Looking at bikes for a short city commute

Hi all,

I’m looking at getting something for a relatively short city commute. I’ve been targeting something on the low-end power wise; electric bicycle on up to a weak motorcycle. I’ve been reading a lot, trying to get a lay of the market. I’d like to get some feedback on the conclusions I’ve drawn so far.

• Electric bike - lots of DIY kits if you’re willing to get your hands dirty, experiment, etc. Prebuilts seem generally to be from tiny companies and are shockingly expensive. A pretty new, unsettled (for lack of a better word) market.

• Moped - Electric mopeds don’t really seem to be available in the U.S. For traditional mopeds, it seems like almost all the brands have stopped making mopeds, or stopped selling them in the U.S. So in terms of owning one, it looks like you need to be okay with owning an older model and not having anything like a dealership network to support you, and being reliant on existing parts.

• Scooter - Maybe the best fit for what I want. Lots of models, broad power spectrum. Most likely means getting a motorcycle license in my state (anything above 50cc). Side-note: I don’t know if it counts as a scooter, but I like the styling and step-through frame of the Symba. Are there other models that resemble it?

• Motorcycle - More power, but bigger, heavier, more expensive. If I wade into this end of the market, I’ll stick to something weaker like a 125cc. License needed for sure.

Does this all seem pretty fair and accurate?