
Cargobike AS125
Years: 2009 – 2013
Across European cities in the 2000s–2010s, several small manufacturers and import labels used the “Cargobike” moniker for powered two-wheelers optimized for hauling. While specifics differ by country and era, the concept is consistent: a rugged step-through or small motorcycle with reinforced racks, sometimes extended wheelbases, and drivetrains selected for reliability over speed. These vehicles serviced bakeries before dawn, florists at lunch, and courier runs until dusk, becoming quiet essentials of urban logistics. Where pedal cargo bikes thrive in dense cores, motor-assist or small motorcycles bearing the Cargobike name covered wider radii and heavier loads without vans’ parking headaches. Chassis tuning emphasized low centers of gravity and stable slow-speed manners, critical when weaving through alleys with top boxes stacked high. As regulations tightened on emissions and noise, many Cargobike-type machines adopted cleaner four-stroke singles or, later, electric conversions with swappable batteries. Historically, the Cargobike idea bridges the gap between scooter culture and professional logistics, demonstrating that two-wheel platforms can be serious work tools. Documentation is often fragmented—brands shifting distributors or sourcing—but the urban impact is unmistakable: thousands of small businesses expanded their reach because an affordable, rugged two-wheeler could legally reach doorways a van could not. In that sense, ‘Cargobike’ names a category as much as a company—a pragmatic European answer to last-mile problems long before the term became fashionable.