For some of you there can be no best electric motorcycle for, um, adults. Or grown-ups. Or whatever demographic search results are most relevant. The fact is that this is still an emerging market with nascent technology. Some of you will have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the age of electric streetbikes.
And some want to be part of the revolution. We’re not going to see ranges and weights that stack up to IC bikes just yet. But the throttle response and acceleration we crave are already here. The rush is real. And until other metrics catch up, torque and the thrill that comes with instantaneous thrust are happening right now.
The emotional connection we feel to the sight, sound, and smells of fossil fuels burning in the service of speed are just that: emotion. The smart money says we’re capable of rewiring our brain to love machines that hum, smell vaguely like ozone, and rip for real. It can start with the simple pressing of a button. No kick, priming, or warmup time needed.
Here’s Motorcyclist’s pick of the five best electric motorcycles for adults, meaning adult-sized folks. Not kids. Hey, power to weight matters.
Zero SR/S
Sad about the imminent demise of inline-four’s and suck-squeeze-bang-blow? Perhaps 140 pound-feet torque and 110 hp will help dry those tears. Zero is quickly becoming a leader in the electric motorcycle category. After surviving venture capital’s demands and the 2008 Great Recession, Zero delivered its first production model in 2010. The SR, based on the S, debuted in 2014. For 2020 Zero gave us a new trellis frame and two new models, the SR/F (read or watch the 2020 Zero Motorcycles SR/F Review MC Commute) and the faired SR/F, the latter of which introduced traction control to the world of Zero.
The SR/S is the pinnacle of Zero’s nine-model lineup. You get 13 percent more range than its naked SR/F sibling. That works out to a possible 227-mile range (with Power Tank and Extended Range Charging), or a more plausible 156-mile city range. A claimed charge time of 54 minutes (with the optional 6kW plus 1kW Cypher upgrade) gets you to 95 percent charged. Those Cypher upgrades come from the Cypher Store, which offers downloadable software upgrades allowing riders to unlock up to a total 21 kWh with the 3.6 kWh Power Tank (available in fall 2022). Why not make it standard? The tech may change, but sales and marketing tactics don’t.
As with IC, heat is always the enemy. So the SR/S employs that most traditional IC means of heat management: passive air-cooling. So while the max top speed is 124 mph, a sustained top speed of 110 mph is recommended. A 0–60 time of 3.12-ish seconds puts the bike in the mix with most traditional literbikes. Among the more interesting stats on Zero’s site? An estimated $1.61 cost to recharge the Standard model. Just wow. The party starts at $20,595 for the Standard model, with the Premium starting at a $22,695 MSRP. Speaking of parties, riders will have to make sure their playlists are on point; aside from the distinct whir of the A/C motor and the wind, all you’ll hear is what’s in your earbuds. Check out Slayer’s early catalog if you still miss shrieks and thunderous roaring.
Energica Experia
The Experia hasn’t actually been delivered yet, but we’re going to make an exception to Motorcyclist’s usual rigid standards. Founded in Italy in 2014, Energica has carved out a niche for itself as an established maker of race-bred electric motorcycles. Like Zero, it has also established itself as an actual producer of electric motorcycles, rather than the usual stream of prototypes and missed product release dates.
Energica is known for the Eva, Ego, Ribelle, and EsseEsse9+ streetbike and sportbike models, and the Experia is the logical (and quite Italian) adventure motorcycle extension of the model lineup. Claiming an industry-leading range of 130/261 highway/city miles, the all-new motor is now 22 pounds lighter and puts out 75kW of peak power and 60kW of continuous power. This keeps things at a respectable 102 and 80 hp, respectively. The 573-pound curb weight puts it at the top of the ADV curve, but that’s still less than several of its 1,200cc peers, like the BMW R 1250 GS or Triumph Tiger 1200 XCA.
One of the joys of ADV ownership seems to be packing a studio apartment’s worth of stuff in matching luggage. So there’s optional panniers and a top case to give riders 112-plus liters’ worth of storage, along with a smaller waterproof “tank” compartment for rainsuits and small stuff. The other important storage is the 22.5/19.6 kWh lithium polymer battery, which features fast-charge DCFC Level 3 recharging. This means the bike can claw back about 248 miles of range in about an hour.
At this point in product development, the Experia isn’t falling short on the IC spec sheets; it’s close to equaling them. All the numbers and figures in the world don’t mean squat compared with being the first to own anything. Being part of this process, for good and bad, is part of the allure. Assuming an uneventful production and a delivery rollout several months from now, orders are being taken as of June 1, assuming you have a minimum of $23,250 of disposable income.
