It’s Electric: These 9 Electric Motorcycles Are The Coolest Ways To Get Around This Fall

The Cake Kalk& electric motorcycle retails at $14,000.

Cake

The advantages of traveling by electric motorcycle are – as they say – plenty. Not only are they better for the planet, but they immerse you better into an environment than any other mode of transportation. Feeling the wind against your skin, the heat (or cold) on your back, the smell of the passing environments around you, it doesn’t get much better than that. Take away the noise and smell of exhaust and gasoline, and you’ve just found the secret to an even deeper connection with the environment around you.

Not to mention there are some seriously great-looking electric motorcycles on the market right now. With less noise, fewer smells, and more power than ever, and travel coming back to the table for the fall and winter, now is the time to live out that life on two wheels fantasy you’ve always dreamed of. Plus, with Pierer Mobility (Husqvarna, KTM, GasGas) projecting the e-motorcycle and e-bike market to be worth $12 billion by 2025, it’s no wonder some of our favorite brands are looking to get a piece of the action.

So, whether you’re looking for your first motorbike to get acquainted with, or you’re ready to tour the world on two wheels on the post-pandemic adventure of your dreams, these bikes have something for everyone, and something for every price range, from baby’s-first-bike-affordable to Bond-villain level aspirational.

Baby’s First Bike: Horwin CR6 Pro

Praised as one of the quietest electric motorcycles on the market and the most affordable on our list, the Horwin CR6 is a new take on a classic retro look. And an excellent bike for beginner riders.

With a 93 mile range and a four hour 100% charge time, weighing in at 295 lbs., and with four colorways to choose from (white, black, blue, green), the CR6 is a bike that you can ride right out of your garage without waking up your neighbors. One of the only bikes on this list with an electric motor combined with a mechanical 5-speed manual transmission, this bike is easy to maneuver around town. And, with an EBS disc brake system, even easier to stop and take in the sights along the way.

$7,600, HorwinGlobal.com

The Horwin CR6 Pro.

Horwin Global

For the Off-Grid Explorer: CAKE Kalk&

What’s to love (or hate, depending on who you’re asking) about most electric motorbikes is that there’s no shifting involved. While diehards are shaking their heads at this, this opens up the world of riding to more people than ever before. And what’s not to love about that.

At 175 pounds with the battery installed, the Kalk& is light and robust, with dual-sport tires, a 2-stroke, and 4-stroke brake mode, and more than enough torque to get you out of (and into) just about any situation that could be thrown your way, making these bikes great for on-road and off-road riders of all levels.

With up to four hours of battery range and a removable battery that plugs into any 110 V/220 V outlet and charges in three hours, there are plenty of reasons why these bikes are converting people into not only e-motorbike believers.

Want to hear something even cooler? The limited-edition 50-bike CAKE Kalk AP bikes (the AP stands for anti-poaching) come with a solar power station and solar panels from Goal Zero. Which we hope will soon be offered with all Cake bikes in the Kalk range.

$14,000, Ridecake.com

The Cake Kalk&.

Cake

The Aspirational Bike: Husqvarna E-Pilen

Designed after two of Husqvarna’s seriously good-looking street bikes, the Vitpilen and Svartpilen models, the E-Pilen carries on the concept in proper Husqvarna form. With an output of 8 kW and a range of 100 kilometers (a slightly disappointing 62 miles), the bikes are more city-friendly than cross-country ready, but we’re okay with that. But, with a swappable battery, don’t rule out long-distance riding just yet. Especially since KTM, Honda, Yamaha, and Piaggio are working to create common specs for their electric motorcycle batteries. Meaning packs will be swappable and even more accessible and available than you might expect.

Husqvarna is even going as far as releasing an electric scooter concept alongside the E-Pilen, just in case some of your friends need to ease their way into life on two wheels with a bit more caution, as well as a younger-generation friendly stand-up scooter concept.

Price TBA, Husqvarna-Motorcycles.com

There is no official release date on the Husqvarna E-Pilen.

Husqvarna

Less Fuss, More Go: Zero DSR Black Forest Edition

With a slogan like “the most capable adventure-ready electric motorcycle on the planet,” the DSR has a lot to live up to. Luckily, it does, making it one of the best electric motorcycles for navigating our way through the unpredictable terrain that is 2021 and beyond, in every sense of the word.

There’s no shifting involved on all Zero Motorcycles models. You can add 94 miles of range with every hour of charge and can recharge in an hour at a Level 2 charging station, which is 6x faster than “refueling” at a Level 1 charge.

With easy maintenance thanks to the Z-Force powertrain, there’s no need to replace clogged filters and dirty oil after your adventure. There’s no oil, spark plugs, clutch, or filters, and acceleration is delivered via a carbon fiber belt directly connecting the motor to the rear wheel. This also means chain maintenance is a thing of the past.

$15,495, ZeroMotorcycles.com

The Zero DSR Black Forest Edition.

