EV Motorcycles: When Will They Hit?

TL;DR: EV motorcycles have real performance advantages, but adoption has stalled for three reasons: real-world range that cratered the fun, the missing sound that riders crave, and OE indifference that’s kept serious investment on the sidelines. The future isn’t hopeless — today’s grom generation is cutting their teeth on electric bikes and will vote with their wallets. But the OEs have to meet them there.

So Why Haven’t EV Motorcycles Taken the Market by Storm?

So why haven’t EV motorcycles taken the market by storm at this point in time?

Over the last decade we’ve all seen year-over-year growth in the automotive segment, albeit slowing substantially lately due to the halting of government subsidies, while the motorcycle segment remains stubbornly reluctant to “get with the program.” While EVs, especially off-road bikes, enjoy some, if not game-changing advantages to their ICE cousins, for the most part the riding community has given EV machines the cold shoulder.

So let’s take a look at three of the more salient roadblocks to a greater rate of rider adoption.

1) Range Anxiety

A few years ago I had the opportunity to demo a couple of EV motorbikes at Sears Point as part of a larger “get out and ride” activation. My two rides were a Zero SR/S and a Harley LiveWire (LiveWire has since been spun off). While the Zero’s operational experience was limited to the perimeter of the Sears Point facility, I was able to take the LiveWire out on the open road alone and really get a taste of EV performance.

(Before we go any further, time for a bit of a disclaimer. I am not an ex-racer, nor am I a practicing motorcycle journo, and while I’ve been riding all sorts of off-road/street motorcycles for over 40 years, I consider myself a journeyman at best, so draw your own conclusions. Now back to the story.)

To be honest, the riding experience was amazing. Sure, the bikes were noticeably weightier, but the overall handling and braking were shockingly comparable to conventional streetbikes. And the acceleration? Holy sh*t, it was utterly insane. The bottom line that day was these machines were indeed “real motorcycles,” and more importantly they were a blast to ride — two very important boxes ticked.

But then came the conversation about range. Not the claimed marketing propaganda numbers, but the real-world, “this is the what-you’ll-actually-experience” range. And that’s when my flirtation with EVs cratered.

I was lucky enough to strike up a conversation with a Zero engineer after I returned the SR/S, and when the chit-chat turned to mileage, I asked for the straight skinny: just how far could a rider reasonably expect to go if they were flogging the Zero as one would do with any other sportbike? The answer was shocking — “right around 100 miles!?!”

Think about that for a minute. Just how would a 100-mile riding range impact your day of riding? Thanks for asking.

Every hour or every 80+ miles, your thoughts are going to turn to where can I plug in? Of course one could preplan the route and charging stops (buzzkill), but then the ride priority shifts from maximum fun to mitigating “being stranded roadside.” And while charging station options have certainly grown over the last decade, they are still not nearly as plentiful as petrol stations. The bottom line is when it comes to useful riding range, EVs still ask too much, offer too little, and ultimately negate the very argument for potential riders to lean toward “buy.”

Of course, range anxiety is not as much of an issue for EV off-road machines, as riding time and mileage are typically shorter. Range issues can easily be mitigated with interchangeable battery packs — do a 30-minute moto, go back to the pits, throw in another battery pack, down some water, and you’re back on the track. Rinse and repeat. Add the fact that EVs operate in relative silence, and these machines eliminate one of the key arguments of “environmentalists” that want to severely restrict their use: excessive noise. Why the OEs haven’t leveraged this key tech advantage is beyond me, but more on that later.

2) Lack of Sound

While seemingly a bit counterintuitive given the preceding paragraph, I believe that it’s the aforementioned lack of “sound” — as defined by the totality of intake, mechanical, exhaust, and drivetrain noise experienced while riding — that is a key element in the reluctance of riders to fully embrace the EV experience. Add to that the fact that EVs’ linear power delivery without the need to manually change gears also detracts from the visceral physical elements typically associated with riding motorcycles.

Riding motorcycles has always been a very tactile experience, one that engages all of the senses in rapidly changing situational environments. That’s what we love about the experience: the whoosh of the intake, the building of the exhaust note as we twist the throttle and click up one gear after another, then back down the gears, exhaust popping as we apply the brakes, dip into the corner, and then go through the process all over again. Pure joy.

