- The Arctic Leopard XE Pro S is the favorite out-of-the-box competition bike amongst our team.
- The Komodo is a close second, with huge power, but the suspension needs to be upgraded for riding at race pace.
- On the Ultra Bee and E Ride Pro SR, swingarm flex can cause the chain to come off the sprocket when riding hard. This can be solved with an aftermarket swingarm or strengthening.
- Most riders who race upgrade components like the handlebars to get the exact feel they’re looking for – even on out-of-the-box “competition ready” bikes.
What is the best competition-ready electric dirt bike available right now? Well… it depends. What type of competition are you wanting to enter? Let’s say, you’re thinking of entering a rock bashing, technical, tight track for the Redbull TKO – you’ll need a bike that will withstand hard riding, a large battery, and on the odd occasion, some good top speed mixed with super controllable low speed. In other words, a bit of everything!
But, if it’s jumping triples on an SX track, your suspension will get a big workout. You’ll also need big power, but not necessarily the biggest battery, due to shorter motos. If it’s more trials riding, then a lightweight, nimble bike with awesome throttle control is the way to go.
As you can see, ‘competition’ could mean different things to different people.
To keep things easy, let’s look at the most capable all-round e-motos that our team riders love. I’m not sure if there’s such a thing as a 100% competition-ready, out-of-the-box e-moto, but we’ll look at the bikes we think need the least amount of upgrades.
It’s been a while since I’ve raced competitively (kids take up a lot of time these days!), and while you’ll find me on local tracks and single-track through the hills, I can’t say I’m up to competition standard at the moment! So, I’ve asked the guys on our team who race often for their advice and to give us a rundown on the bikes they’re currently running.
Competition-ready e-motos
For a bike that’s competition-ready, we’re looking for a good amount of power and preferably, really tunable. Suspension needs to be strong, and brakes need to stop the bike under hard braking conditions.
Then, if the essentials are sorted, the next things that we would like to be perfect are the ergos – a good handlebar bend, grippy foot pegs, nice handlebar grips, and a seat that holds your butt in place. Those sorts of things.
But, because we’re all human and have our own uniqueness about us, typically, there are always a few things we personally like to change. I’ll briefly mention those, but as long as the big items are sorted, we’ll consider that competition ready.
On another note, while the Stark Varg is an electric dirt bike, it usually doesn’t fit this mid-sized category, and is much more expensive, so I’ll leave that one out of this review.
Arctic Leopard XE Pro S Enduro
Bullet, GritShift Boss, is loving the Arctic Leopard XE Pro S Enduro. In his words, ‘the only mods it needs out of the box are a better handlebar and tires’. That’s pretty good in my opinion. Gone are the days when you needed to heavily mod a bike to make it suitable to race! All around, the team loves the Arctic Leopard XE Pro S (AXE). It’s a solid build, strong with 18/21 wheels, great brakes with 220mm rotors.
Highlights of the Arctic Leopard XE Pro S Enduro:
- Huge 72v 55Ah battery driving a 20kW direct drive motor
- Fully adjustable KKE 37mm inverted forks
- 220mm rotors
- A full-length moto seat
- Typical dirt bike wheel set up with 21” front and 18” rear
Recommended mods
- Handlebars: Most riders would benefit from different handlebars with a bar bend that suits them.
- Tires specific to the terrain you’re riding.
For the full details, see this article:
Talaria Komodo
Mr Chow, who you might have seen in this video, thought the Komodo was tops, although he did say ‘the Komodo’s forks are a bit soft out of the box’. As you can see from the video, Mr Chow rides hard.
Bullet also thinks the forks could do with some upgrading, as the front and rear suspension are not well-balanced. Bullet also said the rear brake needs to be upgraded, since the front and rear brakes aren’t even when you apply the same amount of pressure. The rear brake needs to be pulled on harder to get the same effect as the front.
The Komodo is often compared to the Surron Ultra Bee; the biggest difference is that the wheelbase is slightly shorter. For some riders, this makes the Komodo feel more nimble, but it’s so similar that it comes down to personal preference.
Highlights of the Komodo:
- 32kW peak power from a 96V45ah battery
- Fully adjustable front forks – although see notes below
- Wheelbase 54 inches, just less than the Ultra Bee
- Typical dirt bike tire set up with 21/18 wheels.