Zero Motorcycles

For a Retro Styled Bike Worthy of a Trip to Italy: Energica EVA EsseEsse9

A bike inspired by one of Italy’s earliest and most picturesque roads? That’s precisely what inspired the EVA EsseEsse9. And exactly where you’ll want to ride this electric motorcycle first – along the Via Emilia, from Rimini on the Adriatic coast to Piacenza in the northern foothills of the Italian Alps.

And, since you’ll be parking and sightseeing all along the way, a Park Assistant feature that slows the bike on-demand with a 1.74 mph forward/reverse speed to help you maneuver into or out of that perfect parking spot is a nice touch.

With factory riding modes that include Urban, Eco, Rain, and Sport that deliver variable power, the bike even puts power back when using the equivalent of engine-braking as part of your riding technique.

$19,500, EnergicaMotor.com

The Energica EVA EsseEsse9+ pictured.

Marcello Mannoni/Energica Motor Company

A Plant-Based Build for a Gentleman: Tarform Luna

No gearbox. No clutch. Just a smooth 0-60 acceleration in 3.8 seconds and a 120-mile range, the Tarform Luna is a sleek and dapper bike made to look good and make you feel even better.

With a battery pack that can be swapped out when batteries and technology are upgraded, this bike is a classic in every sense of the word. Even the bodywork is designed to be swapped out.

The construction of the bike uses recycled aluminum and biodegradable leather, as well as plant-based materials such as algae pigment to replace paints and primers, biobased resin to offset the use of petrochemicals, and flaxseed weave to reinforce composite panel construction. Pair that with top-of-the-line suspension from Öhlins and ISR brakes, and you have one powerful and sustainable machine worthy of the modern gentleman’s attention.

$24,000, Tarform.com

The Tarform Luna.

Tarform

The 200-Mile Range Superbike: Damon HyperSport HS

Go from 0-60 in less than three seconds thanks to this 200 horsepower, 200 mph top-speed, 200-mile combined range bike.

With a 360° Advanced Warning System that includes an onboard neural net scan and alert system that notifies riders of potential danger through haptic feedback on the handlebars, integrated windscreen LEDs, always-on 1080p front and rear-view cameras, and long-range radar, this is undoubtedly a bike you’ll want to be on for 200 miles, and more. And, with the touch of a button, shift positions mid-ride from Commuter to Sport and go from city stop-and-go to highway comfort without ever having to slow down.

$24,995, Damon.com

The Damon HyperSport HS in Gold.

Damon Motorcycles

A Modern Update to an Old Classic: Harley Davidson LiveWire

If Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s South to North American adventure showed us anything, it’s that these bikes can handle a thing or two. While they still have a way to go to catch up to their petrol-powered counterparts, these bikes proved to be among the most reliable electric tourers around. And now that McGregor and Boorman have shown us the limits of these bikes on a stretch of road this far (all 13,000 miles of it, to be exact), now sounds like as good of a time as any to finally put one to the test.

With a high-voltage battery providing 146 miles of city range or 95 miles of combined stop-and-go and highway range, and a Level 1 charger and power cord that connects to any standard household outlet, you don’t need a fancy setup to get a charge overnight. You can even charge in an hour at any public Level 3 DC Fast Charge station for 80% charge in 40 minutes or 100% charge in an hour.

Additionally, there’s an H-D Connect service that allows you to check your bike’s vitals – including battery charge status, get tamper alerts and stolen-vehicle tracking, and more – through the Harley-Davidson App.

Not to mention that buying a Harley-Davidson Livewire could make you eligible for a credit up to $2,500 on your federal income taxes, plus additional rebates for being a California, Oregon, or Pennsylvania resident. So, there’s that.

$29,799, Harley-Davidson.com

The Harley-Davidson LiveWire.

Harley-Davidson

The Best that Bond-Villain-Level Money Can Buy: Arc Vector

The Vector is, according to Arc, the most advanced electric motorcycle in the world. And with a starting price at $118,000, and a design suitable for a Bond villain, it’s hard to disagree. On paper, at least.

So, what does a $118,000 price tag get you? Well, each vehicle is personalized for its owner. There’s a fully integrated Human Machine Interface (HMI), charge time is as little as 40 minutes (the fastest on this list, also the only one without a wall charger option), and comes with the Arc Zenith helmet, a helmet with a virtual projection-based HUD (Head-Up Display) that includes a rear-facing camera and alerts you of anything in your blind spot. Three different display modes (Urban, Sport, and Euphoric) are selected via a controller on the bike or can be voice-activated wirelessly. All of this is part of the Arc Pilot System riding experience, a system that provides riders with feedback and notifications to keep them safe and agile on the road, and includes a full armor and jacket system.

Charging is done using a CCS DC Charger with a range of 270 miles and a top speed of 124 miles per hour. A clutchless single gear transmission accelerates the bike, launching you into what feels like the future of electric motorcycles.

Service is also done at your home, these guys come to you, and they’ll even install a charging machine for you. As the Arc guys say, reading about it is exciting, experiencing it is something else.

$118,000, Arcvehicle.com

The Arc Vector.

Arc Vehicles