The Super73 R Series e-bike is expensive, heavy, and extremely fun

Is it a motorcycle? A dirt bike? An e-bike? Whatever category you choose, it's fun.

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[zenparadox]

Looks cool, and sounds fun, but at 186 cm tall I'm guessing I'd be very uncomfortable on this...

 

[jbblanchet]

That's exactly what we need more of in bike lanes: extremely heavy and fast electric motorcycles that zoom past everyone!

/s

 

[wallinbl]

That's exactly what we need more of in bike lanes: extremely heavy and fast electric motorcycles that zoom past everyone!

/s

And on multi use trails.

 

[marcon]

Ebikes in general are just heavy. Take a road bike, that might weigh around 15 lbs (roughly what mine weighs, but it's several decades old--they definitely do make lighter ones).

That's going to take approximately as much energy in most scenarios as the pedal assist on an ebike (having tried a few models extensively), except perhaps on short steep hills or hauling cargo short distance (which is where they really shine).

Then, you run out of battery. Road bike still takes the same effort. Ebike.. getting off and walking is still an option.

My 2c. Riding both kinds routinely, I'd say ebikes fill the "moving cargo" niche, but my road bike squarely wins the "transport self" contract.

E-bicycles really shine, when riding over non-flat terrain, with people of different training states, or to get to the office without breaking a sweat. If you are a well-trained adult riding on your lonesome, having lighter, unpowered bike might well be more fun.

 

[Deleted member 823177]

I've decided that I'm limiting my definition of e-bikes to things with pedals, so I have turned down review hardware without them

fwiw, given that Ars already reviews both ICE and electric cars, i know i'd appreciate some reviews of (or at least news about) electric motorbikes too - they're still a relatively new product category compared to electric cars, so they seem like a pretty good fit for the site.

 

[MartinH]

I'm not sure I like the idea of putting pedals on an electric dirt bike just so people can use them on bike lanes and avoid the regulations on motorcycles.

 

[wallinbl]

My 2c. Riding both kinds routinely, I'd say ebikes fill the "moving cargo" niche, but my road bike squarely wins the "transport self" contract.

I largely only bike for exercise and fun. I would bike more as transportation if I had an ebike because I could more likely reach my destination without getting sweaty. Arriving sweaty is the reason I don't do it now, since much of the year here it's rather warm outside.

 

[Meathim]

Max weight is aparently 150KG, which is good news for this 195cm fat man. Price in europe starts at €4599. The smaller versions (S2 and ZX) are €3699 and €2699 respectively. I'm not in the market for one, but man they look fun. Them tires should work in snow as well.. I would look absolutely ridiculous.

I'm not sure I like the idea of putting pedals on an electric dirt bike just so people can use them on bike lanes and avoid the regulations on motorcycles.

This is a very good point actually. Good thing they're probably too expensive to become a real nuisance.

 

[euzeka]

What this is is a motorcycle disguised as a bike so it can skirt around the law. Lets people drive on bike lanes, often at unsafe speeds, pretending to be a cyclist. Or drive on the road without a license or any kind of motorcycle training. They are becoming a bigger problem every year.

 

[el_oscuro]

Ebikes in general are just heavy. Take a road bike, that might weigh around 15 lbs (roughly what mine weighs, but it's several decades old--they definitely do make lighter ones).

That's going to take approximately as much energy in most scenarios as the pedal assist on an ebike (having tried a few models extensively), except perhaps on short steep hills or hauling cargo short distance (which is where they really shine).

Then, you run out of battery. Road bike still takes the same effort. Ebike.. getting off and walking is still an option.

My 2c. Riding both kinds routinely, I'd say ebikes fill the "moving cargo" niche, but my road bike squarely wins the "transport self" contract.

It depends. Where E-bikes really shine is on hilly terrain. We have lots of steep hills around here and I can go up them just like I was pedaling on flat ground.

 

[Dakel]

Man the ebike hate brigade is out in full force today. I have a sort of similar model, and it's my only mode of transit, I've gone from not going anywhere in the summer and maybe 2 miles at max in the fall and spring, to a 10ish mile radius year round. In theory I can even bike to Canada now. It's great because it allows me to mingle with traffic with the total lack of bike lanes we have around here, and keep up with the spandex bros hauling ass without dying myself.

There is however one bike lane where I live, unfortunately it seems people have mistaken it for a jogging and dog walking lane instead. That and it's the most dangerous bit of the road it's on...

