Recent years have brought about an influx of new electric motorcycles geared towards fun and enjoyment, particularly off-road. From weird and interesting bikes that blur the lines between e-bike and motorcycle to full on electric motocrossers, it’s obvious that the future is bright when it comes to electric off-roaders.
One of the newest entrants into the rapidly growing e-moto scene comes to us, unsurprisingly, from China. A startup called Gowow has introduced its newest electric dirtbike called the Ori, and on paper, it seems ready to go up against more established players from the likes of Cake and Trevor Motorcycles. From a styling perspective, the Gowow Ori obviously borrows more than a few styling cues from the Cake Kalk. From its athletic enduro stance to its minimalist design, you could mistake the Ori for a Cake product at a glance. Whether or not that’s a good thing is up to you.
On paper, the Ori has some impressive specs to show for. It tips the scales at a supposed 73 kilograms, or about 161 pounds, and boasts an impressive 50:50 weight distribution. When it comes to performance, Gowow says that its in-house electric motor generates up to 420 Nm (310 pound-feet). Needless to say, this figure will certainly raise a few eyebrows, but Gowow claims that the Ori is electronically limited to a top speed of 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour). For reference, it generates 9 kilowatts (about 12 horsepower) of max power.
When it comes to the battery, it’s rocking what Gowow calls a “Speedy as Meteor-power” system. It’s a fancy way of naming its in-house battery which consists of 21700 cells. The power pack claims 100 kilometers (62 miles) of range on a single charge, which isn’t that much for a road bike, but is pretty good for a dirtbike. Of course, like all electric motorbikes of this caliber, the Ori comes with tech integration in the form of a proprietary app that lets you monitor ride stats and vehicle information in real time.
The Gowow Ori is underpinned by fairly impressive technology with its frame being constructed out of a double spar composite material. The rear suspension is a true dirtbike setup with a four-link system and what appears to be a shock with an external reservoir. Like all good off-road bikes, the Ori is rocking hydraulic disc brakes front and rear.
The Gowow Ori was recently homologated for road use in Japan. It’s offered in a road-legal version classified as a Type 2 moped in Japan, though images provided clearly show the lack of any lighting, turn signals, and mirrors. Over in Japan, it carries a hefty price tag of 1.2 million yen, or about $8,100 USD – much more expensive than a premium road-going motorcycle or dual-sport.
Interestingly, Gowow’s website indeed says that the Ori is available in the US for $6,500 USD, and after doing some digging, we managed to find some powersports specialists who claim to have the bike in stock. For example, Lithium Powersports, based out of Jacksonville, Florida, has the Gowow Ori in stock and listed for $5,600 USD at the time of writing. With that said, don’t expect it to be a street-legal machine in the US, as it’s obviously lacking all the safety equipment needed for it to be categorized as such.
