Evoke Electric Motorcycle 🔋 Test Ride

[@evolv.e]

My first electric motorcycle was an Evoke Urban. It was my gateway that got me into electric vehicles and eventually led to my Model S, Enérgica, and two other EV’s.

[@NewZeroland]

No way! That's cool to hear. If I was in the US where it's cheaper I may have considered it, but then there's the Sondor's Metacycle.

[@Evokemotorcycles]

Great to hear we were able to bring in a new rider to the sport of motorcycling. Ride safe and have fun! Perhaps we'll see you on our 6061-GT in the near future.

[@scalgary4293]

When can I get one in Canada?..All the good stuff never seems to come out in time. @Evokemotorcycles

[@Evokemotorcycles]

Appreciate the informative review of our bike. We strive to take in feedback to make our electric motorcycles better, safer and more fun.

[@NewZeroland]

Thank you for the opportunity to ride one! I liked it way more than I expected 😁

[@Evokemotorcycles]

@@NewZeroland Great to hear. Hope to have you on some of our new models coming out very soon! 😉

[@RichardLister-rf5tc]

I have a 2021 Evoke Urban Classic in the UK. Love it. Great power for a 125, compared with ICE 125's. I went from a 650cc and am not dissapointed, as torque gives big bike feel at speeds up to 60mph (above this, behaves like a 125). The braking comments in the video review could be dou to the regen not kicking in when battery is over 85% charged, to prevent overcharging. It is a thing that takes a little getting used to (no extra braking for the first few miles after charging, loads once it kicks in! Also, the City mode gives a much lower regen than Pro, a feature I find useful for giving a smoother ride at low speeds and in stop start traffic. Suspension is harsh for a lightweight like me - probably best suits a 12 stone plus rider. I get an easy 65 miles range when riding the bike on a mixture of A and B roads at decent speeds (up to 85mph), could get much more with city speeds. Brakes are good when used hard, front brake switch cuts power to the motor, rear does not in city mode, so use rear for low speed control. Top speed is around 85mph on the flat or downhill, but 65 or so going up hills. Anything over 65 takes a bit of winding up, but this is a learner class bike after all. Does feel as if more could be got out of the motor by a programming whiz... Parts are reasonable quality, only real issue I have had was cutting out in the wet, cured by fitting a waterproof front brake switch. The newer bikes I believe have this mod, plus a bigger battery for more power and range. Best value for money electric bike in my opinion.👍

[@NewZeroland]

Hey thanks for your input! I'm glad you're still liking your Evoke. I had a lot of fun on it but it sounds like they might not be selling them in New Zealand after all. Kind of a bummer, but we'll see what happens in the future.

[@sjmounger]

Glad you tried it out. I suggested this one to you I think in 2021. My buddy got one and he loved it. I think he got it for about 7k-ish after tax rebate he said. It is stupid quiet and makes my Zero SR/S seem like a straight pipe harley. It has some jank but most of my complaints with the evoke could be solved with software UI update. Not being to see the SOC when charging and not being able to switch from kph to mph. He aslo wasnt able to get it into the 3rd riding mode setting. He had the 1st gen so maybe the new ones are better. Still I told him it was an insane value for an electric motorcycle. At least 4 or 5 thousand cheaper for it over Zero equivalent for range and charging speed.

[@NewZeroland]

Yeah true.. if it weren't for the battery size, I'd say the Sondors Metacycle is a better deal. I just wish it had a bit more power :D

[@Evokemotorcycles]

Thanks for your feedback. Yeah, we've made some updates to our Urban Classics and Urban S addressing those points. SOC is now visible as graphical bars and also a percentage now while riding, and also while charging. Km/h to Mph is now easily selectable through our menu system via our handlebar joystick. Lastly, we actually only have 2 riding modes and then an Eco mode, which is automatically kicked on when low SOC or component overheat occurs. Normally it's not selectable.

[@willburk]

Nice review, thanks! I'm glad you're getting more electric motorcycles in New Zealand.

[@NewZeroland]

Cheers man! Me too. We need them.

