Technical Resources for Electric Trials Bikes

Overview

“I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him.” — Dick Cavett

My wife Cindy and I both own Electric Motion trials bikes.  She has a 2015 5.7, and I have a 2021 Epure Race.  Other than the fact that they are both electric and trials bikes, they are very different animals.

Although Electric Motion has made dramatic improvements over the years, the older model still has the edge in some regards – especially considering the purchase price.  In 2013, the year the 5.7 was introduced in the US, it retailed at $7600.  In 2021, the year the Epure Race was introduced in the US, it had an MSRP of $10,299.

What do you get for the extra money?

• Most importantly, a mechanical clutch

• Better motor controller: SiliXcon versus the 5.7's Kelly

• Increased battery capacity: 1.875 kWh versus the 5.7's 1.178 kWh

• Increased top speed: 43 mph versus the 5.7's claimed 34 mph (actually, 22 mph with 9T front sprocket)

• More powerful motor: 6 kW nominal / 11 kW peak versus the 5.7's 5 kW nominal / 10 kW peak

• Better quality motor: UK manufacturing versus the 5.7's China manufacturing

• Better forks: aluminum Tech versus the 5.7's steel Olle

• Better charger: 15 amp, and more efficient versus the 5.7's 10 amp

• More powerful front brake: Braktec Monobloc versus the 5.7's Hebo

• Better weight distribution (the 5.7 is quite front-heavy)

• Better battery State of Charge meter

• Generally, a better bike for the trials enthusiast

What's better about the 5.7?

• Slightly lighter by a few pounds, and more weight can be removed.

• Possible for the end user to alter motor controller parameters

• Possible for the end user to interact with the battery management system

• Vastly simpler wiring

• No clutch/primary gear oil to change

• Arguably, the pouch cells are “safer” than Epure's 18650 cells

• More parts available outside normal dealer channels

• Generally, a better bike for the hacker/experimenter

What's the same?

•  R16v shock (prior to 2022)

• Swingarm

• Wheels & tires

• Rear caliper

• Magura throttle (prior to 2022)

• Handlebars

• Battery connector

• Chain & sprocket size

• Sidestand

 Content

This website is a work in progress.  It contains a lot of technical content, but it's not just “what,” but also “why” and “how.”  I intend it as a bit of a give-back for all the things I've learned from other websites over the years.  

I built the website a full year earlier than originally anticipated.  I decided getting the information out soon rather than later (however incomplete) would be of value.  In an effort to reduce redundancy, the website is mostly subdivided by information pertaining to either the 5.7 or the Epure Race.  There is however enough generally-applicable information that you may find something of interest under both headings.

“I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.” — Blaise Pascal

Motivation/Rationalization

For the last several years, Cindy had a keen interest in buying an electric trials bike.  The thing she found most appealing was not having to kickstart it – which is a major pain to do 60 to 70 times during a competition.  Yes, electric-start ICE trials bikes do exist – we even considered buying a lightly used GasGas Contact 250 that was for sale locally.  Nice bike, but it weighed 177 pounds and had an integral seat.  The weight of the bike is even more important to her than not having to kickstart it – the lighter, the better.  

For this reason, years ago, she was excited about the Mecatecno Dragonfly.  It was claimed to weigh 63 kg (138.6 pounds), with a gearbox and mechanical clutch!  In my opinion, it was visually quite stunning as well.  Problem is, it was and still is vaporware – has been since 2018.

June 2023 update: Apparently, there are 24 Dragonflys in the USA having an MSRP of $11,299.

Seeking a Solution

We even considered getting an Oset 24.0R.  This is an adult-size electric from the originators of the electric trials bike for children.  Cindy and I both got to ride one several years ago and were completely underwhelmed.  But it was after a club event, and I'm thinking the battery must have been very depleted.  Although this would not have been a replacement for her Sherco 200, it might be fun for both of us.  Pat Smage (probably the best trials rider in the US today) seems to be able to have fun with them.

One of the problems with the Oset is that I would have to fabricate a rear brake system (the rear brake master cylinder is on the left handlebar) and then design some type of electronic clutch lever.  (Even though it's possible to eliminate the clutch entirely with an electric motor, this “advantage” becomes a drawback when you get back on a normal motorcycle.  Maintaining the standard motorcycle control methodology is of paramount importance to me.)  Finally, the 24.0R is not exactly cheap.  A new one is $4400 plus shipping and/or sales tax.  Used ones hold their value well.  Seems like a fair amount of trouble and expense for something that's still basically a toy.  But I guess all trials bikes are just toys.

Our interest was renewed in 2021 because of three guys who each bought an Electric Motion Epure Race (the one with a true hydraulic clutch).  They all seemed to just love them.  Cindy and I were fortunate enough to both be able to test-ride one of these bikes.  Thanks, Chris!  We were both really impressed.  But for a variety of reasons, we were not willing to commit to buying one.  This was partly because I wanted to see the technology mature a bit.  Partly because there were no more 2021s available in the US.  And partly because my EFI OSSAs work so well for me (although I surely would love not to have to kickstart them).

The 2021 Epure Race had an MSRP of $10,299 USD, and there was no need to discount them.  Not surprisingly, EM raised the price of the 2022 Epure Race to $10,899.  The quote I got from Hall's Cycles in Illinois included $425 for inbound freight, a $70 documentation fee, and approximately $600 for outbound freight, which made for a total of $12k.  And it would have been at least October before any were in the country.

Much of my motivation for owning an electric vehicle is just to play with the technology.  At one point, I considered building an electric bicycle – even though I have no interest in riding an electric bicycle.  A few years ago I looked into buying a Nissan Leaf (electric car) mostly for experimentation.  But a car takes up a lot more space than a motorcycle.

Nothing seemed like a good fit.  Then I began thinking about the older EM 5.7s.  Although I personally don't want a bike without a mechanical clutch, it might not be such a big deal for Cindy.  Couple that with the fact that I was seeing nice used examples for under $5k, and we could have one literally “tomorrow” – it seemed like the perfect way to get our feet wet with electric trials.

Embedded Links (lack of)

I've resisted the temptation to provide links to things outside my control.  Inevitably, those links will become outdated.  Instead, I've tried to provide sufficient information so that you can just conduct a current search for the thing that interests you.

Additionally, there is a very effective search tool built into the website — just use the magnifying glass at the upper right-hand corner. 

Note that the lower left corner of all the pages on this website contain an “i” with a circle around it.  This is known as the Information Symbol.  It is automatically generated and provides the date the page was last updated. 

This entire website uses Google Analytics to quantify visitor engagement.