 

[henrikmk]

Ebikes in general are just heavy. Take a road bike, that might weigh around 15 lbs (roughly what mine weighs, but it's several decades old--they definitely do make lighter ones).

That's going to take approximately as much energy in most scenarios as the pedal assist on an ebike (having tried a few models extensively), except perhaps on short steep hills or hauling cargo short distance (which is where they really shine).

Then, you run out of battery. Road bike still takes the same effort. Ebike.. getting off and walking is still an option.

My 2c. Riding both kinds routinely, I'd say ebikes fill the "moving cargo" niche, but my road bike squarely wins the "transport self" contract.

So, in your experience, running out of battery happens on a regular basis? Are E-bike batteries susceptible to sudden power losses or range reductions that, say, battery powered power tools are not?

I'm just trying to figure out how an E-bike battery can leave you dry with you being surprised by it, sans forgetting to charge it.

 

[ColdWetDog]

Man the ebike hate brigade is out in full force today. I have a sort of similar model, and it's my only mode of transit, I've gone from not going anywhere in the summer and maybe 2 miles at max in the fall and spring, to a 10ish mile radius year round. In theory I can even bike to Canada now. It's great because it allows me to mingle with traffic with the total lack of bike lanes we have around here, and keep up with the spandex bros hauling ass without dying myself.

There is however one bike lane where I live, unfortunately it seems people have mistaken it for a jogging and dog walking lane instead. That and it's the most dangerous bit of the road it's on...

That's what the loud horn is for....

EDIT: I have no earthly use case for this thing but it would be a lot of fun.

 

[Deleted member 545801]

Ebikes in general are just heavy. Take a road bike, that might weigh around 15 lbs (roughly what mine weighs, but it's several decades old--they definitely do make lighter ones).

That's going to take approximately as much energy in most scenarios as the pedal assist on an ebike (having tried a few models extensively), except perhaps on short steep hills or hauling cargo short distance (which is where they really shine).

Then, you run out of battery. Road bike still takes the same effort. Ebike.. getting off and walking is still an option.

My 2c. Riding both kinds routinely, I'd say ebikes fill the "moving cargo" niche, but my road bike squarely wins the "transport self" contract.

For someone that has cycled for a few years, yes (and I say that as someone who has cycled for a few years and is test riding a cargo bike today).

For people that are newer to cycling, want to arrive to their destination faster and less sweaty, folks with knee issues, etc, e-Bikes are a God-send. And anything that gets people to stop using cars (especially ICE cars) at is a net-positive in my book.

Edit: that's not to say this bike isn't ridiculous, especially letting the user change the class of their bike from an app to go faster. But it's also priced significantly higher than entry-level e-bikes are, so I doubt it would be a new rider's first choice.

 

[wallinbl]

Man the ebike hate brigade is out in full force today. I have a sort of similar model, and it's my only mode of transit, I've gone from not going anywhere in the summer and maybe 2 miles at max in the fall and spring, to a 10ish mile radius year round. In theory I can even bike to Canada now. It's great because it allows me to mingle with traffic with the total lack of bike lanes we have around here, and keep up with the spandex bros hauling ass without dying myself.

There is however one bike lane where I live, unfortunately it seems people have mistaken it for a jogging and dog walking lane instead. That and it's the most dangerous bit of the road it's on...

That's what the loud horn is for....

Around here, nearly everyone is immersed in headphones at this point. I've swapped out for fatter tires so it's easier to manage when I have to go off the side of the bike path to get around the oblivious folks blocking the whole thing in their headphones and their dog's 15' leash stretching to the far other side of the path.

(Living in Florida, it's sand, not hard ground, so it ain't fun when you get off the pavement on 25mm tires)

 

[dr_lha]

What this is is a motorcycle disguised as a bike so it can skirt around the law. Lets people drive on bike lanes, often at unsafe speeds, pretending to be a cyclist. Or drive on the road without a license or any kind of motorcycle training. They are becoming a bigger problem every year.

This overpowered thing is a problem with all ebikes though. I've lost count of the number of times I've been riding down a suburban mixed use path with my kids and some asshole on an ebike flies past us at 20mph or faster. It's not an appropriate speed to be riding on a MUP filled with kids, dogs and walkers.

 

[NinjaNerd56]

Bought a Terra Trike Rover recumbent bike right before the pandemic. Now have about 15 miles on it…just haven’t been able to ride for a million reasons.