[@earthwormandruw]

I love how genuine you are and have this "small" youtube channel yet still have made friends (and maybe enemies, lol zero enemies that is ;) within the electric motorcycle realm. Like friggen Energica invited you to Italia, I mean come on!! I always hope one day I'll pop on to your channel and sudden see like 1m subs because you deserve it, but I have no doubt if that were to ever happen you'd still stay true to yourself. And if not I know Gen will keep you in check and if not Gen then your fat cat for sure (forgetting her name rn).

[@earthwormandruw]

*Ha GENuine*

[@NewZeroland]

@@earthwormandruw HAHA dude that made my day. Thank you so much! I'd love for the channel to grow, but also kinda don't want it to. Access to more cool bikes and sharing with more people would be great, but I don't want that kind of responsibility. If I'm honest and say a bike is crap, I don't want to have the influence to ruin a company. That would freak me out haha. I'm glad you like these videos though, and thanks again for the support!

[@QMAXIMUS]

That looked like a blast to ride. I really hope Verge Motorcycles reaches out to you to test ride one of their bikes, those look awesome with the hub-less motors. Keep those kitties on the dash 🐱 and thumbs up on the video of course! 👍

[@NewZeroland]

Thanks bro! Me too. I'd love to try a Verge someday. They look so futuristic 😁

[@peterengland6153]

I have a NIU MQi GT EVO, scooter 6.5kw, 114km max speed, 70km range, $9k NZD. Enough to keep up with or over take traffic, sufficient commute range, and sport mode brings a grin..

[@NewZeroland]

Those are sweet! I got to take one on a short ride and it feels very similar to the Evoke, just a different riding style, less range, and not as fast charging. I think the NIU is better value for money though, for sure.

[@neddyl1225]

I've been interested in the Evoke for a while, but haven't yet found a dealer for them in the UK. Maybe I'll trade in my TC MAX for a Storm. Is the Storm available in NZ?

[@NewZeroland]

Do you mean the Sur-Ron Storm Bee? Or that new Evoke cruiser they're working on?

[@garynarborough]

Wasn't a bad review Sam. See your point about the difference in your current electric bikes compared to the Evoke. It's sure expensive. Enjoyed the road footage to. Sadly I won't be in Wellington this time when I'm back. Look forward to all your videos. Take care!

[@NewZeroland]

Thanks again, Gary! Hopefully everything is cleaned up for ya when you get here. I think most of the roads are open again. I'm glad we have more electric options now, but the price needs to come way down if they want to sell them.

[@RRKristensen]

Great vid as usual! ❤ Any thoughts on the Swedish RGNT? It looks fairly similar to this one..?

[@NewZeroland]

Thanks! Very similar.. actually almost exactly the same specs 😳 That's pretty wild!

[@marsrover001]

I do love my hub motor in my diy build. Definitely causes suspension issues. Imagine a 50lb tire. At least it wheelies good. That hub motor can take double the kw without overheating too bad. Question is can the battery handle it?

[@NewZeroland]

That's cool to hear! I always heard that sustained highway speeds make the motor overheat, but maybe that's not an issue with newer ones. We want more power!!

[@marsrover001]

@@NewZeroland I've been unable to overheat mine. Even holding 80mph on the highway for at least 10 minutes with bursts to 100+. 85c on the motor.

[@MotoMischiefs]

The closest you are going to get to R3 performance is the Zero FXE. I test rode it as well a while back and was very suprised how good it was concerning speed and handeling, have a impression video on my channel. Biggest draw back like you mentioned is price and rather small battery at 7.2 combined with no fast charging. But otherwise I liked it a lot. You are getting now to the point where I am, go electric during the week and reserve the cool ice stuff for the weekend! ... =) Chevy Bolt and Vespa Elettrica during the week and Miata and whatever I am in the mood bike wise on the weekend.

[@NewZeroland]

True that! Yeah, Zero really dropped the ball with that 600W charger. I don't know what they were thinking. Also it needs more power. Stick the SR controller in the FXE and DC fast charge it, and I'd buy it immediately hahaha. You have a great setup! Little rwd convertibles are the coolest :D

[@BrianTRice77]

Even a 3kW charger on a 7.2kWh Zero (S/DS or FX/FXS/FXE) with a 110V downgrade to 1.3kW would make the low end Zero’s a lot more appealing. Zero’s somehow still running on chargers they adopted 9 years ago! Personally, I think the S is closer than the FXE because it’s at least a reasonable passenger perch. But price etc.

