Developing a new EasyBlock scooter lock - PCX 2021 Edition
If you are familiar with EasyBlock, you will probably know that each wheel lock is designed to fit a specific motorbike or scooter.
Many of the riders in our community have asked us how we design our scooter locks, so we thought to seize the opportunity and show you how we did it for the newest Honda PCX 2021 model. (Release June 2021)
First, we're proud to say that all EasyBlock wheel locks are manufactured in Italy.
We have some of the best engineers and use many different manufacturing techniques to create products of the highest quality and security standards for our community.
When designing a new prototype, such as the new Honda PCX 2021 EasyBlock, we go through a set number of stages.
STAGE 1: RESEARCH
Every year manufacturers release a new scooter version with slight modifications and upgrades. Sometimes, this means our previous year's model will still fit, but sometimes we need to modify it.
The most significant change occurs every 3-5 years when a scooter model goes through a major refresh, which means we usually have to design a whole new EasyBlock system for it.
When this happens, we use our official dealers to help us get our hands on the new scooter as fast as possible, and that's when prototyping & testing starts.
STAGE 2: PROTOTYPING
First of all, we consider which part of the new bike would offer the best support for us to attach the EasyBlock to the bike.
When doing this, we take into consideration both esthetical and technical aspects. We always try to create a product that offers maximum protection while nicely blending in the bike's design.
Afterwards, we compare the difference between the new and old bike model and check if any other of our 50+ EasyBlock models have a similar fitment.
If we are lucky, there will be a very similar model in design to what we need, and we can base our initial prototype on this; if not, we start from scratch.
We had some luck with the Honda Pcx 2021 and could use a similar attachment to the one used for our Honda Sh 125cc model.
Nevertheless, we often prototype a couple of versions of the product that attach to different fitment points. This gives us the possibility of testing multiple options before committing to a final version.
Once we're happy with the prototypes, we then move on to the testing and evaluation stage.
STAGE 3: TESTING & EVALUATION
At this stage, we work directly with our community of riders and dealers to further refine the prototype and ultimately decide which version we will produce.
This allows us to get feedback even before production starts.
For the Honda Pcx 2021, we sent the prototypes to London and partnered directly with London Motorcycle Centre (LMC) who have some of the most experienced mechanics and support staff in London.
LMC is also located quite close to our head office, making for a great hangout spot for us to engage with our community.
At LMC, we met with Mohsin, one of the riders from our London community, who previously used our EasyBlock for the Pcx 2018 model.
He kindly offered to provide his brand new Pcx 2021 for us to test our prototypes.
With the help of Wilson Negretti, our Mechanic for the day at LMC, we fitted the two prototypes on Mohsin's scooter.
Once on the bike, we gathered the other staff members, including the LMC Chief of workshop Paulo, to go over the pros and cons of both prototypes. We need to consider the security and ease of use provided by the different prototypes and the ease of installation for the mechanics that will fit our finished product.
DECISION TIME
For the PCX 2021, we had two prototypes that used two different attachment points on the bike.
Ultimately with the feedback from testing and evaluating the security implications of both locks, we chose the wheel lock that attached just under the exhaust.
This position facilitates quick locking and unlocking for the rider and makes it quite difficult for prospective thieves to attack the system with an angle grinder, one of the most common tools used by scooter thieves in Europe.
On top of that, we also decided to add extra protection for this model by using a special type of security bolt, which would make it nearly impossible to remove with standard tools.
REAL-WORLD USER TESTING
We then left the prototype lock on Mohsin's bike to give him time to test it over the next week and to report any issues that we may have missed. In this situation, it was perfect. So we are extremely glad the testing was a complete success.
STAGE 4: PRODUCTION
The next stage is to start creating our first batch of wheel-locks for PCX 2021. Because this model was quite similar to previous versions we had made, there will be no delays in manufacturing the locks, which means that we're planning to go from a prototype to testing and production in less than one month.
The PCX 2021 model will start shipping at the start of June. You can find the preorder page using the following button.
We take our work at EasyBlock very seriously. We're always looking to improve our wheel locks and increase the number of bikes we fit with our security systems.
We believe that security is vital for our community of riders and that each day without an EasyBlock lock could mean that another scooter gets stolen.
We're grateful to our community for all the help they provide and the great fun we have at every meetup.
Cheers,
Team EasyBlock
PS: Special thanks to:
Mohsin for providing his beautiful bike and valuable feedback
Wilson Cavera for his skilful hands and upbeat mood
LMC staff who always supports us in every situation, it's great to work with you guys!
