Battery-powered bikes boost mileage, fun

By: 
Ross Bielema
Columnist

I sat on the comfy padded seat of the UBCO Adventure 2x2 electric motorcycle and listened to Valley Snowmobile and Powersports owner Lon Tesch explain how to ride it. Once a button on the handlebar is pushed, it’s “in gear,” even though it doesn’t have gears. With a twist of the throttle, it’s ready to rip.

“Go easy on the throttle because it’s direct drive,” he said, just after explaining his wife crashed her first time on the UBCO.

I’d owned and ridden motorcycles before, but had no idea what this battery-powered machine was capable of. As a light snow fell, I drove though the grass next to his backyard showroom in rural Hortonville and was astounded by the instant response of this two-wheel-drive e-bike. Then I took this street-legal version out on paved road and quickly zipped it up to 31 mph.

The silent ride was like nothing else I had ever ridden and was magical. My mind couldn’t grasp the power that made no noise, needed no gas, emitted no fumes. This “bike” had no chain—just a 1,000-watt flux motor in the hub of each 17-inch wheel.

After my slightly wet but exhilarating ride, I was ready to sign on the dotted line, but for the slight problem of the $7,200 price tag. That’s a lot of money for a 150-pound motorcycle. The white-framed UBCO I drove was street legal with light, digital dashboard, mirrors, turn signals and even a horn. A black version made strictly for off-road work is about $500 less and doesn’t have the features above, except for the headlight. Monitoring speed, battery life and other functions of the Adventure (white) model can be done on the black version with an UBCO phone app.

“I’m into the hunting stuff,” said Tesch, pointing to some of his all-electric ATVs. He described the American-made UBCO as extremely reliable and durable, with virtually no maintenance needed.

E-bikes and e-motorcycles are a growing industry, but remain a small fraction of total bike sales, especially in colder states. During a recent visit to Key West, Florida, e-bikes (and other electric-powered vehicles such as golf carts) were everywhere. Commuters or residents dealing with narrow, crowded streets and a lack of parking space will love the easy-to-ride and fast advantages of a motorized bike.

T.K. King, manager for the Broken Spoke Bike Studio, Ledgeview, which also has bike shops in Green Bay and Manitowoc, said the average e-bike buyer he sees is usually an older retiree or couple who wants to keep riding a bike but may have a disability or just needs a little boost to enjoy riding.

King breaks down e-bikes into two main groups: pedal-assist motorized bikes that require pedaling to complement the motor, and full electric bikes with throttles that can be used without pedaling at all, if desired.

E-bikes come in three classes. A Class 1 bike can move up to 20 mph, a Class 2 bike tops out at 24 mph and a Class 3 bike zips along at up to 28 mph. Some states and bike trails regulate e-bikes based on this classification.

Broken Spoke carries Reid, Santa Cruz, Rambo, Specialized, Marin and Gazelle brands of e-bikes. While most e-bikes use traditional chain drives, normal bike gearing and versions of a Chinese-made Bafang motor, the Netherlands-based Gazelle has e-bike models that use a belt drive for quiet operation, a Bosch motor (designed in Germany and built in Hungary) and an infinitely variable Enviolo hub that is sealed for durability.

In Shawano, Dunham’s offers a few models of e-bike, including Swagtron and Jetson, which are geared toward kids.

Most modern e-bikes use lithium-ion batteries, which are quickly charged in a few hours but can be greatly affected by the cold. If you ride in the fall or winter, as hunters using fat-tire e-bikes like the Rambo, Quiet Kat and Bakcou brands do, you will get far fewer miles on a charge than in the warmer months.

Hub motors put the power directly inside the wheel, and typically provide less torque, or pulling power, than mid-drive motors, which are located in the crankset. Motor sizes normally vary from 500 to 1,000 watts.

Some of these rugged, off-road e-bikes even come with accessories like one- or two-wheeled carts that can attach to a rear rack and drag a deer out of the woods or carry tools and gear for farmers and ranchers. Most have powerful LED lights and instrument panels to monitor speed and remaining battery life.

Specialized e-bikes made by Yuba, Tern and others feature extended racks for carrying more gear or children, and can be used by street vendors and urban businesses.

Prices range from about $2,000 for low-end e-bikes to more than $6,000 for models with larger motors, bigger batteries and accessories such as extended racks and cargo boxes.

If you enjoy bicycling but want to extend your range, or miss the sport but because of age or aching joints haven’t ridden in years, an e-bike might be just the ticket to new adventures.


Ross Bielema is a freelance writer from New London and owner of Wolf River Concealed Carry LLC. He can be reached at Ross@wolfriverccw.com.