Within our lifetime there will be a generation of children who will have never heard the sound of a combustion engine, will have never experienced the scream of an open throttle, nor the smell of fuel at the petrol station. The age of the battery is upon us, and while that is a good thing there’s undoubtedly a somewhat shoddy transition phase we all have to go through. The best electric bike is not quite the best petrol bike, not yet at least. You can fill a bike with fuel within three minutes. Try that with a battery. And unlike cars, where status is measured in speed and acceleration, and where electricity is emerging a clear winner, bikes are already crazy fast.
So how do we measure a decent electric bike over its fuel counterpart? Well, it’s harder to hide the battery, so aesthetics are important. It’s far less pleasant sitting broken down at the side of the road with a bike than a car, so range is crucial. And obviously, because some things should never change, speed is paramount. Here then, are our top three electric bikes for 2021.
The Verge TS
The Verge would look right at home in Judge Dredd’s garage. The high front, low seat go-fast aesthetics make it look as if it’s doing 111mph while standing still, and at first glance you could be forgiven for thinking it was just a great looking petrol bike. However, look closely and you’ll see cables instead of a traditional chain running out from the low slung battery and along the aluminium frame. The range is 186 miles in the city, or 124 miles out on the open road and a full charge takes four hours.
Best for: Traditional superbike fans
Damon Hypersport Pro
Damon are a Canadian based company so expect safety to be right at the front of their thinking. The bike is fast, punching out 200mph and has a decent battery range of 200 miles (you can probably work out how far you can go in an hour with those stats). But it’s the onboard safety that makes this special. The onboard CoPilot uses radar and cameras to create a full 360 degree predictive scanner, capable of tracking 64 objects at a time, alerting you to potential collisions before they happen. Sold!
Best for: Safety
Evoke Motorcycle 6061
Not all electric bikes have to be a nod to the superbike world. The Evoke is a lovely looking sit-up and-beg cruiser that, despite its casual appearance, is an absolute beast under the hood. With a top speed of 142mph it's also faster than the Verge and it will run for 290 miles before it needs a charge. And it’s there that this steps out from the shadows of the faster looking machines. The Evoke takes fifteen minutes to charge, making it one of the fastest stop, charge and go bikes available.
Best for: Charge speed