[@Adidasfighter2006]

That was the old Model of Evoke Urban Classic. Now it gives the 2022/2023 Model with a 10,7 KW Hub Motor and 10 KWh or 15 KWh Battery.... I buy this and wait to comes to me at Germany from Denmark.

[@NewZeroland]

Interesting! How does the 10.7kW motor work around registering it as a 125cc? A 15kWh battery would make it competitive against Zero, but 10.7kW still isn't enough power haha.

[@Adidasfighter2006]

@@NewZeroland Oh yes it registered as a 125ccm and 10,7 KW Hub Motor has 25 KW for 30 Sek....Zero has only the FXE with 7,2 KWh Battery or the S with 14,4 KWh Battery, but not Typ 2 for Loading....

[@chargestate42]

I've had my Zero S 7.2 for almost a year. It's a fantastic bike. I've added a 3.3kw charger in addition to the onboard 1.3kw. I'm very happy with the charging now. I can charge an under an hour no problem. If it only had a 10 kW battery for that extra little bit, I think it would be perfect. I still think that's the way it should have came from Zero.

[@NewZeroland]

The Zero S used to come that way. You could get a 13kWh battery with it. It was basically an SR with less power. I'm not sure why they changed it. That was the ultimate affordable commuter bike!

[@gallaghergibson8024]

@@NewZeroland in the UK you can get an a1 version of the s that's limited to 11kw of continuous power output, i think that one still comes with the 14.4kwh battery. my 2018 model has the big battery.

[@southsidesmoka]

I just got an email back from them. For a Texan with an M109r, that Evoke 6061 XR that they talked about last year sounds great.

[@NewZeroland]

Oh yeah! Any update on that one? It could be the first electric cruiser!

[@gasdive]

I've never seen the wind sculptures not working. A still day in Wellington!

[@NewZeroland]

Right?? It hasn't been windy here for months. I kinda forgot what Wellington is normally like.

[@gasdive]

@@NewZeroland I remember riding out of Wellington and it was like that movie with the bus that couldn't slow down. It was so windy that below a certain speed I couldn't control the bike. It was very disconcerting!

[@AntonyvanIersel]

The formula is there, for a commute bike, that's all you need. I know a hand full of people that life in the greater Auckland area and want a bike that can do motorway speed comfotably and range is 20k their 20k back. I would compare it to our Zoe - city slicker for the greater Auckland area. Price will come down, or second hand ones will come on the market. It's just the beginning. Very cool, and well reviewed.

[@NewZeroland]

I wish it was the beginning, but we've had electric motorcycles for 8 years. They need to be better! And if they're not better, they need to be cheaper.

[@arundeula3694]

$ 9,391 in kathmandu Nepal.

[@NewZeroland]

Is that affordable? How does that compare to the Ultraviolette?

[@arundeula3694]

@@NewZeroland its expansive. People are buying $ 4 - 5000 electric bikes and scooter. Cfmoto electric scooter cost $3755 Ego-electric start from $31,555 / $37,565

[@RandysRides]

Yup. That's one thing I wish my bike had...regen on brakes and coasting. But it absolutely smashes gas prices. hahaha !!

[@NewZeroland]

Yeah man! Regen + brakes is the best!

[@jezthomas4402]

For a Wellington commute the FTN Streetdog would seem to offer very similar functionality for a lot less dough, and look way cooler? How do you think it compares? The Evoke seems to be caught in the middle of proper mileage eMotos like a Zero, and cheaper urban commuters like the escooter you test rode with the entertaining indicator chime - was it a NUI? But because of the Evoke’s high price and low performance, it doesn’t compare well with either of these other options imho. Great to see you’re still finding different eMotos to show us!

[@NewZeroland]

The FTN Streetdog doesn't have the speed / power / range that even a Super Soco TC Max has, so I don't think it can compare. I'd rather have the Super Soco than the Evoke, for the money. The high price must be due to the battery size. It's so hard though, because our Zeros were better than this 7-8 years ago. Building something that isn't as good as a 7-8 year old Zero makes no sense.

