They say motorcycle riders are masters of calculated risk. And as much fun as I’ve had on several different models of electric motorcycles lately, I’m not sure I’d take a risk on the latest bike I’ve found. An affordably-priced highway-capable electric motorcycle from China sure sound enticing, but something tells me a bargain basement electric sportbike just isn’t going to buy me enough of a safety margin.
But that doesn’t mean I can shake the tempting thought from my head. Fortunately, there’s always a home for oddball items like this in my weekly Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week column.
The motorcycle in question this week is the EM-120 from a little-known outfit called Wuxi E-Speed Technology Company, LTD.
As well-meaning as they undoubtedly are, I’m not sure their bike represents the pinnacle of e-moto manufacturing.
It looks halfway decent, but what are those body panels covering?
In the highest spec model (why would I waste my time or yours looking at anything else?) we’ve got ourselves an 8,000W motor (11 hp) good for a top speed of 130 km/h (80 mph).
The bike also comes with a 72V and 80Ah lithium-ion battery packing in 5.76 kWh of capacity. According to Wuxi E-Speed, that’s good for a solid 140 km (87 miles) in range.
What does this razor’s edge level of performance cost you? That will be $3,500, please and thank you.
Ouch, for not much more I could just pick up something stateside.
But what if I only had, say….. $1,500 to spend? But I still wanted a badass looking electric motorcycle from China?
Don’t worry, because Wuxi E-Speed has us covered there too.
If we fall a few more rungs down the spec ladder, we can exchange our grand and a half for an electric sport bike with a paltry 3,000W (4 hp) motor and a top speed of 80 km/h (50 mph). Not nearly as cool, but then again they’re doing me a favor here.
No one will actually know how fast my bike will be when I’m parked down at the local watering hole, looking cool and picking up chicks left and right.
Nor will anyone know I’ve just got a puny 1.44 kWh battery under the panels, or that its a grossly outdated lead acid pack at that. At least the modest 50 km (30 miles) of range will be enough to limp away from the laughter once the secret is out.
Even though it might not be a winner (or finisher) at the track, I still love all the little gimmicks and add-ons that are sprinkled around the bike to make it look more impressive than it is.
There’s a fake chain or belt guard, even though the hub motor means there’s no need for any power transfer connection. There’s an implication of a BMW logo, at least until you get close enough for a better look. And there’s even both a needle gauge and digital readout for the speedometer. One’s for looking cool. The other’s for checking at a quick glance. And both are for grossly overestimating your true speed.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got no problem with a Chinese-made electric motorcycle or moped. In fact, I have one as my daily driver. For the right price and with a reputable company, you can get awesome stuff from all over the world. But I also know that it costs more than $1,500 to make a safe, reliable and comfortable 50 mph electric two-wheeler.
And as much fun as something like this might be at the go-kart track, I don’t think I’ll be chomping at the bit to take one on the highway anytime soon. I’ve made my fair share of ill-advised adventure buys from the AliExpress electric vehicle catalog, but something tells me this bike won’t be making the list.
Now that one-wheeled electric motorcycle from earlier this year though… suddenly that one is starting to look like a safer bet!
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Here’s a closer look at Chinese Electric Motorcycles we’re interested in and hope to see in Australia
At AEMC we love premium electric motorcycles – we love riding them, servicing them and kicking petrol bike’s asses in drag races. We have generally stuck to the premium end of the market to avoid the reliability issues we’ve seen with some of the cheaper stuff out there.
That being said, we know that not everyone wants to drop their savings on a new bike and China pumps out a lot of really interesting and cost-effective electric motorcycles.
Since the turn of the millennium China has been one of the leading forces in the development and public adoption of electric vehicles.
From 199-2005 Chinese electric motorbike sales went from 40,000 to 10 million, and it only skyrocketed from there. As technology advances, so has the quality of electric vehicles around the world and there are some electric motorcycle brands coming out of China we are very excited about. Just a heads up, this isn’t an article about EVERY electric motorcycle brand in China, just the ones that we are excited about.
Sur Ron/Talaria
These guys have been around for quite a while (founded in 2014) and we probably have to thank them for pushing a lot of mountain bike riders over to the electric motorcycle side of things.
