The Surron Ultra Bee is an accumulation of data and expertise from Surron, the first e-moto company to produce top-quality production-made electric dirt bikes. Offering 12.5kW peak power with a top speed of 56mph, its size and power are starting to bridge the gap between e-motos and ICE dirt bikes.
But is it only that good on paper? How does it hold up over time?
Now, after owning the Surron Ultra Bee for a little while, we check in with team members from GritShift who personally own the UB and find out what maintenance is really important, what additional checks you should be doing, and how to get the most out of your Surron Ultra Bee for the long term – the stuff that isn’t found in the manuals.
And we don’t exactly ride these things to church on Sunday!
Before each ride…
To get things started, let’s look at what to check before every ride. We all know that maintenance is the boring part of riding, but if you want to keep your e-moto in top condition and have it ready whenever you feel like heading out, there are a few simple things to get in the habit of always checking.
Many of these items should be common sense, but we’ll quickly mention them. If you make it a habit, you can get through these checks in no time. Always refer to your own user manual you received with your Ultra Bee, but in general, these are the things to check before jumping on and sending it:
- Battery: Check it’s charged enough for where you want to ride (Duh…). This is more to make sure the battery level hasn’t dropped unexpectedly.
- Dashboard warnings: Ensure there are no warnings that shouldn’t be displayed.
- Chain tension: Not too loose, or tight…
- Brakes: Hit the brakes once or twice before you hang your life on them!
- Throttle: Especially as these bikes get serious miles on them, ensure the throttle is linear and smooth through its entire travel.
- Wheels and tires: Check pressure and tread wear. We’ve skipped this only to be riding on flat tires more than once, from a rock we hit a week ago. Make sure you haven’t loosened any spokes up, too.
- Electrical: Check if headlights and turn signals operate correctly.
- Suspension: Check the front forks and rear suspension. Full and free, smooth movement, with no leaks.
- Any mods that you have made: You don’t want your aftermarket pegs or bar risers coming out from under you when you need them most.
By-The-Book Maintenance on a Surron Ultra Bee
Long-term ownership and getting the best value for money from your Ultra Bee requires just a bit of effort – like any e-moto or ICE dirt bike. If you’ve owned dirt bikes before, general maintenance is all pretty similar – apart from the electrical side of things! But with a little knowledge, asking a few questions, watching a few videos, and making sure you’re on the GritShift email newsletter, most of the general maintenance can be performed with basic tools.
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Below is a brief list of what to check during the life of your Surron Ultra Bee. Again, always check the manual that came with your e-moto, but here is a general guide:
Your user manual is in kilometers, so that’s what we’ve used here. What is a kilometer?
Every 100 km (62 miles)
- Check brake pads
- Check brake fluid
- Check chain tension
- Check wheel spoke adjustments
If any of these need changing or replacing, make sure it gets done – either yourself if you have the knowledge, or call your local e-moto store. To get you started, check out this article here on Surron LBX brakes, where much is shared with the Ultra Bee.
Every 500 km (310 miles)
- Check brake pads (yes, again!)
- Check brake disks
- Check/adjust chain tension
Every 2000 km (1242 miles)
- Check brake pads
- Check brake disks
- Check/adjust chain tension
- Check front and rear sprockets
- Check/adjust the primary belt and primary drive pulley
- Check brake fluid
- Check bearings
- Check swingarm protection block
- Check tilt switch
- Check torque on all screws/bolts
Every 5000 km (3106 miles)
- Check/replace Brake pads and brake discs
- Check/replace chain
- Check/replace front and rear sprocket
- Check/replace front forks and rear shock
- Check/replace bearings
- Check/replace wheel spokes
Every 10000 km or every 12 months (6213 miles)
Same as every 5000 km, but also includes:
- Check/replace the primary belt and primary drive pulley
- Check/replace brake fluid
- Check/replace swingarm protection block.
Now that we know what the manual says, you might be thinking there’s no way someone would put over 6,000 miles on an Ultra Bee – but you’d be surprised!
What Wears Out First?
Maintenance on your Surron Ultra Bee depends on the type and style of riding you do. If you ride in salty areas near the beach, you’ll need to pay close attention to cleaning, re-greasing, and checking bearings more often to remove any salt residue. Likewise, if you ride in muddy or dusty locations, different parts may wear out faster.
The other thing to keep in mind is if you’ve modded your e-moto, such as a power increase, you’ll be placing additional stress on components that will need some extra attention. With big power mods and mods for hard riding, check components that take the beating. You may need to upgrade to a more heavy-duty component if it’s wearing out faster than expected. As with many e-motos, we’ve found the brakes and suspension are the most likely suspects on an Ultra Bee that has some hard miles on it.