LiveWire One
While the new (and mostly unreleased) Del Mar is the obvious choice, only 100 lucky customers managed to score the Del Mar Launch Edition, which sold out in 18 minutes. The rest of us will have to wait until spring of 2023. Featuring H-D XR-750 styling and numerous H-D branded parts, the Del Mar channels a few Triumph X-75 Hurricane and Buell Firebolt design cues for added heritage. But Motorcyclist can’t in good conscience let you wait a whole nine months for the Del Mar to hit dealerships.
Until then, we suggest you spend the next year on the classic LiveWire One. Having dropped the Bar & Shield from its name in 2021, the LiveWire (learn more in the 2020 Harley-Davidson LiveWire Review MC Commute article and video) now retails for $22,799. When Q2 of 2023 arrives, you could trade it in for an anticipated $15,000 Del Mar and possibly have change left over. Not exactly the soundest of financial strategies, but for your money you’ll be one of the few Subject Matter Experts on all things LiveWire.
Or maybe you’ll fall in love with what’s arguably the only electric cruiser around. Since its 2019 release, the hype has worn off some. But the LiveWire One is claiming to be the “No. 1 selling electric motorcycle,” meaning it outsells specific models by Zero and other competitors. That translates into retail sales of 1,648 units, with 1,057 landing in the US over the course of 33 months in 2019-21. So maybe plan for a high reserve at a future Mecum auction? Wonder how the concours experts will treat examples without extant (and spent) lithium-ion batteries?
KTM Freeride E-XC
If you’re going to take a leap of faith in terms of technology, who better to nail the landing than KTM? Not intended for commuting or street use, the KTM Freeride EX-C is purely an exercise in dirt. Introduced in 2014, the Freeride E-XC’s second generation debuted in 2018, featuring upgraded battery capacity from 2.6 kWh to 3.9 kWh. It also raised peak power to 18 kW. Regenerative braking was added, along with a 43mm upside-down fork, new triple clamps, better brakes, and new bodywork.
All this is communicated to the soil by a liquid-cooled (that’s right!) permanent magnet synchronous motor rated at 24.5 hp peak power, meaning about 12 hp sustained output at 4,500 rpm. Obviously, that power gets put down by your right wrist without the benefit of any clutch to help modulate it. And in the spirit of liquid-cooling, the motor and battery are fully submersible in water should you get in over your head, creek-wise.
Charging time is said to be 1.3 hours, but here comes the unfun bit. This only nets you about 45 minutes of full power riding, or about 11.5 miles of travel. Arguably, 15–20 miles might be all you get with smaller IC motors, but that’s quite a few more trips around the dirt than you get with the EX-C. A charged spare battery would be a good idea, since swapping them is a snap. But it won’t get mistaken for a trail or enduro bike.
The base MSRP of $11,099 has risen quite a bit over the last few years. But you get the equivalent of a pure dirt two-stroke 125cc MX machine in electric guise. And initial throttle bite is likened to a 250cc four-stroke response. Bicycle-style brakes mean you have to grab a handful of left hand when trail-braking, as opposed to your right foot. Its 244 pounds makes it quite a bit heavier than anything in the IC class. But you’re not here to be the fastest. You’re here to be one of the first. Take that, Ricky Bobby.
Sondors Metacycle
Some people say the Sondors isn’t a motorcycle. They’re somewhat right. But Motorcyclist has dedicated millions of pixels to Honda’s miniMOTO lineup without a peep from these people. So clearly it’s just about fossil fuels versus a three-pronged plug. These differences just get in the way of a good time. It’s exciting to blur existing lines and render traditional boundaries meaningless.
Originally, the dangling carrot was a $5,000 price tag and a claimed 80 mph. Early takers got in at said price point, but the entry fee is now $6,000. Delivery has been pushed back numerous times, but a June delivery date is happening now. What buyers get is a permanent magnet AC hub motor capable of a claimed 80 pound-feet of torque, with peak said to be 130 pound-feet. Its 8/14.5kW of nominal/peak power translates to 11/20 hp, respectively. The 17-inch wheels carry robust 110/70 and 150/60 front/rear tires, with proper disc brakes doing the stopping. Charging takes 3.75 hours via a standard home outlet, with up to 80 percent available in two hours. The removable battery is only 8 x 4 x 3 inches, so it’s easy to steal power from your employer during normal work hours.
Paired with a claimed 80-mile range, this puts the Metacycle squarely in the commuter conversation. Dirt, ADV, and other subdisciplines may be a stretch for electric, but the true strength of current electric motorcycles is in 20–30 mile urbanish commutes. And if you want to get into what is/isn’t a motorcycle, this ain’t a step-through scooter. The hub-mounted motor calls to mind the traditional swingarm-mounted motor of most scooters. But we’ve spilled plenty of ink on those too. It just comes down to a fun, adrenaline-filled way to get to your soul-sucking day job.
Source: MotorCyclistOnline.com