What on earth are these super quiet, zippy things that look like dirt bikes, accelerate faster than dirt bikes, manage sky-high jumps, yet don’t need any gas?
Welcome to the world of electric dirt bikes, also known as e-motos. If you’ve found this article, chances are you’re a bit intrigued. YouTube influencers like Sur Ronster have a cult-like following, bringing the coolness of electric dirtbikes into the mainstream.
Now, before you wonder if I’m going to try to convince you to diss gas-powered bikes, don’t fear. I’ve owned many YZs over the years, and will continue loving to take my current 250 to the track. But, I also have a soft spot for electric. There are so many benefits that you can’t get from gas power. I’ll explain them all shortly.
If you’ve already owned ICE dirt bikes, skip the next paragraph. If you’re brand new to everything dirtbike, then have a quick read. I’ll cover the basics that are common to dirtbikes in general.
I’ve got zero dirt bike experience:
Owning any type of dirtbike requires patience and a heap of common sense. And the ability to research YouTube videos! The best way to start is to go to local tracks. Jump onto Facebook, join groups in your area, and start reading and asking questions.
Electric dirtbikes will be easier to learn and work on in most cases. You don’t have the complexities of adding in a clutch and gear changes. If you can ride a bicycle, you’ll be able to manage an e-moto.
And don’t worry, the days of unreasonably touchy throttles on e-motos are gone. Just be careful like you would on any powerful machine and you’ll be just fine.
Here are a few things you’ll need to consider:
- Where will you ride? Do you need to transport your dirtbike to a track or property? If so, you may need to invest in a pickup or trailer.
- Have you got room to safely store your e-moto? I wouldn’t suggest leaving it outside for easy access from others…
- Do you have any mechanical knowledge? If not, your local dirtbike club will be your best option for learning, otherwise find yourself a good mechanic who will do the work for you.
- What about your safety? Any type of dirtbike needs safety gear. At a minimum, I’d suggest a helmet and gloves. Even better if you can go for the boots, pants and protective armor. You don’t see any bare skin on the AMA riders…
Like anything, the key to learning is starting slow, get a feel for what the bike can do, and ride within your abilities. Keep practising! Hunt YouTube for practical guides for everything dirtbike.
I’m from a dirt bike background:
Owning an electric dirt bike is much the same as an ICE dirtbike. The mechanics all work very similar. Wheels, forks, suspension to some extent… Everything apart from the powertrain. I’ll explain the fundamentals shortly, but just know if you have some working knowledge of how a dirtbike works, your skills will come in handy with an e-moto.
In most areas around the world, you’ll be able to ride a high-performance e-moto anywhere you can ride an unregistered MX bike. There are some road legal e-moto models, similar to how the Yamaha WR is to the YZ.
Apart from the powertrain, the biggest differences will be how light the e-moto is, the overall size, and how easy it is to work on all aspects of the e-moto.
Where do you start?
The first thing you need to work out is what electric dirt bike you’re looking for. This can be a minefield! But let’s break it down. There are a few big name companies who make awesome e-motos.
Some of the most popular brands are:
- Surron: Arguably the first company to make production made e-moto – and still one of the favorites among riders. The most common on the used market for good reason.
- Talaria: Very similar to Surron, Talaria has been around almost as long. Also common on the used market, and a solid bet.
- E Ride: The new player, but already has exceeded all expectations. More and more guys and girls on our GritShift team personally own an E-ride! If you’re buying new, this is probably what you should get.
- Stark: A company trying to evenly compete with ICE dirtbikes with the Varg, an electric bike that has a tall seat height and large stance like a regular gas bike.
- Altis: Gaining popularity, not as many aftermarket parts currently, but another name that shouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
- Zero: One of the oldest names in roadgoing electric motorcycles, Zero is launching more dirt-focused models in 2025 and beyond.
What’s all this about volts and watts?
Within each brand are different types of electric dirtbikes, ranging from smaller, less powered bikes to super high-performance, fast e-motos. What sets them apart is the power output and individual component strength – and what they’re designed for. When you start looking at the different brands, you’ll see they’re all displayed with a top speed, a peak kilowatt rating (kW) and a battery capacity in volts (V).
