Every year it seems electric dirt bikes are getting closer to reality.
Will we see electric enduro bikes in mass production soon?
I hope so.
The Alta Redshift motocross model is probably the closest yet.
It did very well at the Red Bull straight rhythm event.
And we also filmed one at the recent Red Bull Rocks and Logs in Canada.
I've had the bike for a few months now.
I've only had limited rides on it... about five or six rides.
It's tons of fun, you know.
Having no clutch is great.
No stalling.
Tons of power.
It's heavier.
It's about 260 or 270 pounds.
I forget exactly.
But you've got no motor mass, so it still feels light as you're turning.
There are four different maps which are pretty cool.
You can make it as tame as you want... where the tire won't even break loose.
It goes from like anywhere from .... moto you'll get 45 minutes on it.
And then off-road I've heard that some dual sport riders get up to five hours on it.
That will almost more than do me for a full day of endurocross which is cool.
Singletrack? It's probably the most fun thing I've done on it so far.
The advantages of electric dirt bikes are obvious.
But of course there are issues too...
at least until the technology improves.
We asked some of the best riders in the world to come along and do some test rides.
And very sensibly they declined.
So you will just have to watch us gumbies messing around on this EM Escape.
This was my first ever ride on an electric motorbike.
But I wasn't up for any heroics due to some bruised ribs.
I was impressed.
A very gentle initial response.
But grab a handful of throttle and there is plenty of torque to throw the bike forward.
It only took a few minutes to feel comfortable with no clutch and no gear changes.
And of course for anyone who has ridden bicycles the left hand rear brake is very easy to adapt to,
and actually far better than a foot brake in so many ways.
Over a distance you can barely hear that electric engine.
Also there's enough sound when riding to give you feedback on how hard the engine is working.
Various manufacturers are dabbling with electric bikes,
but the ones that stand out so far are the Alta.
The trials models from Electric Motion.
The KTM E-ride, and electric version of their Freeride.
And Zero who make this dual sport model and a few road bike models too.
Currently all these electric bikes are still at a small disadvantage in terms
of power and weight compared to their noisy smelly cousins.
But they are getting very close.
So close that for some riders all the extra benefits are
making these current models well worth buying now.
The technology is improving so rapidly that it may not be too long before we'll see
these motorbikes become more powerful, and lighter, than the gas guzzlers.
Personally, I can't wait.
But what do you guys think?
Keen to hear your opinions so leave a comment.