Anyway, I had looked at some e-bikes but decided sitting 8 inches above the ground in a recliner was far safer.

Yeah, I wear a helmet now.

I was showing off for family and friends and discovered that a sharp turn at high speed (which the manual clearly says not to do) will flip the bike.

The 10-speed option thing caught my eye. The Rover is NOT a light bike. And sitting semi-reclined and no way to stand on the pedals, you need the 21-speed Shimano rig they sell with the Rover. My neighborhood has wide sidewalks and decent terrain changes, so climbing a hill is required.

Glad I have the recumbent, but given that I once owned a Kawasaki 900 in 76, going fast on a bike would be cool.

*SIGH*

 

[weilawei]

Ebikes in general are just heavy. Take a road bike, that might weigh around 15 lbs (roughly what mine weighs, but it's several decades old--they definitely do make lighter ones).

That's going to take approximately as much energy in most scenarios as the pedal assist on an ebike (having tried a few models extensively), except perhaps on short steep hills or hauling cargo short distance (which is where they really shine).

Then, you run out of battery. Road bike still takes the same effort. Ebike.. getting off and walking is still an option.

My 2c. Riding both kinds routinely, I'd say ebikes fill the "moving cargo" niche, but my road bike squarely wins the "transport self" contract.

So, in your experience, running out of battery happens on a regular basis? Are E-bike batteries susceptible to sudden power losses or range reductions that, say, battery powered power tools are not?

I'm just trying to figure out how an E-bike battery can leave you dry with you being surprised by it, sans forgetting to charge it.

That's a fair critique. The short answer is yes, I have run out of battery often enough. The long answer is that I'm putting more miles in on average than most people outside of people racing. I've logged 553 miles this year on the local ebike rental program (docks, find a bike that's full, check it out repeatedly until empty, etc. and yes I've tried others, but these are nice and inexpensive) and my ride a couple days ago on the road bike was 48 miles.

But yeah, it's a thing, and those bikes are real work to get back when you run low vs a road bike requiring almost no effort to keep a minimum roll when you're tired.

I really like ebikes, they just fill a different niche than upper mid to long range riding. Mostly, I'll opt to have my road bike if I'm not actually sure how long I'll be out. It will work the same as long as I eat food. When you need to carry your road bike with a busted tire (or other heavy/awkward load for a moderate distance), ebikes are fantastic. And yes, short to medium commutes too. They're wonderful in cities.

 

[SavedByTechnology]

I’m really interested in an eBike; can someone recommend a good option to secure one? Also, do these come with a start disable function when parked? (to possibly prevent it from being used if stolen).

 

[SeeUnknown]

Thank you for reviews like this. I used to mountain bike extensively but unfortunately developed a knee issue as I aged. So getting an electric bike would bring back that feeling of freedom.

 

[MartinH]

Man the ebike hate brigade is out in full force today. I have a sort of similar model, and it's my only mode of transit, I've gone from not going anywhere in the summer and maybe 2 miles at max in the fall and spring, to a 10ish mile radius year round. In theory I can even bike to Canada now. It's great because it allows me to mingle with traffic with the total lack of bike lanes we have around here, and keep up with the spandex bros hauling ass without dying myself.

There is however one bike lane where I live, unfortunately it seems people have mistaken it for a jogging and dog walking lane instead. That and it's the most dangerous bit of the road it's on...

I'm all for ebikes. If they get people out of their house and cars more, that's a great thing.

The problems is that the the high-powered ones don't match the driving profile of low- or unpowered bikes. Bikes lanes are designed to give a safe space for riders going maybe 10 to 25 km/h, so a heavy machine moving at 40 km/h is a hazard.

Most places have restrictions on max speeds to qualify as an 'bike', but even if the max is 35 km/h, that's pretty fast, and they're still going to accelerate so quickly that when starting off they're often ripping past at 30 while the rest of the riders are still at 10 km/h.

Then if you add in joggers going even slower, it makes a mess of different speeds and slows everything down.

All of this just says to me that there isn't enough biking infrustructure to handle all the new people using it. There should be bigger sidewalks for people walking and jogging, and larger bikes lanes that leave plenty of space to pass in each direction. And anything over ~30 km/h should be on the road with the cars, even if it has pedals.

 

[mrrooster]

I'm not sure I like the idea of putting pedals on an electric dirt bike just so people can use them on bike lanes and avoid the regulations on motorcycles.

This.

