While I was waiting for my Energica to be serviced at English Electric
Motorcycles, I spotted a pretty serious-looking MX/enduro style bike
parked among the smaller demonstrators. I figured that it was more
show than go, but it looked inpressive, nonetheless.

I was told that it was a 125 equivalent, and had impressed racers.

When I was casually offered a test ride while I waited, I pointed at
the shiny toy and said "Ooh, that one, please."

First impression was that the weight is similar to a full 450 MX bike,
but it is a fraction smaller and felt mildly toy-like. Still quite
tall, though.

I was given a quick rundown of the bike and its controls. It's a
gearless twist 'n' go electric, with, on paper, a rather paltry 10KW
power output. However, that belies the sheer torque and immediate
throttle response - I was shown how to enable it, then gave it the
tiniest tweak of the throttle - it lurched forward much more sharply
than I'd expected.

So, back inside collect jacket, gloves and helmet, and fill out a
form.

Then, back outside, swing a leg over it, and cautiously head off,
initially this time in "eco" mode, which is relatively gentle, to a
demonstration area that is a sort of mini MX track just by the shop.

First thing, although fore brain knew about the bicyicle layout of the
brakes, I forgot as I was riding around to the demo area, and pulled
in the clutch...woah! I had also been told that the ABS was probably
off, and I can confirm that it was.

So, on the dirt, and give it some beans. Very impressive even in eco
mode.

A sort of lap later I switched to performance mode. Wow!

Wind on some power and - woahn! back end went sideways, caught with a
hasty stab of a foot to the ground. This bike is loads of fun! I
cautiously gave it too much welly once or twice more, just to explore
the limits, as it were.

I wasn't flying over the jumps, but got a little air on a couple. I
was cautious partly because it was a loaner, partly because it was a
little unfamiliar, partly because I wasn't wearing my armour. Also,
the jumps were a bit overgrown in places and though there was a clear
track through the middle, not being able to see the surface was oddly
intimidating. And they had quite short, steep up- and down-slopes,
with a sort of tabletop shape. There, that covers the excuses, I
think.

I did another couple of laps in sport / performance mode, and tried
the "Turbo" button. This gives it a boost for a few seconds, and the
difference is noticeable.

Another lap or two and I was getting pretty sweaty, so I decided to
head back. Also, I seemed to have lost confidence a bit for some
reason. That reason became apparent when I was riding it back to the
parking area - I could now hear an odd muffled rumble from the rear.
The tyre had gone completely flat. Don't think it was anything I did.

Once back, I had to peel my clammy jacket off. Not much fun putting it
back on for the ride home, either.

These bikes are genuinely huge fun to ride on tight, twisty courses.
Unfortunately, they ain't cheap at over eight grand. The battery range
is good enough for a race, but not a whole meeting of a series of
motos, or an entire enduro. The batteries can be hot-swapped
(apparently it takes about five minutes), but at over two grand
apiece, it would be an expensive refuelling. They don't have a fast
charge option.

The bike has road kit, so can be riddein legally, though not with the
tyres this demonstrator had fitted. Not sure what the range is, but
electric bikes rarely come close to the claimed range in real-world
use.

They are apparently bringing out a 450-equivalent. If it lives up to
that claim then it should be awesome.

--

-Pip

On Wed, 15 Jun 2022 17:31:22 +0100, Pipl <pluscher@live.co.uk> wrote:

>While I was waiting for my Energica to be serviced at English Electric
>Motorcycles, I spotted a pretty serious-looking MX/enduro style bike
>parked among the smaller demonstrators. I figured that it was more
>show than go, but it looked inpressive, nonetheless.
>
>I was told that it was a 125 equivalent, and had impressed racers.
>
>When I was casually offered a test ride while I waited, I pointed at
>the shiny toy and said "Ooh, that one, please."

Sounded like a good choice. Nice write-up.

--
Colin Irvine
FJR1300A

Colin Irvine <look@colinandpat.co.uk> wrote:
> On Wed, 15 Jun 2022 17:31:22 +0100, Pipl <pluscher@live.co.uk> wrote:
>
>>While I was waiting for my Energica to be serviced at English Electric
>>Motorcycles, I spotted a pretty serious-looking MX/enduro style bike
>>parked among the smaller demonstrators. I figured that it was more
>>show than go, but it looked inpressive, nonetheless.
>>
>>I was told that it was a 125 equivalent, and had impressed racers.
>>
>>When I was casually offered a test ride while I waited, I pointed at
>>the shiny toy and said "Ooh, that one, please."
>
> Sounded like a good choice. Nice write-up.

+1.

(posted via JuiceSSH terminal emulator on my phone & tin newsreader
on a Thinkpad X200 running Ubuntu)

--
FJR1300A, GL1000, KLR650A6F, EX250J9A, DR200SE, Vespa Ciao

Mark Olson <olsonm@tiny.invalid> wrote in news:t8eoj2$eig$1@dont-email.me:

> (posted via JuiceSSH terminal emulator on my phone & tin newsreader
> on a Thinkpad X200 running Ubuntu)
>

fuck me

that woke up the geekometer