Recommended mods
- Upgrade your rims/wheels – the team found they didn’t handle big jumps and started bending. Probably would be OK if you’re not planning on sending it over big jumps.
- Swingarm upgrade – the chain came off a few times; this is typically an indication that there is swingarm flex.
- Suspension – the forks are too soft, recommended to upgrade
- Handlebar – upgrade to a handlebar with a bend that suits the rider
Read more here:
E Ride Pro SR
The E Ride Pro SR was one of the first high performance mid sized e-motos released, with a huge 25kW of power from a 72V 50Ah battery. It has DOT 4 brakes for stopping power at higher speeds, and fully adjustable forks. For most riders, this e-moto will be perfect for competition right out of the box.
We did find a few parts that struggled when up at race pace. The biggest concern was the chain coming off. Rusty and his R&D team worked out that it was due to swing arm flex. The power through the sprocket would bend the swingarm, resulting in the chain coming off. This can be solved by strengthening the swingarm or replacing it with the Heavy Hitter swing arm
The 2026 geometry of the E Ride Pro SR has had a massive improvement. The frame is extra strong, the wheels are 19/16, giving a really good combo for planted cornering and maneuverability.
Highlights of the E Ride Pro SR:
- 25kW of power from a 72V 50Ah battery.
- Fully adjustable suspension
- Lightweight at 183 pounds (creating a huge power-to-weight ratio)
Recommended mods
- The swingarm would need to be strengthened if you ride hard. This doesn’t apply to most riders, only those jumping the triples, if you know what I mean. We recommend the Heavy Hitter Swingarm.
- Axle bolts/jackshaft bolts upgrade
- Perhaps an upgrade to 21/19 wheels, but this is also a personal preference on ride feel.
- Handlebars if preferred, otherwise not necessary.
Surron Ultra Bee
The Surron Ultra Bee, since getting a big upgrade late 2025, has been one of the most talked about e-motos. It now has 21kW of power from a 74V 60Ah battery. It comes with 19/18 wheels, the suspension is fully adjustable, and the Ultra Bee has a nice ride feel – really maneuverable without feeling the front end will jackknife.
Highlights of the Surron Ultra Bee:
- Loads of power 21kW on a 195 pound e-moto
- Top speed of around 59mph.
- Fully adjustable suspension
Recommended mods
- Upgrade the wheels to 21/19 to improve the ergos on the ride
- Upgrade the handlebars to a preferred bend, if needed.
- Possibly the brakes, but this depends on how you ride.
Read more here:
Build your own
After looking into a few of our GritShift favorite e-motos for the best out-of-the-box competition bikes, I want to briefly mention that, for some riders, they prefer to build their own. This involves starting with a sturdy frame, then upgrading the parts that are specific to your riding.
For some, that is a complete build, changing the powertrain, the brakes, suspension, foot pegs, handlebars, and more. Other riders prefer to start with something closer to what they need, and only upgrade the parts that need to be upgraded.
If this is something that interests you, check out this build the GritShift team did to the Ultra Bee:
And here is the full rundown on how to start your own build:
Which option is best for you?
If buying something that is 99% exactly how you need it for your riding style sounds simple and easy, then check out the Arctic Leopard XE Pro S, or perhaps the Komodo. We’ve found they’re the closest to out of the box competition ready you can get so far.
If you would prefer to build your own competition build, look for a sturdy frame and then look for value for money vs how many things you’ll need to upgrade on the bike. Of course, if you’re building a bike because you love the build itself, then money might not be the deciding factor.
You can get a really good e-moto and upgrade only a few parts. The options are endless! If you’re not sure or want some guidance, then have a chat with our team, who can help guide you in the right direction.
What do our professional racers ride?
Wondering what bikes our GritShift pro riders ride this season?
Rusty: Complete custom build Artic Leopard EXE 880 (he is the R&D boss, so a complete custom build comes at no surprise!)
Bullet: The Surron Ultra Lite (custom build –check out this video)
Mr Chow: Usually the Zero XE
Rocket: Arctic Leopard XE Pro S Enduro
Bandit: E Ride Pro SR
Often, you’ll see the guys riding different bikes. As a team that designs upgraded, competition-ready parts, there is always testing going on! Every part that has the Heavy Hitter name on it has undergone rigorous real-life testing, so keep an eye out on our Instagram, and you might be able to spot new parts that will be coming soon!
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