How often do you need to change your tires? That’s an article for another day, but briefly, you may want to look at the terrain you’re riding. You might find you’ll change where you ride faster than how quickly the tire wears out. Summer months might call you to sand riding, while the cooler months might be through the woods. Both terrains have tires that will suit. The manual says to change tires every 24 months or 20000 km (12427 miles), personally I’d be changing them more frequently than that, and almost nobody makes it that far and still likes the stock tires! Plus, there’s nothing better than grabbing a new pair of grippy tires with those sharp edges back on the tread. Mmmmmm!
Surron Ultra Bee Maintenance in Reality
It’s one thing to read the manual, but what about real-life maintenance?
I talked with GritShift customer service extraordinaire Shawn, AKA E-Moto Man who is the proud owner of one such Surron Ultra Bee. E-Moto Man has owned and worked on countless dirtbikes and e-motos, so he’s in the perfect position to spill the beans on what Ultra Bee maintenance is really like…
How long have you owned your Ultra Bee?
I’ve had my Ultra Bee for 3 months and put 150 miles on it. 50/50 riding offroad and road.
Have you found you need to replace any part sooner than the manual said?
The first install was footpegs, brake levers, and Shinko 241 tires.
What did you upgrade first?
Footpegs!
Do you do any additional maintenance above what is required?
You will need to check the front fork periodically. It will loosen up over time and make the front wiggle back and forth. This will then cause the bearings and race to wear out faster.
Prolong Your Ultra Bee’s Battery Life
You’ve probably seen how expensive replacement batteries are for e-motos, and that’s not even talking about if you want to increase the capacity. So, the easiest way to save some dollars is to look after the battery that you already have. Charge it correctly, don’t expose your battery to temperatures below 32°F when riding, and most importantly, store your battery correctly.
Read this article here on battery care for all the details.
How to Clean Your Surron Ultra Bee
Part of looking after your Surron Ultra Bee for the long run is to give it a bit of love and care – wash it when it needs a wash. However…. There is a big battery that powers a full electrical system, and we all know that water and electricity don’t mix. So, I checked back in with E-Moto Man on his thoughts on washing the Surron Ultra Bee.
Have you got any advice on how to wash your Ultra Bee?
The best way to wash the bike is by taking out the battery. This way you won’t have to worry about having any electrical issues.
To elaborate on E-Moto Man’s words, when washing, make sure you’re very careful not to get water on the connectors or inside the battery. In the words of Surron from the manual, ‘It is strictly prohibited to wash the battery pack with a high-pressure water pump or compressed air, especially the connectors and cables.’
Here are a few tips:
- Allow the motor/battery/controller to cool down to ambient temperature.
- Remove the battery.
- If you decide to use a pressure washer, be very careful where you spray – only aim for hard plastics (like the wheel guards), tires, etc. With some soapy water and a soft sponge, you shouldn’t have to pressure wash any part of your bike. TIP: In winter, fill your bucket with warm water, your hands will thank me!
- If you have hard-to-remove bugs, you can use a dedicated bug/tar remover. Look in your local auto shop or check out this for some awesome cleaner.
- Wipe down using a clean, soft cloth like a microfiber cloth.
- Lube the chain after every wash.
Looking after your Surron Ultra Bee for the long run
Keep your Surron Ultra Bee in tip-top shape with some simple maintenance, just like any e-moto or ICE dirt bike would need. If you know how, have the tools and the time, then make sure you’re, at least, sticking to the schedule from the manual. Otherwise, contact your local Surron dealer to arrange the routine maintenance.
Either way, try to get into the habit of doing a quick check-over prior to riding. It will only take a few moments and can save potential troubles away from home. Look after your battery, it doesn’t take much, but simple things like making sure you store your battery at the recommended charge can go a long way to keeping it healthy.
Washing your Surron Ultra Bee also helps to keep dirt and debris out of places it shouldn’t be. A bucket with soapy water is the safest way, being careful of electrical connectors.
If you read this entire article, you probably noticed a distinct lack of serious problems to watch out for with the Ultra Bee. That’s not weak journalism or clickbait in action, it’s a testament to how good of a bike the UB really is! Surron got it right with this one, a mid-size motorcycle with the quirkiness of an LBX and the capabilities of much more expensive bikes like the KTM Freeride or Stark Varg. Just keep up on your maintenance and you’ll have a solid bike for years to come.
The Surron Ultra Bee will give you enjoyment for a long time into the future, but as E-Moto Man did, you’ll probably want to upgrade some of the parts, and the footpegs would have to be the most common mod, followed by new tires.
When you’re ready to mod your Surron Ultra Bee, check out GritShift for all the parts you’ll need.
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