- Arctic Leopard is the company behind several Dakar winning electric dirt bikes, including placing 1st, 3rd, and 4th in the 2026 Dakar electric category.
- The XE Pro S is a 20kW e-moto with 600Nm of torque to the rear wheel and capable of speeds of 62mph
- Unlike most of its competitors, the Arctic Leopard uses a direct drive motor, eliminating the need for belts and jackshafts
- The swingarm of the XE Pro S is extended by 1.75” over its rivals to enhance stability and performance
- With fully adjustable 37mm KKE inverted forks and real gas-bike-like DOT-rated brakes, the XE Pro S needs very little upgrading
Arctic Leopard is quietly making waves in the e-moto world. As I’m writing this, there are only a few YouTube videos, only a handful of blogs, and the random TikTok. Yet there are also articles about them competing in the gruelling Dakar rally – and winning.
So, what’s the go? Who are Arctic Leopard, and why might the Arctic Leopard XE Pro S need to be your next electric dirt bike?
I’m Margie, a GritShift writer who questionably spends more time on a dirt bike seat than behind my computer, but the mercury has hit over 100 degrees today where I am currently, so it’s time best spent inside! I’d like to explain to you something that we’ve instantly fallen in love with: the Arctic Leopard XE Pro S.
Check out this video from Bullet here:
This bike is a full-on rival to the E Ride Pro SR, it has better stats than the Ventus One Plus, and as far as value for money goes, it kicks the Stark Varg off the table. Let’s check out the specs, why we think this bike is awesome, the parts we would change on it, and the ride style this bike is made for.
Introducing the Arctic Leopard XE Pro S
The Arctic Leopard XE Pro S is a 20kW powerhouse with a 72V 55Ah battery, running a direct drive motor, rocketing this bike to over 62mph. We all know you can get the stats from anywhere, but to save you time, here they are:
For the purpose of this article, I’ll be discussing the XE Pro S Enduro – the 2026 model. If you’re as new to the Arctic Leopard brand as I was a few months ago, you may not realise that there are a few versions of the XE:
- Arctic Leopard XE Pro – The baby of the Leopard XE range, with 16.8kW and 18/19 wheel setup.
- Arctic Leopard XE Pro S – A 20kW bike with a 16/19 wheel setup, designed for aggressive off-road riding
- Arctic Leopard XE Pro S Enduro – Similar to the XE Pro S, but with 21/18 wheel setup designed more for enduro style riding. The Arctic Leopard XE Pro S Enduro is what I’ll be discussing in this article, but subscribe to our free newsletter if you would like a heads up on the other models as I write them.
Just to keep things even more confusing, there are other brands that discuss having XE and Pro S models. I have no idea why everything sounds so similar, but this is about the Arctic Leopard XE Pro S – and if you’re wondering, Arctic Leopard is a completely separate, independent company not affiliated with other e-moto brands – they just share a randomly similar name!
On that note, who are Arctic Leopard?
Fun Facts about Arctic Leopard
How can you tell the difference between a budget startup with high risk and all talk, versus a company that actually knows what it’s doing? You get the facts. Nothing says endurance and reliability like an entry in one of the toughest races in the world. The Dakar.
In 2024, Arctic Leopard entered their high-performance electric off road bike, the XE880. And who was the rider? Arctic Leopard’s own CEO Jack Cai. I think this means they know a thing or two about real world, actual riding!
Fast forward to 2026, the Dakar that’s just finished, and you might have noticed that Arctic Leopard was dominating the electric motorcycle category, securing a 1st, 3rd and 4th place! That’s pretty impressive!
You could say, Arctic Leopard has been a quiet high achiever. Although many of their bikes are in the Stark Varg-style high-performance category, and kind of miss the popular midsize Surron category, it could explain why they’ve been off the radar.
The XE Pro S has also undergone some awesome improvements, making the 2026 version their best yet. And this is what you should be seriously considering for your next bike.
Now, on to the good stuff, what’s this bike all about – from the humans that ride them!
Power and Drivetrain
As I’ve mentioned, the Arctic Leopard XE Pro S has 20kW that produces 600Nm of torque to the rear wheel. It is powered by a direct drive motor, which means no jackshaft, no belts, nothing that will increase friction and hinder performance, or snap when you really need it. In real-life terms, that translates to crazy fast, predictable power.
The controller is a Fardriver controller, which is a proven system made easy with a Bluetooth app. Connect to your phone for simple tuning at the track. It’s easy, fast, and you can get some really good fine-tuning going on. This gives the customization that riders need without the need to upgrade to aftermarket parts.
