A few years ago, the Sur-Ron Light Bee made a huge splash in the US. There was a big gap in the electric dirt bike options that were available. The only competition at the time was large and expensive (Like the Zero FX or the “now defunct” Alta Redshift), or…they were very small and obviously made for kids. The Sur-Ron was a HUGE success.
Soon afterwards, a competitor arose, called the Talaria Sting (click here). They were both about the same size, same weight, and roughly the same price. Each one started out with a 60V base model and soon had an upgraded 72V model, with a few other performance options available.
This past year I’ve been noticing other electric dirt bikes being ridden on youtube, and I’ve been waiting to see which ones become popular, and which ones fall by the wayside. I’m going to compare the following seven E-dirtbike models to the well-known Sur-Ron / Talaria.
Just as a reference, the Sur-Ron / Talaria both weigh 146-lb (66-kg). All prices and specs below are subject to change by the manufacturer and dealer!!
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E-Ride Mini
There is no shortage of small child-size electric dirt bikes which use low-voltage and a rear hub motor. They may even have a rudimentary suspension system. The next two E-dirt bikes below are more expensive than those, but they are real dirt bikes. They use a chain and a non-hub frame-mounted motor, and they use a lot of watts to power around a track.
The E-Ride Mini has a 60V / 30-Ah battery, and its motor is rated at 6-kW of power. I don’t know if this qualifies it to be a “Pit Bike”, but its not a toy, and its a great introduction to real dirt bike racing for a younger/shorter rider. The price is $3,000.
Weight: 107-lbs (49-kg)
The front wheel is a moto 14-inch, and the rear is a 12-inch, with a 44-inch wheelbase (113 centimeters)
Here’s the video from “Sur Ronster” where I saw these.
E-Rides US headquarters are in southern California at:
330 E Orangethorpe Ave J, Placentia, CA 92870, (714) 983-7161
Their website can be found by clicking here.
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ETM, RTR
The names of the company means Electric Trail Machine, and this models initials mean Ready-to-Race. The price for this one is also $3000. The weight is listed as 130 lbs (59-kg), which is 23 lbs heavier than the E-Ride Mini, but the wheel size and frame size are the same.
ETM decided to raise the volts to 72V, which left fewer Amp-hours for a pack this size (25-Ah), compared to the E-Ride mini. That being said, the range and performance should be similar.
Sorry for the fuzzy pic, but I needed a pic with an adult human on it to make sure everyone sees its small size. ETM’s website can be found by clicking here
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E-Ride Pro SS 2.0
When shopping, be aware that there are a LOT of minor variations in the models. When I googled “E-Ride Pro SS 2.0” I came across some specs, and this uses a battery with 72V / 40-Ah, and is listed as $4400.
139-lb (63-kg)
This is listed as being seven pounds lighter than the Sur-Ron / Talaria. I haven’t ridden one of these, but I have been assured that these are the exact same size. I only mention this because the most common electric dirt bike that people have test-ridden is a Sur-Ron, and some shoppers are looking for something a taller rider.
Their website can be found by clicking here
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RFN Ares
In typical Chinese style, the company name RFN means Racing Fears Nothing, and “Ares” is the Roman god of war.
At 150-lb (68 kg), this is almost identical to the Sur-Ron and Talaria in size and weight. The battery is 72V, using 21700-format cells from LG.
One interesting option is that the RTN has a factory street-legal option with lights, and turning signals, etc…
These are made by Zhejiang Apollo Sports Technology, near Shanghai, China. The US importer is RFN-USA in Houston Texas. (346) 240-8492 Their website can be found by clicking here
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Altis Sigma
At 185-lb (84-kg), the Sigma is 39 pounds heavier than the Sur-Ron or Talaria. The wheelbase is 51-inches (128.5 centimeters), which makes it a hair longer than the Sur-Ron / Talaria at 125.0 centimeters. So, I’m going to say that the Sigma is roughly the same size, but the extra weight is in the battery pack.
The 38 Amp-Hours of the Sigma battery pack is fairly normal, but the 27S voltage of 98V is unusual and exceptional. By raising the volts, you can increase the power without a big increase in system heat. However, doing that does require more cells.
The base models of the Sur-Ron and Talaria started out with 60V batteries, and before long they they both added a 72V upgraded version, which has proven to be popular. The second unusual thing about the Sigma is the listed $5500 price, which explains it’s sudden popularity. Accurate figures are hard to get from manufacturers, but the Sigma is listed as providing 22-kW /29-HP from a modern hairpin motor.
If the volts are 98V, lets look at the amps. The cell is listed as the Samsung “50S” cell, providing 45A. In a 7P configuration, that would be roughly 315 amps. 98V x 315A = 30-kW (40-HP), but that would definitely be a temporary peak, not the continuous power.
