The Electric Motorcycle & Motorscooter Topic

Ubco FRX1 Trail Bike Is Here To Quietly Tear Up Your Hills

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Kiwi electric bike maker Ubco just introduced its new FRX1 Trail Bike for pre-order. It’s lighter in weight, faster, and more definitively fun-focused than its workhorse 2x2 model. According to Ubco, it’s an electric motorbike that’s happy to blur the lines between an MTB and a dirt bike. Let’s take a look. . . .

The FRX1 weighs just 132 pounds, is clutchless, and features a 15 kilowatt brushless motor that Ubco claims is capable of a top speed of 50 miles per hour. Range is an estimated 62 miles, and you recharge it by plugging the bike directly into your available household outlets. Total charge time is an estimated 6 hours—although, as always, claimed numbers and actual numbers in the real world may differ.

Ubco also says the regenerative braking system is fully adjustable, and can provide up to 10 percent increased battery capacity, depending on how its configured. Front and rear hydraulic brakes stop you when you want them to. The company is currently taking preorders via its website. MSRP is $8,999 plus tax and shipping, and a deposit of $100 is required if you want to place a preorder. . . .

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Pursang Electric Scramblers Start Rolling Out In May 2020

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Once upon a time, there was a Bultaco Pursang—or rather, there were several of them, and they quickly took over the hearts and minds of enthusiastic young motocrossers everywhere. Eventually, Bultaco met its demise. It’s since been resurrected as a Spanish e-bike manufacturer—and now, the Pursang name is doing its own thing and making electric motorcycles.

Pursang’s rebirth as a company in its own right is mainly down to one man: Jim Palau-Ribes, who also is apparently responsible for the designs of the two bikes the company will introduce in 2020 and 2021. They’re not motocross bikes, but are instead electric scramblers. . . .

The 2020 Pursang E-Track officially launches in May 2020, and the company is taking reservations on its website for one of the just 60 that will ever be made on its website. This carbon fiber-wrapped motorbike is powered by an 11kW Bosch motor, which the company says has a range of 160 kilometers (or 99 miles), and a top speed of 120 kilometers per hour (or 74.5 miles per hour). Weight is 147 kilograms, or about 324 pounds. MSRP is €13,700, or US $14,776.

An estimated date for the Pursang E-Street isn’t available yet, but it seems like this is meant to be the mass-market model. It’s powered by a Bosch 6kW motor, with a range of 100km (or 62 miles). Claimed top speed is also 100kmh, or 62mph—and the combination of these two stats makes them rather easy to remember. Weight is 132kg, or 291 pounds. MSRP is €8,700, or US $9,383.

It’s worth noting one other significant difference between the two models . . . The E-Track’s battery is fixed, while the E-Street’s will be removable and chargeable off the bike. Despite the shorter range, that seems like a not-insignificant upgrade in terms of practicality for everyday use, depending on your living situation.

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LeftieBiker said:

I was planning on taking a long ride on my Vectrix Maxi-scooter this Sunday. I haven't been on the bike since early Spring, so I got her out, topped off the tires (I added a little metal valve stem extender to the rear because the short stem there is hard to reach without bending the rubber stem way over), washed the bike, and taped a grip that is inexplicably rotting long before its mate. Then I went for a quick spin to dry the brakes. I kept hearing a clicking sound that I finally decided was a slightly slightly sticky front caliper. A block from my house on the way back, the click turned to a roar. I stopped the bike and looked at the front end. It was fine. Then I looked at the rear, and the tire had gone flat. The little metal valve stem extender had torn the upper part of the stem right off. I got off and walked the bike the last block, hoping it didn't get away from me (I had to use power to assist with walking the VERY heavy bike) or fall. I made it home safely, and parked the bike in the garage. No ride on Sunday, and maybe none ever again, because getting the rear wheel off a VX-1 isn't a trivial task. I'll tackle it eventually, but I've gotten so weak of late that it may be beyond me, even with the Harbor Freight motorcycle lift I have. Not with a bang, but with a whimper or two...

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