What is the most interesting is the battery capacity. Generally, the higher the volts, the more powerful – but not always. 60v is quite common, but 72v is getting more popular. Here is an article that breaks it all down.
The next interesting stat is the peak kW output. Typically, on most entry level e-motos, you’ll see around 6kW. That’s 6,000 watts if you’re looking at an over-hyped YouTube video title. The top speed is usually ambitious as well, and some manufacturers have even stopped displaying it. This is due to so many variables – what is the terrain like, the weight of the rider, their skill level, and the popularity of modifying pretty much any e-moto to be faster than stock.
Concentrate on what the battery output and peak output are – however, this can all be changed and upgraded. Keep reading for the section on mods, I’ll explain how this is different from gas-powered bikes.
The frame and components
Each model within each brand is designed for something slightly different. Let’s look at the Surron brand for example:
- Light Bee (also known as LBX or Surron X): Entry level awesome e-moto, capable of commuting, tracks through the woods, stunting with a few mods, and even MX tracks with a few more mods. Smaller than most equally capable gas bikes.
- Light Bee L1e: Pretty much the same as the LBX, but the road version. This is only sold in some countries.
- Ultra Bee: Larger, and more powerful than the LBX. It comes in slightly different variants, including on-road in some countries.
- Storm Bee: Even more powerful than the Ultra Bee, this is Surron’s highest-performing e-moto. Similar in weight to a 250cc dirtbike, with similar power output. Lower production numbers make the Storm Bee harder to find.
- Hyper Bee: This is the smallest e-moto from the Surron range, but it has a crazy power-to-weight ratio and isn’t for the faint-hearted. It can be compared in size to an ICE pitbike.
Other brands have a similar lineup, their go-to GOAT model, then different sizes – both bigger and smaller.
When you read the description of each model, you’ll notice the components generally get more technically advanced as the models get larger. Keep this in mind when we talk about modding shortly. Other features that may be included are easy-to-integrate apps that talk to the motor from your phone, different modes you can select on the dash, and other cool features like limiting power remotely – which is great for kids.
What model do I need?
This is really a personal preference and is largely dependent on where you want to ride and your current experience. What style of riding are you drawn to? Is this e-moto going to be a commuter to and from work? Will you be wheeling down the street? Do you like the dirt trails in the woods or something more technical with some enduro or MX tracks?
Once you have your answer here, then you can narrow down the type of e-moto you need to look for. If you want to take it to the MX track and also commute, then lean towards a setup for the MX track as big suspension won’t mind commuting, but weak components will get angry with you at the track!
Here’s where things are a little different to the gas powered dirt bike. You could get something like the Ultra Bee, or E Ride Pro SS and take it to the track with minimal mods. But, with so many options to upgrade components, you’ll find many riders love modding the Surron LBX, or the Talaria Sting into awesome MX track bikes. To find out more about this modding business, I think we need to have a chat about the basics of the electric dirt bike.
How does an electric dirt bike work?
The electric dirt bike power train needs three components to make things work.
- Motor
- Controller
- Battery
The very basic rundown is: when you twist the throttle, it sends a signal to the controller. The controller then does some calculations and gets the battery to send some power to the motor, which in turn, turns a primary shaft, usually called the Jackshaft. There is either a belt or chain, depending on the model, that then drives the secondary sprocket. This sprocket is connected to the rear wheel with a chain, like ICE dirt bikes.
What are the cons/benefits of going electric?
The benefits of the electric dirt bike are simple. They’re quiet, and far more environmentally friendly. There is nothing like actually hearing your tires connect with the dirt. Something new to the gas-powered dirt bike rider! You’re able to ride in more places as the sound is far less. No more noise complaints from your neighbors!
You can also transport an e-moto in pretty much any way you can imagine. Lay it down in the bed of your truck, throw it in the back of your car, or strap it to the roof. I’ve seen it all, and none of it causes a problem because there isn’t any gas to leak out of the bike. The vast majority of e-moto don’t have any oil to leak out either!
