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The introduction of the modern electric dirt bike has changed the off-road scenery. The eco-friendly battery-powered b dirt bike is built to run almost silently on difficult terrain. Yet requires less maintenance than its combustion dirt bike counterpart and obviously, the electric dirt bikes are a good choice for thrill seekers who are also nature conscious. So, if you’re ready to take part in the future of instantaneous power.
Where are all the electric dirt bikes?
Some of us have been waiting years now for that breakthrough moment. When an electric dirt bike can match its smelly, noisy cousins are lightweight, powerful, and distance. Imagine this baby available for less than current prices. No clutch. No gear changes. No stalling instant torque impossible to drown. No oil changes or cleaning air filters, left-hand rear brake, infinitely adjustable power settings.
Read more: How to Choose the Best Dirt Bike for Beginners: 3 step Ages 4-15
Some e-bike achievements
Electronic motorbikes are doing well in other areas. An electric motorbike has done the quarter mile in six seconds. Another one has reached 254 mph or 408 kilometers per hour. And there are some quite decent electric road motorbikes and scooters now. But dirt bikes pose a real challenge with the demand for lightweight plenty of power and a decent range.
Best e-dirt bikes so far?
Things did look promising with the alter redshift a few years ago. The motocross model weighed in at a hefty 120 kilograms 265 lb but had a claimed output of 50 horsepower. Alter claims the battery could last 25 minutes or racing or up to four hours cruising in the woods.
But it was bloody expensive, and they went bankrupt. KTM brought out their E-ride a few years ago then it mysteriously disappeared. Now it’s back again. The claimed weight of 108 kg is pretty good, around the same as a two-stroke enduro bike with half a tank of fuel.
But that’s at the expense of range and power. Owners of the new model report one to two hours of riding depending on how hard you ride. And the power output of 24.5 horsepower is only about half that of a 300cc two-stroke. And they are probably the final contender for Chinese-made Sur Ron storm Bee.
It’s definitely on the heavy side at 127 kilograms for their offroad version. It has a claimed maximum of 30 horsepower and a claimed range of 100 kilometers sitting at a steady 50 kilometers per hour. Unfortunately, we need several big changes to make this sort of electric dirtbike a reality.
The biggest problems
The biggest hurdles. heavyweight. Limited range. Not enough power. Long charge time. To expensive. And often just plain ugly. But this could all change soon. First battery technology. The current ones are still bulky, heavy, don’t store enough energy, and take too long to charge. But it could all change soon.
Next breakthroughs?
Elon Musk reckons we will see dramatic improvements in the current lithium-ion batteries in coming years. Otherwise, a more recent technology Ultra capacitors might pave the way to much more effective batteries. And there’s also a lithium titanium oxide battery that can be potentially charged in under 10 minutes and lasts almost forever.
Second, the electric engines the faster they can spin the more power you get. But Huling becomes a problem. Tesla has lighter, more powerful engines on the way as they managed to keep them cooler at high revs, and two attendant companies a pioneering liquid-cooled electric engines for the same purpose. Third, prices will get cheaper eventually,
It could take a long time
Unfortunately, research and development are expensive. So it’s almost all happening in the automotive world. Eventually, it trickles down into the motorbike industry and then eventually into dirt bikes.
But we will need to see quite a few breakthroughs and big sales before decent electric dirt bikes are cheap for the ugly factor. These bikes have really been hit with the ugly stick repeatedly.
Are they letting the interns design them after too many hash cookies? Who knows? I went to a recent motorbike exhibition and looked at these electric horrors. It will be interesting to see how long it takes us to adapt to a different style of look.
Future models
As electric dirt bikes become popular. With a bit of luck, the Japanese might come up with a good-looking bike. This is Yamaha’s prototype. And Honda is working on this motocross version. And for those who will miss the noise, you can just plug your headphones in while writing or make your own sounds.
What do you guys think? Are you keen to see decent electric dirt bikes that will let smelly, noisy old bikes have to be pried from your cold dead fingers? keen to hear your thoughts.