A lot of the new electric off-road motorcycles we’ve seen in recent years sort of follow the same formula. A lightweight chassis, long-travel suspension, and burly tires—a combination that can best be described as a cross between a mountain bike and a dirtbike.
This is exactly what the new E-Tango from Spanish motorcycle manufacturer Rieju is. And it looks perfect for beginners or the well-heeled alike.
Powered by an approachable 4 kW electric motor, it’s categorized as a moped, and therefore requires a license and registration to ride. It is, however, marketed for Europe, and so licensing requirements for two-wheelers like these are much more lenient.
Nevertheless, it sure looks like a fun bit of kit. As mentioned earlier, it’s powered by a 4 kW motor that offers three riding modes: Turtle Mode for low-speed stuff, Rabbit Mode for off-road riding, and Rocket Mode for “high-speed” road riding. And by “high-speed” I mean a top speed of 45 kilometers per hour (about 28 miles per hour).
Even better still, Rieju offers the E-Tango in a Supermotard version designed for street use. Here, the E-Tango sheds its 19 and 18-inch wheel setup for a set of 17s front and rear. It also gets revised suspension settings for sportier on-road performance.
But what if you have no intentions of riding on the street, but rather, want to use the E-Tango strictly as an off-road machine. Well, Rieju also offers an off-road-only model that’s been beefed up in the performance department. With a peak power output of 10.5 kilowatts, it’s more than double that of the street legal version, translating to about 14 horsepower.
Regardless of what model you choose, the E-Tango is built atop a steel perimeter frame and is suspended by a fully adjustable inverted fork with 200 millimeters of travel and an adjustable monoshock at the rear. The bike comes to a stop with four-piston hydraulic disc brakes front and rear.
On the tech side, the Supermotard and Off-Road versions come with an electronic security key that doubles as an anti-theft device and automatic engine shut-off in the event of a drop.
Electric two-wheelers like this are tons of fun not just for beginners looking to learn the ropes on two wheels, but for experienced riders looking for a fun, low-risk machine to do stupid stuff on.
I mean, just check out Executive Editor Jonathon Klein’s review on the Niu XQi3, it’s a fun electric dirtbike that just wants to go and doesn’t really take itself too seriously.
Looking at things from the bigger picture, tons of other electric dirtbikes like this have popped up in recent years, and quite frankly, they hold the key to the future of off-road riding.