The downside to owning a dirtbike, well, I can think of two. Firstly, the range has vastly improved since e-moto have been around, but it’s not as simple as filling up from a jerry within a few moments. The other downside is once you own an e-moto and work out how simple it is to mod, the modding path is addictive!
Can you race?
If the AMA’s on your TV weekly, you may be thinking, is there a future for racing electric dirt bikes? We all have goals, right?! Well, I would just say, watch this space! Here is an interesting article that says the officials are considering electric, but are not sure how to move ahead.
There are many sanctioned races starting to appear around the world. Jack Brunell recently won the Manchester round of the British Arenacross Championship – on a Stark Varg. In the USA, the Red Bull Tennessee KnockOut has an e-moto class. Some of our GritShift team even competed in this event.
As Travis Pastrana said, ‘I like my 2-strokes through and through… but, this thing (Stark Varg) will open up so many doorways to be able to ride places you’ve never been able to ride before.’
This is going to be an exciting space!
What do I do for maintenance?
Electric dirt bikes do require some maintenance. When you purchase a new e-moto, you’ll find the manual will state what maintenance needs to happen and when. It is important to follow, at least, this maintenance schedule.
This article breaks down all the general maintenance you need to do:
Each brand and model is slightly different, but there are a few things you can check before every ride to ensure everything is in good working order. This includes chain, brake pads, tires, fork travel, etc.
If you’re not sure what you need to be doing as far as maintenance goes, there are plenty of mechanics that specialize in e-moto, and most mountain bike shops can service the brakes and suspension of pretty much any small electric dirt bike.
What’s all this talk about modding?
One of the biggest draw cards for electric dirt bikes is the ease and availability of upgrading different components. Unlike gas-powered dirtbikes which need a heap of mechanical knowledge and time to do an engine change to increase power, with an e-moto, you can replace anything – even the entire motor – with plug-and-play options.
Need a more robust suspension? On an e-moto, that’s easy! There are so many options and most components you can replace with limited know-how. Same with brake components, ergonomic components, and pretty much everything else!
Riders mod their e-moto for a variety of reasons. It could simply be a new look with a color scheme, or just like the look of sleek lines of upgraded components. Otherwise, it could be for more practical reasons. If you’re taller, you may want to change the ergonomics to make it more comfortable, if you’re into MX tracks, you’ll probably need to upgrade the suspension and certain frame components to withstand the landings. If you want to ride in sand, you’ll want to change the tires, and probably need to increase the power… the possibilities are endless!
If this sends more overwhelming vibes than excitement, I’ll break it down simply:
- Think about what style of riding you’ll want to do. Choose the e-moto that will best suit your style.
- Ride it! Learn your new machine.
- Then contemplate if you need to upgrade any components.
- Check out this article on the list of first mods: https://media.gritshift.com/surron-lbx-upgrades-in-order/ This is based on a Surron, but the same thing applies to any e-moto.
- Start with the simple mods, ride your e-moto, reassess, and then upgrade the next. Between each mod, notice what changes.
What’s next?
Firstly, it’s great to have you here, and welcome to the exciting world of e-moto! I’m sure you’re going to be spending countless hours researching what your first electric dirt bike will be. Here are a few resources to get you started:
- Sign up for our newsletter – we send practical tips and advice, and let you know about awesome sales coming up. We only sell parts we’ve personally tested and tried to break.
- Our in-house GritShift and Heavy Hitter brands are the most robust parts available – we know because we’ve broken everything else, which is why we made ours in the first place.
- Head to https://media.gritshift.com/ and browse through the pages, you’ll find reviews on popular e-moto, how-to guides, and explanations of how things work on an electric dirt bike.
- Join our YouTube channel, where you’ll find us talking about popular upgrades and demonstrating new models.
- For some excellent entertainment, and to see what all the fuss is about Sur Ronster, check out his channel here.
When you’re ready to welcome a brand new shiny electric dirtbike into your garage, check out our store www.gritshift.com. In particular, have a look at the E Ride Pro (it’s one of our favs!) We also have all the upgraded parts to get you on your modding journey.
If you need to have any questions answered, we’re always here to help. We’re all e-moto enthusiasts, and love the chance to talk about e-moto! Enjoy your journey.
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