Dirt bikes are powered by a motor and fuel that powers the motor. With standard dirt bikes, gasoline is the fuel that powers the motor. Electric dirt bikes have a motor, just like gas-powered dirt bikes. If some of you were asking what electric dirt bikes are and what is the difference between dirt bikes and electric bikes, here is the answer:
Over the past decade, we have been seeing a rise in a new type of dirt bike.
Enter the Electric Dirt Bikes.
Gas fueled motor VS Electric fueled motor
However, the electric motor is powered by electricity that comes from a battery.
With the dirt bike’s electric motor, the power is like your on-off light switch in your house.
This means that when you open the throttle on the electric bike, there is no lag, and you get ALL of the power at once.
Electric Dirt Bike
- Quiet – little to zero noise
- No Fuel (gas)
- No oil
- Instant electric power
- No gears
- No Clutch
- No kickstart
- Lightweight
- Easy to use
You can also get a LOT of power out of a small electric dirt bike motor.
Electric dirt bikes are quiet and powerful, and the power really is like an on-off switch.
Unlike gas-powered dirt bikes, electric dirt bikes have little to no maintenance.
Electric dirt bikes have no gears, no clutch, and no kickstart. This could make the dirt bike easier to ride.
Having no clutch on the electric dirt bike will be something that we old-timers may have a hard time with.
If you have ever spent time on a gas-powered dirt bike, you know that a carburetor or fuel injection system determines a power curve.
Gas-powered fuel systems have come a long way but still cannot match the one-off switch that a battery-powered electric motor produces.
Keep in mind the electric dirt bike industry still is working on producing a battery-powered electric dirt bike motor that can produce the same amount of power as the 450 four-stroke gas-powered dirt bike.
Right now, you can still easily make a more powerful gas-powered dirt bike versus an electric dirt bike.
The reason for this…
The battery technology which powers the electric motor is the weak point.
With major car manufacturers like Tesla Motors investing in battery technology, this, in my opinion, will trickle down to the electric dirt bikes.
This also makes us wonder if you can get the same range with a battery-powered electric dirt bike as a gas-powered dirt bike.
Companies like Alta Motors and Zero Motorcycles started to produce modern electric dirt bikes and electric motorcycles.
Alta Motors focused on the offroad or motocross type of electric dirt bikes.
**note Alta Motors no longer makes electric dirt bikes…sad, I know.
Zero Motorcycles are more on-road electric motorcycles.
Zero Motorcycle claims that the cost of ownership over the lifetime of the motorcycle is cheaper with an electric bike versus a gas-powered motorcycle.
But both of these electric motorcycle companies are small and not considered mainstream.
Fast forward to 2019.
We have companies like Honda and KTM jumping into the electric dirt bike game.
KTM already has produced the KTM FREERIDE E-XC
For 2020 KTM has announced their Youth or kids electric dirt bike, models
- 2020 KTM SX – E 5
- 2020 Husqvarna EE 5
Honda motorcycles have also shown the world a prototype electric dirt bike.
Honda has built this electric dirt bike of their popular CRF frames.
Companies like KTM and Honda building electric dirt bikes are crucial to the survival of electric dirt bikes.
Why
Honda and KTM have decades of experience building quality gas-powered motorcycles and dirt bikes.
They have the money, research/development, and distribution channels.
Odds are you have heard of Honda, and if you are a dirt biker, you have heard of both Honda and KTM.
Chances are you have owned on.
As I mentioned, the major dirt bike manufacturers need to build electric bikes in order for them to survive.
We have already seen Alta motors go the way of the earth, and it wasn’t because they didn’t make a quality electric dirt bike.
I hope this article has explained what are electric dirt bikes.
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