Talaria is an electric dirt bike brand that has been around almost from the start of e-moto. E Ride Pro is the upcomer making waves. Both have loyal followings, but the question remains: Is the Talaria Sting still worthwhile, or is it better to buy an E Ride Pro now?
If you’re on the hunt for a mid-performance, great value for money e-moto, what would you get? Let’s look at the Talaria MX5 vs the E Ride SS 2.0. Both are 72 Volt, mid-sized e-motos and are a heap of fun!
But which one is better? If you’ve read any of my previous articles, you’ll know I’ll say ‘It depends on your riding style.’ A rider who loves MX tracks and big jumps will have different requirements than a rider who loves trails through the woods. The challenge is to work out which is the best value for you and bring you the most happiness.
To help you on your quest, let’s look at the stats and styles of the MX5 and the SS 2.0 to see which bike is most suited to you.
For full transparency, we’re E Ride Pro dealers, and we think that E Ride Pro makes a great e-moto. However, it all comes down to your personal preference and riding style. Our team personally owns both Talaria and E Ride Pro bikes. Heavy Hitter, GritShift’s own R&D brand, creates upgraded mods for both bikes. Point is, we just want to see you get out and ride! To support our R&D team and the creation of these informative articles, please consider buying your new bike or parts from us. Thank you.
Talaria Sting MX5
The Talaria Sting MX5 was the first e-moto in the Sting range to have a more powerful 72V system. Compared to the 60V system found in other Stings, 72V paves the way for higher performance and makes future powertrain upgrades easier.
Many Sting MX3 and MX4 owners (and Surron owners) have spent lots of time and money to change from 60V to 72V as its benefits became clear over the last few years. Now, you can skip all that and get the more flexible 72V platform right from the start.
Along with an upgraded power system, the MX5 has many new features not seen on the Sting range before.
With a top speed of around 60mph, depending on the conditions, and a range of 62 miles (at 15mph), the MX5 is perfect for a range of riders. It makes a good commuter bike; you can take it on dirt roads or through the woods. The only thing I wouldn’t be doing on a stock MX5 is blasting off big jumps at an MX track, but I’ll get to that part shortly.
The Talaria MX5 comes with DOT brakes, with hefty 220mm x 3mm rotors, giving you ample stopping power. The front forks are adjustable air and dual spring with 220mm travel, with a similar rear shock that you would have seen on the previous Sting models. It simply works!
The tires are 19” off-road on the front and rear, and the MX5 has a headlight that you can turn on and off. This might seem like a strange comment, but some e-motos don’t have an off switch for the headlight. On an electric bike, running the light in the daylight just draws battery power unnecessarily.
You can buy a Talaria at many locations, both on and offline, but always check that you’re purchasing from an authorized dealer. That way, if you do need any warranty issues covered, you can contact your local dealer, who will help guide you. Talaria has a 1-year warranty. To be clear, if you buy a Sting from anywhere but an authorized dealer, you probably won’t get a warranty even if you think you do. Ask us how we know!
Who needs a Talaria MX5:
The Talaria MX5 is a perfect bike for someone who wants great performance in a great value bike.
Is it for beginners? I wouldn’t class it as a beginner e-moto for someone who’s never ridden a dirt bike or has never ridden off-road before; however, if you’re respectful with the throttle, you’ll be able to learn to ride electric or learn to ride off-road on this bike.
Is it for intermediate riders? The MX5 is well-suited for intermediate riders, who want to have some fun on dirt tracks. You have been on two wheels, and you might even have ridden off-road before. The MX5 is a great bike for people with some riding experience who want room to grow their skills. And if you’re beyond that point, it can still be a fun bike.
Is it for experts? With a few mods, this bike can also rip around the MX track, but you’re going to need to build it up to make it win competitions. You start ahead with a 72V system from stock, so the powertrain already has room to grow, but sorting the suspension might get costly. Check out this article for mods you’ll need to make this happen, including converting the suspension to KTM forks. This article is about E Ride Pro, but the concept is the same.
Outside of the US, some countries offer a road-legal version of the Sting MX5. If you want to find out more about riding legally on the road, check your local laws, or if you’re in the US you can visit our sister company, Dirt Legal.
Now, let’s look at the E Ride Pro:
E Ride Pro SS 2.0
The E Ride Pro SS 2.0 is a 72V electric dirt bike with a peak power of 12kW. With slightly less power than the MX5, the SS 2.0 is no Ferrari in stock form. More like a Porsche 911, it has a nice amount of power and an overall balance that most riders would appreciate.
Featuring 19” front tyres with 18” rears, a newly designed rear mud guard, a quality E Ride Factory FastAce Fork with an upgraded spring, a footpeg support brace and many more new features, the SS 2.0 is robust in all aspects right out of the box.
Modding an E Ride Pro is easy; we’ve personally made many aftermarket parts specifically for E Ride Pro e-moto. Visit GritShift.com to see the range of parts we offer.
E Ride Pro offers a 1 year or 1000 mile warranty, and as we’ve worked with the guys and girls from E Ride Pro for a while now, we know their values are the same as ours when it comes to helping customers.
Who needs an E Ride Pro SS 2.0:
If you’re an intermediate rider, this is an awesome machine. Enough power to keep you on your toes, with many options to mod if you need more power as your skill level progresses.