Ask any rider about the top three riding characteristics of their machine that they really value, and I will bet that the sound it produces when they’re “on the gas” makes the list. Our motorcycles sound, we love it, we crave it, and we nurture it (the exhaust aftermarket depends on this fact). Sadly, for all their other attributes, EV machines simply cannot match a conventionally powered motorbike on this attribute.

In the end, no sound equals no bueno. Or maybe not — keep reading.

3) OE Indifference to EVs

This one’s a little tough, as it requires us to “get into the heads” of our OE friends. But in the interest of our discussion we’ll make an attempt.

First off, I’m not one that tends to engage in knee-jerk OE bashing. My default is, while like anyone else, I have my nits to pick, I assume that for the most part the folks at Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Ducati, Triumph, et al. are rational business operators seeking to fulfill market demands and are making decisions based on market data that perhaps I’m not privy to.

That said, it’s pretty obvious that bringing EV machines to market in meaningful numbers is not a priority for most OEs. While we’ve seen various prototypes for years at trade shows around the world, most of those bikes have not yet made it to the showrooms of our local dealers, which begs the question: why not?

My best guess is the OEs have let the small EV startups play the role of lab rat, and they don’t like what they’re seeing. And until the market shows a significant uptick in EV demand, it’s doubtful the OEs will pour more money into R&D and new models.

So Does This Mean We’ll Never See a Robust Offering of EV Bikes?

Hardly.

What it does mean is the rate of adoption in the near term will remain slow, resulting in a bit of a “chicken and the egg” conundrum. Without OE development and innovation, battery tech, weight, and handling issues will remain. And without increases in consumer demand, the OEs won’t be motivated to prioritize investment in EV machines.

That said, I believe there is hope on the horizon, and that hope rests with the hordes of groms (the kids, not the bike) we see on their Super 73s, G70s, Hurricanes, etc., etc., etc., snaking their way through pedestrians and traffic in nearly every city and suburb. These kids are cutting their teeth on EVs. They understand the benefits and the drawbacks, and they are voting with their parents’ money — they love EV bikes.

While we got our start on ICE-powered mini-bikes and small displacement dirt bikes, today’s future riders are leaning into the EV options. In the long run, we believe that will reduce the barriers to entry to the electrified segment — assuming the OEs invest in and deliver new models that will continue to fan the stoke of these future motorcyclists.

Only time will tell.

Ride Hard, Take Chances

— Hank

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Key Takeaways

1. EV motorcycles ride shockingly well — handling, braking, and acceleration are all legitimate — but real-world range (often around 100 miles under spirited riding) has been the deal-breaker for serious streetbike adoption.
2. The absence of sound removes a core sensory pillar of the riding experience. Riders crave the intake whoosh, the exhaust note, and the physical ritual of shifting — and EVs can’t replicate it.
3. Off-road EVs solve most of these problems: shorter ride times mask range limits, interchangeable batteries enable quick swaps, and silent operation blunts the anti-noise political argument.
4. OEs have been content to let small EV startups absorb the R&D risk. Until consumer demand spikes, don’t expect major OE investment or showroom-floor EV models.
5. The real long-term catalyst is the grom generation — kids already riding Super 73s, G70s, and Hurricanes. They’re growing up EV-native and will drive demand as they age into the full-size market.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why haven’t EV motorcycles taken off like EV cars? EightFootBrands sees three main roadblocks: real-world range anxiety (often around 100 miles under spirited riding), the missing sound and sensory experience riders crave, and OE indifference that’s kept major R&D investment on the sidelines.

Are EV motorcycles actually good to ride? Yes — handling, braking, and acceleration on bikes like the Zero SR/S and Harley LiveWire are shockingly competitive with conventional streetbikes, and acceleration can be extreme. The core issue is range and the lack of sensory feedback, not performance capability.

Why are EV off-road bikes more viable than EV streetbikes? Off-road riding sessions are typically shorter, so range limitations are less disruptive. Interchangeable battery packs allow quick pit-swaps, and near-silent operation neutralizes the noise complaints that often restrict off-road access.

Why aren’t the major OEs pushing more EV models? EightFootBrands believes the OEs are waiting for small EV startups to absorb the R&D risk and prove real consumer demand. Without that demand signal, major OEs aren’t prioritizing EV investment over proven ICE platforms.

What will finally drive EV motorcycle adoption? The generation of kids currently riding Super 73s, G70s, and Hurricanes. They’re growing up EV-native and will drive demand as they move into full-size motorcycles — provided the OEs invest in models that meet them there.