The day Michael Valentine received his Maeving RM1S was a picture-perfect California afternoon. He and the sanctuary animals were out in the sun, and he was getting ready for a simple first ride: head to Santa Monica, grab a coffee, and cruise the coast on his new electric motorcycle.

But that first ride never happened. Instead, it was halted by 60–70 mph winds. The same winds that helped drive the Palisades fire nearby. Michael had bought his Maeving to unwind and reconnect with nature. Yet within days, it became a lifeline for him and his neighbors, hauling supplies between Topanga and the evacuation points.

This is the remarkable story of Michael Valentine and his unexpected sidekick, the Maeving RM1S.

Can you tell us a bit about the day your Maeving arrived, and what was happening in Topanga at the time?

It was a perfect California day. The sun was out, and I’d planned my first real ride for the following morning: head to Santa Monica, grab a coffee at Blue Bottle, enjoy the coast. But the next day, the winds hit. 60 to 70 mph gusts that sparked the Palisades fire nearby.

By the time I set off, conditions were already getting worse. I had to turn back. When I reached Topanga, police had closed the canyon, and I had to plead with the officers to let me through. I got home just as a huge black plume rose over the ridgeline. The power went out soon after, and my wife, Joanna, evacuated to a hotel with our dogs. Volunteers arrived to move our larger sanctuary animals, but our 600-lb pig, Frannie, could not be moved. So I stayed behind in what became an empty neighbourhood as the fire crept toward our community.

I had no idea how important an electric motorcycle would become in the days that followed.

What role did your Maeving play during that week?

It became essential. Very quickly, cell service, gas, propane, and food were almost impossible to find. The National Guard had blocked all routes in and out of Topanga because of the fire and the risk of looting. Even residents weren’t allowed back in.

I used my Maeving several times a day to cross the Santa Monica Mountains to reach various checkpoints and collect supplies - water, food, updates - for neighbors who stayed behind or who just wanted to know whether their homes were still standing. I charged the bike using an EcoFlow solar generator and rode it constantly.

When I put on my helmet now, it still smells like smoke. That scent brings back the feeling of pushing through something heavy and uncertain, trying to help and protect what you can. Somehow, we made it through. We’re very blessed.

Many people buy motorcycles for emotional reasons, but yours arrived during fires and evacuations. What did that teach you about practicality?

I originally bought the Maeving because I wanted an electric bike that didn’t look plastic or futuristic. But I didn’t realise how much I needed it until the fire.

The pannier bag became a lifeline, hauling supplies back and forth. The bike made me feel capable in a situation that felt chaotic. And now, beyond all that, it’s just a joy. I look forward to riding it every weekend.

What has surprised you most about riding electric in somewhere as rugged as Topanga?

The power. I also have a 900-lb Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail that throws sparks on the canyon switchbacks and simply can’t handle some of the roads in the Santa Monica Mountains. The Maeving, meanwhile, takes steep climbs, dirt sections, and tight descents with real agility. Even with me, all 210 lbs of me, on it.

With the Harley, you hear nothing but the engine. With the Maeving, you hear nature. In Topanga, that’s a gift.

What’s it like living somewhere like the Topanga Canyon?

I moved here about 30 years ago after driving across the country from a small fishing village in Florida. I wanted to be near the ocean, and someone told me, “There’s this canyon called Topanga - drive through it and you’re right at the beach.”

On my first day, it had been raining a bit, and I saw my first ever waterfall. I stopped to take pictures. Later, I took another picture of a strange, beautiful house and thought, “Whoever lives here is truly blessed.”

Fifteen years later, I was walking down the road with my garbage cans, and water began flowing down the same ditch. I realised it was that same waterfall. And the house I photographed all those years ago? I now owned it. It hadn’t even occurred to me until that moment.

Your property sounds like something out of a film. How does that environment shape your day-to-day life?

We have three vintage Airstreams under 100-year-old oaks for guests to stay in and learn about our sanctuary animals. The Airbnb income helps pay for their medical care and food. The Asian statuary on the property reflects the deep connection between mindfulness and nature that guides how we live here.

Caring for the animals is full-time - truly 24/7. I don’t feel like I own them or the land. I feel more like a visitor myself, a temporary tenant, and a protector.

What’s a typical morning like for you? 

I’m up by 5 AM to feed our two donkeys, who heehaw like roosters with the sunrise. If they don’t get their carrots and alfalfa on time, the noise is enough to rattle the windows.

How do you usually spend time on your Maeving?

Hard rock in my ears and nothing on my mind. My wife relaxes through yoga; for me, riding the Maeving feels like time with a therapist. 

What would you say to someone who’s never ridden before and is considering a Maeving?

They should absolutely try it. With gas-powered bikes, you’re learning gears while turning, slowing, cornering - it’s a lot. Maeving removes that barrier. You just focus on the road and on being present.

This is a serious machine. If you want to improve your life a little, get a bike and get lost in nature.

Do you have favorite routes around Topanga?

Absolutely. Gliding down Old Topanga Canyon Road to the Rock Store on Mulholland, or cruising the coastline to Malibu or Santa Monica.

What makes California such a special place to ride, especially on an electric bike?

Southern California will always be a motorcyclist’s haven. Desert, city, beach, mountains. You can ride all of it in a day. There’s a reason this state holds such a storied place in motorcycling culture.

QUICKFIRE ROUND

Sunrise or sunset ride? 

Sunrise for sure. Best way to start your day!  

Llamas or motorcycles: who gets more attention from visitors? 

Have to go with a Llama on that one.

Song that captures your time in Topanga? 

Practically any song from the 60s. Topanga got its start as a hippie refuge for musicians.  

Dream ride outside California? 

The cobble stone streets of Florenza Italy.  

What’s one thing you’ve learned from living close to nature? 

That the self doesn’t stop at your skin. You’re shaped by the world around you. So, choose to be surrounded by nature if you can. 

CHARGE ON.