Is it for beginners? The E Ride Pro SS 2.0 brings a lot of power to the table, just like a Sting MX5 – at least compared to your entry-level Surron LBX, for example. For that reason, you would need a lot of throttle discipline to learn how to ride off-road using an SS 2.0 from day one. They do make an S version of this bike with a little less intimidating stats, so if you’re still getting your off-roading feet under you, an E Ride Pro S or Surron LBX might be the way to go.
Is it for intermediate riders? The E Ride Pro SS 2.0 is a great e-moto for anyone wanting to ride through the woods, find some nice trails, commute to work (depending on your location, read more below), or impress with some wheelies. You will appreciate how balanced the power, ergos, handling, brakes, and overall speed of this bike can be when you ride in harmony with it. And because it does all of that so well even in bone-stock form, it’s one of the best e-motos we’ve ever tested – and the 3.0 is even better.
Is it for experts? That “one of the best we’ve ever tested” moniker continues to stand true when you enter the SS 2.0 into competition-level events. From blitzing around the MX track to blazing through hare scrambles, the E Ride Pro SS 2.0 starts out ahead of the pack with 72V power, robust suspension, and great brakes. But before attempting sky-high jumps, I suggest upgrading some suspension-related parts, same as the MX5. Or you could look at the E Ride Pro SR which boasts a monstrous 25kW of power and even more robust components.
Perhaps the E Ride Pro SS 3.0 is what you need?
Although this is an article that compares the MX5 with the SS2.0, it’s only fair to let you know all the details. If you’re reading this and thinking, this is good, but I actually need something a little more, then the E Ride Pro SS 3.0 is the logical next step. The SS 3.0 is the bike for you if you would like to blitz around MX tracks, without crossing over into the next category.
With 15.8 kW peak power from a 72V50Ah battery, the Pro SS 3.0 is capable of speeds up to 62mph. It has more competition-ready parts than the SS 2.0, with sports tuned suspension and quality brakes, all without being crazy overpowered. The SS 3.0 is the perfect bike for anyone who wants higher performance without the big pricetag.
For more details, check out this article
And, while the SS 3.0 is made for those who intend to ride harder, the SS 2.0 and MX5 are great for intermediate riders who just want to get out and have fun.
MX5 vs E Ride Pro SS 2.0
The Talaria MX5 is very similar to the E Ride Pro SS 2.0. Both have a top speed of 60mph, the battery is the same at 72V 40Ah, and seat heights – aka accessibility for more riders – are similar. However, the E Ride Pro is 20 pounds lighter. This results in a more nimble feeling compared to the Talaria MX5. That’s not totally disqualifying of the Sting, it just depends on what you prefer.
Many of us here at GritShift prefer that flickable, nimble feeling, as it allows for more enduro-style technical riding. It’s a personal choice.
So, what are the other differences?
The forks on the E Ride Pro SS 2.0 are the FastAce Fork with a 50lb spring, and when matched with a 19/18 wheel set, off-road riding is a treat. On the MX5, you’ll find Hi-Performance Dual Spring Forks with 200mm of travel and 19/19 wheel set up. We find the geometry on the bikes with a 19/18 setup better – or even a 19/16 setup if you are up to modding your bike.
Check out this article:
Both the E Ride Pro SS 2.0 and the Talaria MX5 have headlights with a switch that you can turn on and off. However, the light bar on the E Ride Pro is more usable if you’re actually going to do any night riding.
The display units on both bikes are easy to use, with similar functions that are useful when riding. The Talaria has a neat, compact display on the left side, while the E Ride Pro has a bigger screen in the middle of the handlebars.
Upgrading options
Whether you get the Talaria or the E Ride Pro, both bikes have a large aftermarket support for parts. Our own brand, Heavy Hitter, has many available parts – check them out here if you would like to have a look.
Both bikes have a 72V system, making any upgrades to the power train easier and potentially cheaper than bikes that run a 60V system. On the topic of big upgrades, both bikes make excellent bases if you’re looking to mod for big power changes, suspension upgrades, and more. A sturdy frame is the most important foundation for modding, and both bikes have that.
If you would like to run some ideas past knowledgeable riders, contact us here to chat about your future projects.
What do we think?
We have always loved Talaria, and many of us still personally own a Talaria e-moto, but in recent years we’ve seen the advancements in E Ride Pro, and we think they’re awesome e-motos. We choose to be dealers of E Ride Pro bikes because they have demonstrated that they believe in the community by improving their bikes with everyone’s feedback.
For many of us, it’s the riding feel. They’re not meant to feel like a bigger gas powered dirt bike. They’re made for lightweight, flickable fun with some crazy top speeds. Highly manoeuvrable, and a clinic for technical riding. But that’s our personal opinion, you need to work out which e-moto is the one that speaks to you – and there isn’t a right or wrong answer. Unless you’re looking to build a competition bike, then we’d say definitely go for the E Ride Pro.
If you’re still not sure which is the best e-moto, think about what power you might need. Both Talaria and E Ride Pro have entry-level bikes that are lower-powered – the Talaria XXX (MX3 / X3) and the E Ride Pro S. Conversely, Talaria and E Ride Pro also have much more powerful bikes than these as well. It’s all about what you need, and now you’re ready to answer that question.
Have a read of these articles next if you’re after something with higher performance.
You won’t go wrong with either of these e-motos, but whatever you buy, just get out and ride! When you’re ready to mod, check out our store at GritShift.com
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