I rode my first electric dirt bike—Zero's new XE—a few months back on a private piece of land in the heart of Texas. I’ll admit, I went into that press intro with a lot of skepticism. I spend most of my free time on an Italian two-stroke dirt bike, and believe that for slaying single track, there is no better choice.
The electric bike I rode, however, proved that theory wrong in some ways. It was fast. Like real fast. And light, too. The stock suspension left something to be desired, but after an opportunity presented itself to ride a bike equipped with an upgraded fork and rear spring, as well as proper off-road tires, I was shocked at how confident I became on that bike, and how capable it was navigating obstacles and tight, technical singletrack trails.
It did, however, come with some downsides, namely a claimed 65-mile range at 31 mph average speed. For some folks, that’s more than enough miles, especially if you live close to the OHV or trailhead where you’re riding. And the option to swap the battery for a fully charged one is there, too, only the asking price of that spare battery is roughly one third the price of the entire bike itself. But if we brush the range anxiety aside, and presume that most people aren’t knocking down more than 60 miles in an afternoon, the electric dirt bike is an interesting option, and one I’m certainly considering.
Enter the Talaria Komodo.
Talaria Power Tech is an electric motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Chongqing, China. They’re apparently known for developing “high-performance, environmentally responsible cars for off-road aficionados.” I guess I didn’t get that memo, though. Until I was forwarded information about their latest release, I was wholly unfamiliar with the brand or their bikes.
At first glance, the Komodo looks a lot like what’s available in the off-road EV space at the moment. The Sur-Ron Ultra Bee in particular. But don’t all dirt bikes sort of look the same? I know my girlfriend thinks so. She’s able to differentiate between a KTM and a Kawasaki solely by the color of their plastic, not which parts are bolted to their aluminum frames. So, looking like the Surron, or even the Zero XE I tested a few months back, isn’t a slight against the Komodo.
According to the brand's website, the Komodo is “a game-changer, not simply a rival, made for riders who want power, control, and constant excitement.” Bold statement from a brand I’ve never heard of before. But after looking over the spec sheet for the Komodo, I couldn’t help but notice the claimed 32kW peak power output from the 96V 45Ah Greenway lithium battery. That’s nearly double the power output of the Zero XE that I took for a test ride in Texas. That bike had a 15.5kW peak power output that was good for 20 hp and an absurd 468 lb-ft torque at the rear wheel. So, if my math is correct, the Komodo should be producing twice as much horsepower, putting it in the same category as a 450 four-stroke machine.
I also noticed the claimed range of the Komodo, which is listed as 71.5-miles at an average speed of 28 mph. That, too, is a marked increase over the competition in the “hardcore” EV dirt bike category, with the Zero XE claiming a 65-mile range at 31mph average speed, and the Stark Varg - notably a much heavier and more powerful machine - which claims to be good for roughly 50-miles, a number that the team at Electric Cycle Rider managed to accomplish during one of their testing sessions.
In this new era of electric powered off-road machines, numbers matter. And while range is at the forefront of the EV vs. ICE fight, it’s nice to see another manufacturer offering a bike with some other numbers I’m fond of. Like a 21/18 wheelset, a 216-lb net weight, 12.4-inches of ground clearance, ten-inches of suspension travel and a top speed of 65 mph.
The Talaria Komodo also features four ride modes (Eco, Street, Hyper, and Reverse), regenerative braking, a forged alloy chassis and an MSRP of $5,699.00 that should cut down on some of the excuses people make for not wanting an electric dirt bike. Because, again, if my math is correct, that’s about half the price of a fighting weight 450cc four-stroke, in a package that makes as much horsepower, more torque, weighs less and can knock out 70 miles of single track on a single charge.
Call me convinced.