As Rocket – who is GritShift’s team rider – says, “The Arctic Leopard XE Pro S is hands down the best midsize Moto you can buy.” When you jump on this bike, I think you’ll agree with what we all think here at GritShift – the throttle is smooth, linear, and predictable. There is no need for any upgrades to the power.
The chain, on the other hand, we do think could do with replacing, but I’ll get to that part shortly.
Frame
What sets this bike apart from others in the midsized category is the extended swing arm. It’s stiff, but it’s also 1.75” longer than others in the same class. This gives a heap more stability when at top speeds, and feels more planted when tackling those enduro tracks, especially on the inclines, where it’s less likely to loop out on you.
The seat is actually good! It is a proper gas dirt bike-style seat, meaning you can shift your weight easily to get around those berms or ride sand, or just anything really!
The full display mounted mid-handlebars is great and has lots of features that are actually useful.
Suspension and Brakes
Suspension on the Arctic Leopard XE Pro S is a fully adjustable 37mm KKE inverted forks, with a 202mm stroke and a 210mm adjustable rear shock. As Rocket says, ‘Great suspension, from stock. Literally no upgrades needed!’
The brakes are real gas dirt bike-style DOT-rated hydraulic brakes, which again, is great from stock with no upgrades needed.
What needs to improve – and what to do
So far, we’ve chatted about why this bike is really awesome, but in true GritShift style, there are a few things we’d upgrade. Is it necessary? Well.. probably not! Not for most riders, but this next section is for those wanting to really customize and perfect their bike to their body. And for the hard riders. We see you.
The very first thing that most of us changed on our bikes was the handlebars. ‘The bar bend sucks’ says Mr Chow and I’d have to agree. But the good news is that this is a mod that most riders do on most bikes. This is one of the first mods I do on my gas dirt bikes. In my opinion, it just makes the ride feel more natural.
When you’re comfy, you ride better.
On the same theme, I would also add a direct mount riser and complete the bars with my preferred grips. The direct mount riser would also stop any bar twist, especially if you find yourself sideways in the dirt.
Here are some suggestions:
- ProTaper A50 Aluminum Handlebar
- Heavy Hitter 2 Inch Riser Direct Mount
- ProTaper Pillow Top Grips
- ODI Aluminum Bar End Plugs
- If you’re bush bashing, then the Warp 9 Handguard Kit would also be useful
Other improvements would be new tires – suited to the terrain that you’re riding in. The stock boots are great, but it’s kind of like one size fits all, and there are so many places you can ride, and different tread patterns for every different place. There is a good chance that you’ll be able to find a better-suited tire.
One change we are currently building a solution for is the need for the key to remove the battery. That feature really isn’t necessary, especially since we ride mostly off road and don’t leave our bikes unattended. If you’re interested in hearing what solution we create, feel free to subscribe to our free newsletter, where we’ll keep you up to date.
Maintenance & Durability
As a team, we’ve only got a few months of seat time on the Arctic Leopard XE Pro S, and out of us, Rocket has the most amount of time. He doesn’t hold back with his riding either, so if something’s going to break, Rocket will find it!
Most of the parts are well known, as in, we already know the KKE forks and rear suspension are great long term, the battery pack is good, the Fardriver controller has been well proven, and the Arctic Leopard build quality has been well known as sturdy for a while. Our team has thousands of miles on identical components on other bikes. Like I said before, a good Dakar race can prove durability!
Our early testing did reveal that the chain could be better. Even the community at large knows that the stock chain has been known to stretch and come off under the immense torque of the 72v Arctic Leopard. Thankfully, that’s an easy fix.
Overall, we’ve been really impressed with this bike and are super excited to spend more time riding the Leopard.
The GritShift thought:
If you’re in the market for a really great value, high quality, fast mid-sized e-moto, this needs to be top of your list. Check out the Arctic Leopard XE Pro S for yourself here
If this is going to be your first e-moto, I would say be very respectful to the throttle, and get in the app to select a tune that is beginner-friendly. Have a chat with your mates and be safe. This is a real dirt bike – not a Surron – but unlike gas dirt bikes, you don’t have gears to go through to get to the top speed. It’s fast!
Right out of the box, the Arctic Leopard XE Pro S is the best stock bike you can get right now. It needs only a few mods to get it to super awesome, and for most riders, you won’t need to do a thing. That is, of course, unless you want to!
We’re here for you at GritShift for any part for your e-moto so you can mod to get it perfect for you.
If you’re still undecided on what to get, check out these articles for a bit more reading, and have a chat with our team to find out more.
Leave a Reply