRRGGGHHHH!!

While motorized scooters aren't a new idea, it took a company like Go-Ped to actually get it right. While we joke around about supercharged garden tractors, the truth here is that the Bigfoot and Super bigfoot are purpose built machines designed from the ground up as safe, performance oriented off-road vehicles.

In our travels around the race world, we often come across some pretty trick toys. Racers are never satisfied with the mundane, so its no surprise that the pits of a desert race bristles with "what's new" and "what's cool." Not too long ago, Go-Peds' started
replacing pit bikes as the racers choice for getting around contingency and pit row, attracting a lot of attention in the process. Soon thereafter, highly customized Go-Peds made their debut featuring anodized billet aluminum and carbon fiber pieces. It wasn't
long before the fans began to follow suit.or the media for that matter.

In talking with Sott Stienberger, Baja 2000 Protruck champion and Go-Ped affectionado, it dawned on our fetid little minds that the gas sipping moto-scoots would be just the ticket for quick and easy transportation. Since we're usually running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to coveras much of an event as possible, the Go-Peds would surely cut down our "point A to point B" times considerably.

And we'd be stylin' in the process.not that that matters or anything..nope.not us..

Equipped with large flotation type tires, the Bigfoot and Super Bigfoot both make quick work of all but the most bottomless sand. Hardpack "desert concrete" is child's play for the Go-Peds, and in fact, they're well suited for any off-road terrain. On road, the gas
powered 'Peds eat up pavement with a vengance, though their short wheelbase and steep steering rake angle require your undivided concentration at higher speeds.

Of course, that's not to say that they are hard to ride, or even hard to learn to ride. A little balance, a little practice and some common sense will get all but the most clumsy among us up to speed in short order. We've seen kids as young as 5 and well over 50
cruising the roads and trails of the southewst with nary' a body cast to show for it. Yup, safety gear is highly recommended.

Go-Ped's "Bigfoot" and "Super Bigfoot"

What's the difference between a "Bigfoot" and a "Super Bigfoot" you ask? Simple. The Super Bigfoot has a big "S" on its.nevermind. Though they share a similar
name, that's about all Go-Ped's high end haulers have in common.

Bigfoot

Designed as a quick, reliable, all-around recreational scooter, the Bigfoot features"

10-inch pneumatic tires
Lightweight and extremely strong single side frame and
fork
Front disk brake
Rear peddle brake
Adjustable clutch
Folding handle bars for portability and easy stowage
Energy efficient 2 cycle motor that gets 100 miles per
gallon
Dual exhaust chambers reduce engine noise
Hundreds of aftermarket hop up parts and accessories
available

Says Go-Ped's Tim Patmont, "The Bigfoot is the
equivalent of the SUV. We created it in '97 to take riders, for the first time, off the beaten path. It's been a runaway success."

The bigfoot almost single-handedly spawned a new form of "extreme sport" and today, thousands of riders thrash their Bigfoots' in what can only be described as a combination of skateboarding and freestyle moto-cross. It's pretty intense to watch. Fueled by an aftermarket that continuously pushes the performance of the basic platform, the Bigfoot has garnered a wide following in both the recreational and race/competition markets.

But Patmont wasn't about to let the aftermarket steal all the Go-Ped's performance glory.

"Super" Bigfoot

It's the "Trophy Truck" of the Go-Ped world, designed by extreme Go-Pedders for extreme Go-Pedders. ThSuper Bigfoot takes the basic concept of the Bigfoot and stops at nothing to create an all-out performance machine, capable of withstanding the most abusive off-road treatment. With an adjustable motor lockout,
2.5 Hp motor that's upgradeable to 5 Hp, reinforced steering components, Maier GPX rear fender, "Tim Patmont" Bend bars, Factory team grips, aluminum wheels and a foldable handlebar all coming as standard equipment, the "Super" adds a few bucks to the base model, but as anyone whose ever ridden one can tell you, it's money well spent.

A Thorough, Well Defined Analysis and Evaluation by the ORC Staff


DUDE! These things kick ass! Having bashed and beaten Go-Ped's "Bigfoot" and "Super Bigfoot" for several months now, we're here to tell ya' that they really live up to the hype. Reliability of the two scoots' is quite high, with minor instances of grief being caused
by our own hands. In all, the Go-Peds really do make cruising the pits an all new experience, and all kidding aside, they even make our job easier on race day. Not that we want you to you feel sorry for us or anything..sniff.sob.

The difference in performance between the two models is stunning, and we'd definitely recommend the Bigfoot as the Ped of choice for all but the most thrill crazed adrenaline junkies. It's very controllable, starts easily with a tug of the recoil based starter, and delivers up to an amazing 100 mpg, which equates to some environmentally friendly recreation.

While another "green" company offers an electronic version, designed to compete against the Go-Ped Bigfoot in the "greener than thou" category, there really is no competition. Aside from the fact that it still takes energy to charge the batteries,
performance is no where near that of Go-Ped's do-it-all machine.

As for the "Super Bigfoot," you better come prepared. This is serious hardware designed for maximum performance in an off-road environment. While it excels on pavement, the heart and soul of the "Super" resides in the dirt, where it's improved ergonomics, higher power to weight ratio, and additional go-fast goodies make it the choice of those with big huevos.

Either way, Go-Ped's got you covered. Spend some time learning to ride, wear the proper safety equipment, and then cut loose Binky. Yea, you might bite it a time or two, but just remember: Chicks dig scars.