The Surron LBX is the OG from Surron, and arguably the first ever production-made electric dirt bike. The Ultra Bee, also from Surron, is a more recent release that’s closer in size and power to a traditional dirt bike. Let’s compare the Surron LBX vs the Ultra Bee to see which bike is for which riders and how your riding style might decide which one you need.
What is the difference between the Surron LBX and the Ultra Bee?
The biggest difference between the Surron LBX (also known as the Light Bee or the Surron X) and the Ultra Bee is the size, both physical and the power delivery.
The Surron LBX is a lively, flickable, small e-moto that is great for commuting, wheelies or taking to the woods. It also forms a great base to mod, so you can customize it for your favorite riding conditions. There are an abundance of aftermarket parts, from bigger motors and controllers, to beefed-up suspension.
The Ultra Bee is a larger framed e-moto with a huge 12.5kw power delivery. It is capable of more intense off-road riding while still being great on the streets. Although the Ultra Bee is a much newer release, there is a large selection of aftermarket parts for this bike as well.
Many adult riders say the LBX feels like a toy. In stock form, it’s usually the right size for a teenager, and while you can add larger wheelsets and bar risers to make an LBX feel more like a full-size dirt bike, it’s still going to have a very small chassis compared to other models. By contrast, the Ultra Bee is too tall for most younger riders by way of its larger frame which is more what you might expect from a 250 or 450 gas dirt bike.
You can tune both bikes to be very fast and modify them to be almost equally capable, but the larger chassis of the Ultra Bee will give adult riders a more comfortable, less toy-like chassis to work with.
As with all e-motos, please check your local laws in regard to riding an e-moto on the road.
Surron LBX vs Ultra Bee: Riding Conditions
Whenever you’re looking at getting a new e-moto, you need to consider where you’re going to be riding. Do you love mucking around on the streets, doing wheelies and stunts, or perhaps you enjoy peaceful rides on fire trails around the backcountry? Pick the e-moto that is best suited for your favorite riding condition. You can then tweak it by modding different parts to really make it fit like a glove.
As a rough idea, the LBX is great for almost anything! As it has a smaller frame, it is a heap of fun to flick around, either stunting or on trails. If you mod your LBX by strengthening the suspension and key components, you can also make it a great MX track bike. The Ultra Bee is less likely going to be your stunt bike, but rather a great trails e-moto.
If you’re stunting or street riding, or even riding off-road at a casual or exploratory pace – especially if you are not average adult height – the LBX is your answer. If you’re looking to do serious dirt riding or longer rides on pavement, it’s the Ultra for the win.
Which one is the fastest?
The Ultra Bee is the fastest in stock form with a top speed of 56 mph compared to the Ultra Bee at 47 mph. However, if we start talking about modded e-motos, things get interesting! Check out this short video from our YouTube channel:
Did I see 84 mph on the dash?! That was one highly modified Surron! It’s one of many projects that our team loves to tackle to show what is possible. If you’re interested to see what else is in the works, jump onto GritShift Instagram for some BTS action!
Surron LBX vs Ultra Bee specs
Noticeably, you can see the Ultra Bee has a heap more power, almost double! But it is a bigger bike overall, seat height is a few inches taller, and weight is 40ish pounds heavier.
Both e-motos take around 4 hours to fully charge. The Surron LBX has 2 riding modes – sports and eco, whereas the Ultra Bee has 4 riding modes: Eco, Daily, Sport, and Reverse. The Ultra Bee also has 9.4in of suspension travel, so will be able to withstand more when out riding the trails. On the Surron LBX, the front suspension travel is 7.8in.
How big is the Surron LBX vs the Ultra Bee?
Surron LBX
- Dimension: 74.2 x 30.7 x 41.3in
- Wheel Base 49.4in
- Seat Height: 32.6in
- Ground Clearance: 10.6in
Ultra Bee
- Dimension: 79.1 x 34.6 x 46.4in
- Wheel Base 54.3in
- Seat Height: 35.8in
- Ground Clearance: 12.5in
Mods that can change the height
The Surron LBX is a smaller e-moto, and some riders even find it uncomfortably small. Thankfully, there are simple solutions to make the Surron LBX fit you perfectly. Mods aren’t all about big power changes, they are also about improving the ergos on your bike. Common upgrades are seat risers, bar risers with a tapered bar, and a more cushiony seat.
- Seat risers: Seat risers can typically increase height by 2.5” and reach by 1.5”. The bonus when raising your seat is you get extra space underneath for a larger battery and a nice chunky rear tire.
- Bar risers: Bar risers will bring your handlebars up by 2”. This really helps if you’re up on the pegs often, it creates a more aligned posture.
- Handlebars: Handlebars are a personal choice. There are so many options, and a large majority of bars fit with most bar risers. Have a read of the different options, perhaps try out a mate’s e-moto and see what style suits you best.
Are the Surron LBX and Ultra Bee street legal?
Both the Surron LBX and the Ultra Bee are not road legal in most areas in the US. However, there are ways to make these e-motos legal.
Make no mistake, both of these e-motos look like regular motorcycles to the untrained eye. Some people might even correctly identify them as dirt bikes. Either way, if you’re riding around without a license plate in the US you’re likely to get pulled over at some point.
Check out Dirt Legal, GritShift’s sister company, which specializes in getting vehicles registered for the road. Just a heads up, you will need a motorcycle license in most cases if you’re riding a road-registered ‘motorcycle’ on the road.
Other areas around the world have road-registered versions of both the Surron LBX and the Ultra Bee. The Surron LBX has a version called the Light Bee L1E that is available in the UK, Australia, and a few other select locations. The Ultra Bee version is the Ultra Bee R. Both variants have the same base bike as the off-road version, and additional parts – such as mirrors and lights – are included to comply with road laws.
Surron LBX vs Ultra Bee?
So which one is better? You’re not going to like this answer! But, it just depends on where you want to ride. If you like the feel of a bigger e-moto, then the Ultra Bee would be better suited. If you want something to flick around and put that huge smile on your face, or if you can’t get both feet flat on the ground on an Ultra Bee, then a Surron LBX is what you need!
There is another way to think about this: The Surron LBX has now been sold for many years and has had many upgrades to make it what it is today. There’s a pretty good reason why the LBX is still going strong, it’s just an awesome e-moto with endless possibilities to mod. By contrast, the Ultra is a bike that in many cases has more longevity in stock form. Talking about modding e-motos, we’re here for you at GritShift. Whenever you need any parts for your e-moto, jump onto the website GritShift to customize your bike today.
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