Have you been a dirt bike rider, like, forever? Born and bred petrol head? But… Perhaps you’ve noticed some electric dirt bikes on your local track. Pop up in your social media feed? A few times? Maybe even Googled ‘Surron’ or ‘Talaria’, wondering what the commotion is? Maybe you’re starting to question ‘are electric dirt bikes better’…
Let’s just put it as it is… you’re a bit electric-curious…
Meet Tim, a Yamaha and Royal Enfield Dealer
I want to introduce you to someone special to me. My riding buddy Tim. Who also happens to be my husband, and if it’s not proof enough of our love of all things dirt bikes, he’s also the owner of a Yamaha and Royal Enfield dealership. Yep, we both spend not only our weeks involved in motorcycles but also weekends on the tracks.
Tim has a 40+ year connection with gas-powered dirt bikes. If anyone would be skeptical about electric dirt bikes, it would be Tim. But, being married to a girl who is heavily involved in the e-moto world, things start rubbing off… Tim has seen how Surron has changed the way electric dirt bikes are perceived, and the new companies like E Ride Pro furthering the advancement in technology even more. So are electric dirt bikes better?
I interviewed Tim on his thoughts on e-moto. I think you’ll be surprised what he says…
Dirt biker answers questions on electric dirt bikes
How long have you been riding dirt bikes, what got you interested?
All my life. I’ve been riding ever since I can remember. It all started when I was heading up to the family farm to visit my cousins when I was little. They rode dirt bikes and they got me into it.
What is your preferred riding style?
A favorite of mine is single-line trails on my dirt bikes through the scrub. Riding motocross is always fun, but my favorite is single-line technical trails.
How long have you been with Yamaha and owned your dealership?
18 years. I previously worked in retail management when I decided to change my career path. I left that job, and thought about what I would like to do for work. I decided to do something I enjoyed doing, not what I had to do. I looked around at other industries and it was a no-brainer to get into the motorcycle industry as that’s something I really enjoy. A job opportunity came up to work in Yamaha World, and that’s where it all started.
What were your initial thoughts on electric dirt bikes?
They’re not going to be able to seriously compete in performance with a traditional ICE bike.
Has that changed after learning more about e-moto?
Yes!!!! But that is also about the development of the e-motos. It’s a very exciting sector to watch the development of electric dirt bikes.
What surprised you the most about new e-motos?
The torque that they develop. These bikes have incredibly good acceleration. Riding dirt bikes is all about acceleration and responsiveness, which e-moto have.
What would you be concerned with if you took an e-moto to your local area?
Range. That would be the number one concern – not returning back to where we started. Typically, it’s remote where we go riding.
Would you mod it to overcome your concerns?
My preference would be to purchase an e-moto that has the range. But for now, it would be to look into bigger batteries. I’m looking forward to seeing technology improve to have the range that we need for remote riding.
What are your thoughts on Motorcycle Australia changing their rules to allow an electric class to race?
It’s great! Racing leads to the development of all types of bikes. It will also force the traditional ICE manufacturers to improve, which just breeds improvement all around.
If you could ride any e-moto, what would it be and why?
Stark Varg – I’ve seen lots on social media and what I’ve seen, it appears to be very close to a typical motocross bike. Then I can make my own comparison. Otherwise, a Talaria or Surron LBX to see how much fun they are. I’ve got no doubt they’ll be a lot of fun, as I enjoy the smaller bikes like the 250f over the larger 450’s.
What would be the first thing you’d do to it?
I’d want to ride it stock first of all and let the bike tell me what I want to modify. Perhaps more acceleration and power to tune it to my riding style. As with all dirtbikes, consider it like a blank canvas. Once you’ve ridden it, then you can set up the bike just how you like it.
Coming from a dirtbike background, if someone was thinking of adding an e-moto to their collection, what would you tell them?
Try something different! There are lots of people who talk negatively about electric dirt bikes, but they don’t have the balls to try something new. Choose one that suits your riding style and give it a go.
Do you think Yamaha will create a KTM Freeride rival?
I’ve got no doubt that Yamaha is developing an e-moto. Whether it would be a rival to the KTM Freeride, will depend on market research and if the bike will sell in good numbers.
Any final words?
I think the whole e-moto sector is very exciting as I think over the next decade we are going to see some massive improvements. It would be great to see the e-moto bikes rival the ICE dirt bikes in performance, which will bridge the gap between ICE and e-moto. This in turn will also force the ICE manufacturers to up their game, which will also be great for the industry as a whole.
Electric dirt bikes together with Gas powered dirt bikes
Tim brought up many good points, the main one being how the dirt bike industry is now inclusive of both electric and gas, and as e-moto technology improves at a huge rate, it will speed up the technology on the ICE bikes. That can only be a great thing for everyone.
The performance gap between e-moto and ICE dirt bikes is slowly getting fuzzier. Do you recall how 4-strokes were first frowned upon when the AMA allowed them to race against the 2-strokes? Then the 4-stroke technology rapidly increased, and the benefits were easily seen. So much so that most teams quickly jumped ship. I think the difference between electric and gas will be a similar story, but there are a few more hurdles that will need to be overcome – range being a big one.
Considering buying an e-moto?
If you’re electric-curious, have a deeper look. Educate yourself on the capabilities of an e-moto. To make things easier, sign up for the GritShift newsletter here to learn all things e-moto. Many ICE dirt bike riders are quick to dismiss these ‘toys’ at first, but it doesn’t take much to see that these are high-performance machines you wouldn’t be giving a kid!
The electrical world may seem a little daunting, especially if you’re like Tim, who has a full understanding of pistons and mechanics. This is a whole new concept. But is it? The suspension is the same, the frame is very similar, the dirt is the same! It’s just the power delivery comes from a different source.
If you can recharge your phone and open a few apps, you’ll be able to work out an electric dirt bike. Just a word of warning… once you see the benefits for yourself, you’re going to need to get a bigger garage! Introduce an e-moto to your ICE dirt bike 🙂
To learn more about Tim and Yamaha World and Royal Enfield, visit their webpage or join the convo on Instagram.
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