flat tire said:
I would be surprised if they've sold that many to be honest. The bike is unsuitable for an advanced user, fairly expensive for a newcomer or casual user especially compared to gas bikes and where do you ride it? It's about as streetable as an actual dirtbike. If you were a rich casual rider with access to trails on your property and a desire to ride them quietly, I could maybe see it, but why wouldn't that person just get a Alta?
I think the market targeted for this bike is not the hard core motorcycle market. Riders that will spend 10-15 K $ on a new ride. Nor do they target advanced riders with high demands for top shelf suspension or those looking for hours and hours of continuous riding at highway speed. For all of those riders there are plenty to choose from. Both gas bikes and even electric ones that will do the trick. Take a look at the Italian Energica below, a full electric motorcycle that should please most of us when it comes to ride quality,range and performance. That comes at a price, this one starts at 23 500 €. So you need to be dedicated to buy into that. For 20 000 less, you can get the Sur Ron. It is a given that the 20 000 lower price tag will bring limitations to what you can expect from the Sur Ron.
But urban riders, commuters, environmentalists, students, or any one looking for a green and economical vehicle might be very intrigued by the Sur Ron motorcycle. If they ever get legal paperwork in EU it will be registered as an A1 motorcycle, same class as 125 cc motorcyles. Meaning dirt cheap insurance, cheap license. If you mostly ride around town, use the bike as an urban transporter I can't see people go wrong with this one. Assuming quality is holding up. Most everything can be upgraded over time by carefully haunting down great deals on used parts to up the ride quality. Anything from fork, brakes, wheels, rear suspension and even battery, motor and electronics.
Most buyers I suspect will happily ride this bike stock. To really understand the needs of urban riders look to europe and asia. They got the most riders, and most people ride "transporters", bikes that will take them from a to b. They don't need Fox or Ohlins, Brembo or Akropovich. Sure many people upgrade as time goes by, most users don't and it is a huge market. If my heart and wallet could agree I would get this Esse 9 special. As that ain't happening anytime soon, the Sur Ron might very well be my first electric motorcycle with plates.