flat tire said:
1) You said dirt bike, my CR125 is the quintessential dirt bike and there are NO equivalent electric bikes currently thanks to battery tech.
2) My Honda cost the same as a sur-ron INCLUDING maintenance to get it in good shape post purchase
3) 6kw is not that much power. It's not a big deal for a decent pedal bike, even with stock dropouts and torque arms. You won't destroy a bike with 6kw unless you try to ride it in situations it's not meant for, like taking big jumps. And you could do that without any motor at all.
4. Ah doesn't matter, Wh is what matters. The sur-ron has 2kwh. Plenty of people here have 2kwh of usable battery or more on pedal bikes. It's not a big deal...
5. Tangent sucks, and the people in charge of that company are a hilarious example of very smart people who are yet total idiots...brilliant compact design that will NEVER go anywhere because it's so goddamn noisy!
seems a bit ironic / hypocritical to hear someone that rides a 2smoker complaining about the noise of tangent drive.. I think tangent Dave actually likes the sound of the drive or else he would be working harder to mitigate the noise (maybe with enclosure and active liquid cooling).. but just because of the noise doesn't mean that it "sucks" .. when you mentioned 6kw electric mountain bike I assumed you meant tangent, but I guess you were referring to hub motors?? hub motor ebikes will have poor off-road performance due to the heavy unsprung mass of the rear wheel, not to mention the overheating issues on steep technical climbs and that you have to use mechanical sympathy or help the motor climb by pedaling.. as for mid drive electric mtn pedal bikes not (m)any are designed for high motor power so when you add multiple times the power they are designed for then you can expect multiple times the maintenance and drive train parts replacement needed.. one notable exception is the new LMX speed pedelec (LMX 64) since it has left hand drive for the motor transmission and standard right hand drive for the pedal transmission..
what year is your honda CR?? honda doesn't even make them or any 2 stroke dirt bikes anymore do they, shows how relevant they are in today's market.. Sur-ron was never intended to compete with CR 125, doesn't mean that its "crappy" or not a fun bike to ride.. most people don't live near a motocross track or designated OHV area since they are usually not near populated areas due to the noise.. 2 smokers can be heard from miles away so not very stealthy and therefore very limited where they can be ridden.. not to mention the pollution and inefficiency of incomplete fuel combustion and smell of burning oil and a maintenance cycle measured in hours of use..
of course batteries are heavier than gas and have lower energy density, but electric can still be competitive with the gassers, albeit heavier and more range limited.. Alta is proving that in competition (where they are being allowed to compete).. Alta could make a scaled down model that's lighter weight to compete in the 125cc classification but why bother when they can ride with the 250 and 450s.. KTM freeride electric has increased their battery power by ~50% for 2018 now with 3.9 kWh, 25 hp and 42 Nm of torque, close to what the KTM 250 EXC-F makes.. Yamaha is also gearing up for electric motorcycle production, with recent introduction of an electric trial motorcycle set to compete in trials competitions.. There is also the Torrot / gasgas electric trials motorcycle with liquid cooling, multi speed transmission and clutch.. Mecatecno with flywheel and clutch and Electric Motion has a new prototype that will debut in trials competition this summer.. also Tacita from Italy has a range of electric motorcycles with transmission, clutch and liquid cooling.. so there is a growing number of competition ready electric off-roaders.. with electric we can have motocross tracks in city parks and urban areas without bothering anyone with the noise of stink bikes.. and for woods riding you can actually sneak up on and see wildlife instead of scaring it away from far away, not to mention being able to talk to your riding buddies (or passenger) and won't have to worry about ear protection or hearing damage from years of riding.. and how about IP rating / submersion, a well built electric bike can be ridden through deep water crossings and completely submerged without engine damage, etc.. can't do that with gas bikes..
Also, have you heard of Mrazek RevX emoto bike yet?? 16kW of power, 54volts 55Ah, 47kg weight, 50km/h to 70km/h (mrazek.com)..
Just because Sur-ron light bee may not be competitive at the motocross track with a 125cc 2stroke doesn't make it "crappy".. it's a play bike, not made specifically for competition but for the masses to have access to a fun, affordable electric off-road, trail and track capable bike.. of course there is always room for improvement such as liquid cooling, higher voltage and a controller upgrade would make it even more fun and competitive so it will be interesting to follow the progression of this design and genre..