I looked at this and just went 'WANT!!!!'

However, if you're driving around at 30mph, you really want a full set of bike protective gear, including a helmet, I'd not fancy using it in cycling gear.

I had a crash on a motorbike at less than 30mpg, and was wearing full gear (which I'll admit I had stupidly taken the amour out of), it took 6 hours for the surgeon to rebuild my (now slightly metalic) elbow, and I'm in constant low level pain because of it.

I still want one though!!

(But that step of getting all the kit on probably makes it less useful for just nipping to the shops).

 

[UserJoe]

John Timmer,

I was just wondering what height you would need to be to ride on the regular seat portion. Are you a tall person?

 

[psarhjinian]

I'm not sure I like the idea of putting pedals on an electric dirt bike just so people can use them on bike lanes and avoid the regulations on motorcycles.

Let's slap pedals on a Zero SRF and find out!

 

[BasiliskPie]

Aged 70, I and my fiancee biked the back roads of Chianti, Italy, on full suspension E-bikes - an Ecotric model I've never seen advertised (Bosch mid-drive). It's hilly with quite steep inclines, often on gravel/chip roads.

We used all the power-assist levels over the day - including unassisted. It was a fabulous experience with views and terrain we could never have experienced otherwise. Minimizing use of the assists, I got a decent workout on the hills; these don't have to be lazy-folks toys, they can be incline and distance extenders.

Here in southern NJ, hills and scenic vistas aren't a justification, and high traffic (with NJ drivers) adds safety issues. About to head to Sedona, ' wish we had these.

As to speed, NJ only treats Class 1 & 2 e-bikes as bicycles. They're 20 mph limited in the NJ books, and that's about the speed I encounter each Saturday in the road-bike pelotons. Folks who bike at that speed rarely, in my area, use the bike paths - which often have too-sharp turns, slow bikes or other impediments. I expect e-bikes would avoid bike paths as well at top speeds... but there are always some.

 

[Bloater51]

I'm not sure I like the idea of putting pedals on an electric dirt bike just so people can use them on bike lanes and avoid the regulations on motorcycles.

This would certainly qualify as a motorcycle in the UK where the motor must be incapable of propelling an 'electrically assisted pedal cycle' at more than 15 mph (<25kph). It isn't that people do not cycle faster, it is the weight of these machines that creates the main hazard.

Having pedals should not really be relevant. The moped has them, but they are classified differently from bicycles in most places.

The problem, as always, is enforcement.

 

[Tijger]

I'm not sure I like the idea of putting pedals on an electric dirt bike just so people can use them on bike lanes and avoid the regulations on motorcycles.

Thats why in the Netherlands, where we have a lot of actual bike paths, they're subject to strict rules with regards to top speed and power assistance, the fastest are Speed Pedelecs which reach 30 mph, while regular e-bikes are limited to around 16 mph, and are generally considered the same as mopeds and therefore not allowed on normal bike paths.

I have to admit that this things looks like a bad joke to me and thats coming from a country with more bycycles than people

 

[RZetopan]

I had a crash on a motorbike at less than 30mpg, ...

So it was powered by a tractor engine?

 

[Tijger]

Aged 70, I and my fiancee biked the back roads of Chianti, Italy, on full suspension E-bikes - an Ecotric model I've never seen advertised (Bosch mid-drive). It's hilly with quite steep inclines, often on gravel/chip roads.

We used all the power-assist levels over the day - including unassisted. It was a fabulous experience with views and terrain we could never have experienced otherwise. Minimizing use of the assists, I got a decent workout on the hills; these don't have to be lazy-folks toys, they can be incline and distance extenders.

The mid drive electrical engines are most definitely the best type of electrical assistance (I've tested them all myself before buying an e-bike) and the best of those are the Bosch engines, they also come in a variety of types now from engines specifically for touring to engines for more serious mountain ascents and even models to propel heavy delivery bikes.

 

[Dr. Jay]

John Timmer,

I was just wondering what height you would need to be to ride on the regular seat portion. Are you a tall person?

I'm a bit over 6' tall (about 185 cm). So I expect you need to be well below average height to pedal comfortably.

 

[graylshaped]

"Too small for adults."

Sigh. I'm in the research stage for an ebike, but am 6' 4", so however fun this bike may be, it ain't for me.

