To say the Vida Dirt.E K3 falls well outside the box most motorcycles fit in is quite apt. Weighing just 22kg and barely coming up to my waist, it is a tiny thing. But to look at the K3 through the same lens as conventional motorcycles would be a mistake. Allow me to elaborate.
These days, EVs keep setting the bar higher when it comes to new tech and features, and the Vida K3 follows suit. But unlike most new features that feel like one-time-use gimmicks – designed more to bolster the brochure than to enhance the user experience – everything here is actually helpful.
For instance, Vida has come up with a very ingenious solution so that a child doesn’t outgrow the K3 – unlike they do with everything else – in too short a time frame. You can adjust its height via three notches in the frame and the rigid fork with just a solitary Allen key, and all of it can be done in under 3 minutes!
Removing the battery is also an extremely straightforward process, which is good because if your child uses the K3 as intended, you’ll be charging it fairly regularly! A 20-80 percent top up takes 2 hours, and a full charge will allow the K3 to run for roughly 2 hours – depending on how it is ridden and in what mode.
There’s also a lot of safety tech built into the K3 to help the child and also put the parents’ minds at ease. The riding modes – Beginner (8kph), Amateur (16kph) and Pro (25kph) – can only be controlled via the Vida app on the parent’s phone. The rear brake disc has a plastic cover to prevent any clothing or a child’s appendage from getting caught in it. There’s also a kill switch of sorts on the handlebar, which works with two magnetic pieces. If the piece tethered to the child’s elbow comes off the handlebar in the event of a fall, the motor immediately shuts off.
Vida also says that the decision to not give any suspension on the K3 was a deliberate one. To ensure the child doesn’t get overwhelmed by the pitching and yawing motion suspension springs can generate, Vida has instead chosen to offer that – along with a front brake – as accessories.
At Rs 69,990 (introductory, ex-showroom), there’s no denying that the Dirt.E K3 is an undoubtedly luxurious purchase, targeted at a small niche of the market. At the same time, this is the ideal sort of gateway to get a child into the world of motorcycling. For the sort of equipment and safety features it gives your child, there’s also nothing else like it on the market today. If this was around when I was younger, I know I’d have pestered my parents no end to have one!