The Quickshift
- Can-Am finally took the wraps of its Origin and Pulse electric motorcycles
- The Origin has a city range of 90 miles
- Executive editor Jonathon Klein doesn't think that's good enough for an adventure motorcycle
I just came off the launch of the new Royal Enfield Himalayan and have a host of thoughts I can't wait to put on paper. But one that I want to share today—and that doesn't violate the embargo—is that I railed on that little bike from 9 am to 5 pm and only used a quarter of a tank of gas.
We hit canyons and just left our throttles wide open on dirt throughout the day, crashing through deep mud puddles, hitting jumps, and generally treating that little bike like a disposable piece of kit. Yet, again, it sipped fuel through it all and had I had the energy to do another 250 miles, I could've. And it doesn't have the largest fuel tank either. It isn't like Ducati's DesertX with its optional 7 gallons.
This is all to say when Can-Am launched the new Origin electric motorcycles, I found its 90 miles of city range not good enough for an adventure motorcycle. Exactly what sort of adventures are you going on that that's good enough?
I think Can-Am made the odd engineering misstep here.
Can-Am, and its parent company BRP, have been on a roll as of late, as it's introduced a host of absolutely killer products. From snowmobiles to jet skis, side-by-sides to ATVs, and even its in-house gear has been great. And to me, that greatness comes down to the principle of what the product was designed for and the engineers doing their utter damnedest to ensure customers get the best product possible. It's why I bought with my own hard-earned money a Can-Am Maverick X3 Max. I trusted the product.
But I don't get the sense that that's what happened with either the Origin or Pulse. And that's especially true with the off-road-focused Origin.
Now, I think on-road electrics are OK with having ranges of below 120 miles per charge. Most people are using them as city runabouts and you're not going all that far, and chargers are getting more plentiful by the day. But that's absolutely not the case with off-roaders.
I've ridden a couple of electric off-roaders in my day, including the Zero FX and DSR/X, and a host of EV dirtbikes. I've even talked about how I'd use them for hunting in these very pages. But everything I've seen and experienced makes me know that EVs aren't yet capable of being actual adventure motorcycles as their range limits them so drastically, they're basically designed for city folks to cosplay as ADV riders.
Imagine you want to do the California BDR. Not the full North and South route, just one. The Origin's city range is 90 miles, which are notoriously conservative. They're pootling along at 40 mph and in stop-and-go traffic. Highway is usually slightly better, but that's not always the case for EVs as when you ramp up speed, you use more energy to maintain it. But Can-Am isn't quoting how far you could do on dirt or gravel or in mud. And both of those suck battery life quicker than cookies disappear at my house.
90 miles of city range is probably closer to 50-60 miles on the dirt, meaning you wouldn't really be able to do the BDR or any real trails without constantly getting off dirt and finding a charger along the route. You'd just end up going a few miles on dirt before range anxiety crept in and headed back onto the pavement. It doesn't even matter than it can recharge from 20% to 80% in less than 50 minutes on a level 2 charger when you're constantly having to find one after only a few miles of off-roading.
That's not an adventure, that's a pain in the ass.
That may sound harsh, but again, I spent all day just absolutely pinning the Royal Enfield's throttle and it still had more than enough to get me wherever I wanted to go. And from my experience with other electric off-road motorcycles, I've found they've eaten range far faster than advertised by the manufacturer, as well as faster than off-road gas motorcycles. I haven't ridden the Origin yet, but the technology isn't novel or new.
I do get why Can-Am didn't go the Zero DSR/X route and make it a full-fairing ADV-styled motorcycle, as those things are heavy and a pain to get out on a trail, even if you have more range. Can-Am's Origin seems light, nimble, and ready to rock. But so is a Stark Varg, which is honestly where I think Can-Am probably should've gone.
Can-Am could've launched the Pulse for the street-going folks, but instead of making a pretend adventure motorcycle that can't really go on any adventure, it could've stuck to its off-road heritage and built an off-road-only EV dirt bike. I think it would've likely been an easier sell, too, as I'm not the only one who's brought up the issue of range with the Origin or indeed any electric off-roader.
I believe in EVs. I love silently shredding single tracks. It's one of the coolest things to do. But you have to design it for that specific cause, as others have. It does this bike a disservice calling it an adventure motorcycle in the same realm as BMW's, KTM's, Yamaha's, or Honda's offerings.
And even for Royal Enfield, which costs less than half of Can-Am's $14,499 asking price.
We're going to ride the Origin—and the Pulse—in a few weeks, so we'll have more thoughts on the two then. But until then, I'd love to know what you all think about the Origin's 90-mile range, as well as whether or not you think that's enough for an adventure bike. Let me know in the comments below.