 

[Tijger]

In all fairness, this is far more sensible fat tire/offroad bike if you ask me:

https://cyrusherbikes.nl/products/xf800

Sorry, the webpage is in Dutch but Google Translate can help you there, I expect

 

[Dr. Jay]

Man the ebike hate brigade is out in full force today. I have a sort of similar model, and it's my only mode of transit, I've gone from not going anywhere in the summer and maybe 2 miles at max in the fall and spring, to a 10ish mile radius year round. In theory I can even bike to Canada now. It's great because it allows me to mingle with traffic with the total lack of bike lanes we have around here, and keep up with the spandex bros hauling ass without dying myself.

There is however one bike lane where I live, unfortunately it seems people have mistaken it for a jogging and dog walking lane instead. That and it's the most dangerous bit of the road it's on...

I'm all for ebikes. If they get people out of their house and cars more, that's a great thing.

The problems is that the the high-powered ones don't match the driving profile of low- or unpowered bikes. Bikes lanes are designed to give a safe space for riders going maybe 10 to 25 km/h, so a heavy machine moving at 40 km/h is a hazard.

I was uncomfortable with a lot of the e-things (bikes, scooters, skateboards) for a while. But I've gradually realized that i'm nearly 100kg myself and I regularly hit speeds of 40km/h on my road bike, so any run in with any of these is going to be very problematic. And the thing that makes a run in likely isn't electric power; it's idiocy. And I've seen idiots on e-everything, on foot, and on traditional bikes.

The other thing that's clear is that any of these forms of idiocy are vastly preferable to an idiot behind the wheel of a car.

So, while I'm still not happy about sharing bike lanes with powered vehicles, my anger has been focused more on the general cluelessness of the other people I find there. And I'll argue that we need bike lanes to be wide enough for dedicated fast and slow moving traffic lanes within them to anyone who would listen.

 

[donsez]

The problem with calling this an ebike is the near uselessness of this bike without battery power. IMO this is really an electric moped (remember the gas powered ones that were popular during the 70s gas crisis?) Nobody would want to be stuck pedalling one if they ran out of gas.

I think companies making ebikes that can still function by pedal power should make that a selling point but I understand the typical ebike user isn't interested in providing much, if any, effort in pedal power to get around.

For what this costs you could get a very capable Brompton electric that doesn't have the sheer speed or range but will get you a lot farther with a small fraction of the weight.

 

[Dr. Jay]

In all fairness, this is far more sensible fat tire/offroad bike if you ask me:

https://cyrusherbikes.nl/products/xf800

Sorry, the webpage is in Dutch but Google Translate can help you there, I expect

I will hopefully have a test ride of something similar before the summer is over.

 

[Tijger]

In all fairness, this is far more sensible fat tire/offroad bike if you ask me:

https://cyrusherbikes.nl/products/xf800

Sorry, the webpage is in Dutch but Google Translate can help you there, I expect

I will hopefully have a test ride of something similar before the summer is over.

That would be cool!

I've tested more than a few myself trying to find a good e-bike that I liked and it was quite remarkable how much difference the type of drive alone makes.

 

[seraphimcaduto]

I'm not sure I like the idea of putting pedals on an electric dirt bike just so people can use them on bike lanes and avoid the regulations on motorcycles.

This has also been a thing with small engine assisted bikes too:
https://bikez.com/motorcycles/tomos_streetmate_2010.php
They are also a blast to drive and fuel efficient (about 100mpg if memory serves me) especially with the extra speed kit, you can tuck in and hit about 35mph as a 190lb adult if you know what you are doing. Source: my brother has one and it’s a blast.

Edit: By no means should anyone operate one of these without a license or under someone with a license, that would be a horrible idea. We originally purchased the one above when my brother couldn’t get a license due to disability and we let him use it on our property with us around. Unfortunately once he started having seizures, this was no longer possible, but he had a blast when he could ride it.

 

[Rauth85]

Ebikes in general are just heavy. Take a road bike, that might weigh around 15 lbs (roughly what mine weighs, but it's several decades old--they definitely do make lighter ones).

That's going to take approximately as much energy in most scenarios as the pedal assist on an ebike (having tried a few models extensively), except perhaps on short steep hills or hauling cargo short distance (which is where they really shine).

Then, you run out of battery. Road bike still takes the same effort. Ebike.. getting off and walking is still an option.

My 2c. Riding both kinds routinely, I'd say ebikes fill the "moving cargo" niche, but my road bike squarely wins the "transport self" contract.

I mean motor bikes were/are a thing too.