Comparing size and weight to other dirt bike batteries, the 27S x 7P configuration gives us a hefty 189 cells in the 21700 format.
The front wheel is a19-inch, and the rear wheel can be a 19 or an optional 16-inch.
Altis Powersports has their US headquarters at 1135 E Rte 66 Suite 203, in Glendora, east of Pasadena in So California, and their website can be found by clicking here
There are several Altis Sigma Facebook pages for discussion, and the list can be found by clicking here.
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Stark Varg
Anton Wass (from Sweden) is the founder and CEO of Stark Future. Their headquarters are in Barcelona Spain, and the Varg is actually produced there. Stark Varg is Swedish for “Strong Wolf”.
The liquid-cooled motor weighs 9 kg (19.8 lb) and resides inside a carbon fiber sleeve. It is rated at 60 kW (80-horsepower), which is a pretty impressive amount of power. Reviewers have said the size and power is equal to the existing gas 450’s, which is really saying something.
Even so, you might not see very many of these, because the price in the US is listed as $13,600 (the 60-HP version is $1000 less)
The weight is 242-lb (110 kg), and most of the weight and cost is in the battery pack. Stark says the battery contains 400 cells in a 100S / 4P configuration providing 360V nominal, and 410V maximum. It uses the Samsung 40T cell in the 21700 format, 410V x 16-Ah = 6.5-kWH. This is very similar to the Alta Redshift, that went bankrupt a while back.
Using very high volts has two advantages. If two nearly identical dirt bikes that provide the same amount of kilowatts of power, the one with the higher volts can provide the same power with lower amps, which helps the system run cooler. The second benefit is that in theory, the pack can be charged faster. If these benefits appeal to you, there are not many options. A few models use around 100V (see below) but in the 360V range, the Varg is the only one.
The rear wheel options give you a choice of an 18″ (enduro) or 19″ MX rear wheel. One interesting feature is that the Varg has a reverse button, which can be useful when loading and un-loading it into a trailer. It also has a “crawl” mode which provides a trickle of power to move it around without needing to push.
For those who are interested, the Varg also has a factory road-legal street/dirt enduro version
Their website can be found by clicking here
They have a Facebook page here, and also here
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Sur-Ron Storm Bee F
Because of the wide-spread success of the affordable Light Bee, dirt bike riders have eagerly anticipated what they might produce as a larger and more powerful model. The Storm Bee is heavier at 280-lb (127-kg), and is listed as providing 22-kW of power.
As I mentioned before, bigger dirt bikes will use more volts whenever possible, and the Storm Bee uses 104V (28S), just like the Zero FX. The motor is liquid-cooled, and that allows the system to draw higher peak amps. Most motors use air-cooling, and the place where you would appreciate the liquid-cooling most is an owner that rides on sustained long uphills. Motors that don’t have liquid-cooling would start limiting amps when it gets hot.
This layout uses a jackshaft with a fear-reduction from the motor on the right side. This then outputs the chain-drive on the left side. Doing this allows for more RPM-reduction between the motor and wheel, which boosts wheel-torque and reduces motor heat.
The wheels are 21-inch on the front, and 18 on the rear, which is another indication that this is a larger frame for bigger riders. It has a wheelbase of 56-inches (14.3 centimeters)
I haven’t been able to find out what cell the pack uses, but with 104V and 55-Ah, its a physically big pack. A feature that everyone seems to be adding to the heavier dirt bikes is a reverse, and the Storm bee does have this, which would definitely make it easier to unload and load onto a trailer.
I’ve seen prices between $8500 and $11,800, so I guess it depends on the dealer plus which model options you choose (and which country you are in). Also, prices change over time, so you’ll just have to shop around if this model fits your plans.
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Wrap it up!
Competition is good and customers having more choices is good. So, I’m happy to see these developments. Since Covid hit a few years ago, the economies around the world have not been doing very well, but I believe things are getting a little better. Electric dirt bike riders are not using them to get to work, so it’s easy to say that they are “just” a luxury purchase.
That being said, the amount of electricity needed to keep it charged up is mere pennies, and riding one of these is like a roller-coaster with no line to stand in, so the fun just never seems to end! People who test-ride these end up buying one, and they are very passionate about how happy they are that they finally pulled the trigger on the purchase.
Have fun, and be safe, my friends…
Just for laughs, here are the names and weights below of other electric dirt bike models I found. The seven listed above are the ones that seemed to have the most “buzz” about riders actually buying them and being happy with them.
121-lb (55-kg) Segway X260
130-lb (59-kg) 79bike Falcon M
130-lb (59-kg) Rawrr Mantis
143-lb (65-kg) Stage 2 M1
150-lb (68-kg) Beta Explorer
152-lb (69-kg) Ventus One
157-lb (71-kg) NIU XQi3
200-lb (91-kg) Dirt Goat
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Written by Ron/spinningmagnets, Februrary 2025