Sur Ron initially released their off-road only Light Bee electric dirt bike around 7 years ago. It was a hybrid full suspension mountain bike/motorcycle with a powerful mid-drive electric motor. Unlike a lot of dodgy electric motors, bikes and batteries that were coming out of China at the time – the build quality of Sur Ron’s bikes was impressive, which meant they quickly gathered a following in and out of China – USA being their biggest export market. But we’ve also first-hand seen their popularity in the UK. English Electric Motor Co sells these chinese electric motorcycles and they are consistently their top 1 or 2 sellers each year.
The reason we have bundled Talaria into this section are rumors that some of the top engineers at Sur Ron weren’t happy with the way product development was going so they broke away and launched Talaria. The bikes look pretty much identical but Talaria have fitted their models with slightly different components which they claim produce better performance and reliability. What we can say about both brands are – they make pretty impressive products for the price range.
The only downside is longevity – we’ve had a lot of owners complaining that they have killed their motor/controller/battery by pushing the bike too hard. There doesn’t seem to be the same limits on premium brands Zero and Energica which safeguards from the bikes damaging themselves when being pushed hard.
We were lucky enough to have an Evoke Urban S in our Burleigh Heads dealership for a time, and it was pretty fun to ride. Evoke has been one of the key players in electric motorcycles for a while now, and by far one of the most widespread globally. Something we really appreciate about the Evoke motorcycles is the super simple riding mechanics, making them perfect for new riders.
A sporty little whip with Italian inspired naked design, very affordable with a tonne of safety features. The Urban S would make a great first bike for new riders – but what about the fun stuff?
This Chinese electric motorcycles pack a pretty decent 114 nM of torque with a top speed of 140+km/h, 175-250km range and takes around 3 hours to charge.
Very similar to the Urban S but with more of a classic touring motorcycle design. The 2022 Urban Classic also comes with a pretty impressive battery upgrade allowing for faster charging (90 mins to go from 0-80%), and a comfortable 250km range on a full charge. The Urban Classic also has a top speed of 140km with a nice 116nM of power.
A pretty sexy electric powered cruiser. The 6061 series was made for open road riding with an impressive 660km range, a top speed of 230km/h, 120HP and it only takes 30 mins to charge to 80%. It’s everything you would want in an eclectic cruiser. It’s sleek design holds a candle to modern cruisers with a slightly more futuristic look to it. The Evoke 6061 series has three models, the GT, XR and CT each with slightly varied statistics on range, speed, size and design.
These futuristic looking all-terrain Chinese electric motorcycles look like it belongs in Halo or some other kind of Sci-fi. The F80 has a no nonsense, compact design, made from aviation materials – designed to be light and strong. With a range of 80-150km, dual sport tyers, a top speed of 45 km/h and a charge time of 2 hours the Caofen F80 would be right at home on Aussie moto trails.
Horwin CR6 + CR6 Pro
Horwin is a Chinese EV brand that made their name in electric scooters and made their way into electric motorcycles, and we’re stoked because the CR6 Pro is a pretty rad looking bike. What’s interesting about this electric motorbike is that it integrates a 5 speed manual transmission with electric power. Something we don’t see that often, one of the main selling points of electric motorbikes are they are completely automatic, with fewer parts. The CR6 Pro tops out at 95-110 km/h with a range of 120-142 km and a 3 hour charge time to go from 0-80%.
VMoto have been making some pretty big waves in Australia with their TC and TC Max. These bikes are a really stylish example of future-classics, taking inspiration from Cafe Racers of 50’s meeting with modern sport design and state-of-the-art electric riding technology. These bikes sell from $4,990 – $8,290, are LAMS approved and in our opinion, the perfect electric motorcycle for learners.
These Chinese electric motorcycles can carry you between 75-110km, maximum speed between 50-100 km/h and charge time of 6.5-9 hours. These stats may seem varied but it depends on which model you are interested in. We are excited to see if Super SOCO starts making more powerful bikes because they are pretty damn stylish.
This is just the tip of the iceberg if you start looking at Chinese electric motorcycles. There is so much new development and technology constantly advancing from Chinese motorcycle brands that you can always look forward to something new happening. Once again this isn’t a detailed look at all Chinese electric motorcycle manufacturers, just the ones AEMC are keeping an eye on. As electric vehicle adoption increases in Australia you can be sure we will see more of our Chinese counterparts importing their bikes here.
What are some of the international electric motorbike brands you’re excited for? Let us know in the comments below or if you have any questions get in touch!