[@CoasterRob]

When the battery reduces does the dashboard tell you what the range is left on reduced battery

[@NewZeroland]

I seem to remember it just having bars that disappear.. no range estimate. Not sure though.

[@projectswithgreg601]

Greg review. Looks to similar in specs and performance to my Braaap MotoE hear in Australia. It’s or more a sports bike

[@NewZeroland]

Yeah for sure. Similar specs but I guess the price difference is due to the bigger battery.

[@fire_stick]

As well as the super soco we have the Horwin CR6, I sat on one at fully charged last week, and was presently surprised by the quality and feel of it, no test ride taken though.

[@NewZeroland]

Oh yeah! I forgot about that one. I need to try it out.

[@gamesfreak26]

I hope Fonzarelli expand to NZ. They're an Aussie company. Super fun to ride the NKDx.

[@NewZeroland]

Meeee too!! That seems like thr most powerful moped you can get right now, and I like how crazy the styling is 😂

[@DuncanJimmy]

There's a guy on KZbin who added a second hub motor to the front wheel of his electric bicycle to make it two-wheel drive for all-terrain riding with a switch that allows him to use just one motor for longer-battery life. I mention it because that's the only time I'd buy hub-drive bike. Still furious the NZ government isn't providing a rebate to electric bikes or motorcycles despite the recent changes.

[@NewZeroland]

Sounds like those 2WD UBCO farm bikes. And yeah!! They could have sold sooo many electric motorcycles that way, but the govt feels that motorcycles are too unsafe 😕

[@DaReapa]

Maybe take an R3 and convert it to electric as a project, my first bike to get the hang of things was an electric with a hub motor. Setting them up with a controller is surprisingly easy some controllers even have an app where you can tune the performance on the fly.

[@NewZeroland]

Nice! It'd be fun to see how much power you could get out of an Evoke. Converting an R3 sounds like an amazing project. If I can get my car converted, the R3 is next.

[@DefiantAML]

Reminds me of the Super Soco TC Max. Roughly the same specs. I would say that a true commuter that's somewhere between this and an energica would be my bike, the BMW CE-04! Try it out if you can.

[@NewZeroland]

Yeah, definitely! The TC Max has less power, a lower top speed, and a way smaller battery.. so I think that's why it's so much cheaper. I need to find someone in NZ with a BMW CE-04! I've still never seen one.

[@TheRealAlpha2]

Balancing price to performance for electric motorcycles seems like a constantly moving target (At least, depending on your local supply.) I think we're seen the smaller bike market segment growing, but the prices seem to swing wildly making people wonder which ones are worth it. Hopefully this company finds their niche. I love the design of this one and the cool diamond quilt seat stitching gets and instant thumbs up. I still really like Hub motors for their simplicity and reduction of moving parts, but I can understand how that might be a limiting factor for people wanting greater performance beyond just communing with a minimal footprint.

[@NewZeroland]

Great point. I've wondered if I'm "moving the goal post" but the goal post has always been a gas bike. If it has the range, refill time, and price that's comparable, people will be more interested in it. At the moment, anything that isn't as good as my Zero was 8 years ago is a hard sell, and that's where Evoke is at.

[@rjartistic1760]

I ordered my Evoke Urban Classic a year and a half ago, and I still haven't received any updates on when it will be delivered. I even talked to Sébastien who is one of the co owners of Evoke, and all he did was give me the run around and didn't explain much. I haven't been able to reach him in months now. I've emailed, called, and left numerous messages on all Evoke social media platforms without receiving any response. At this point, I'm starting to think they took my money and ran. Very sad and disappointing situation I'm in.

[@NewZeroland]

Aw maaaan, a year and a half?? Dude, definitely try and get a refund. That's insane 😕 Sorry to hear about this. I'll be honest.. if you can get a Super Soco or a Sondors Metacycle, go that route instead.

[@Doctorbasss]

Sam, keep in mind that hub motor are most of the time way underrated for peak power. the 3000W hub motor can tale 12kW and the 5kW hub motor can take 20kW peak no problem... so your8kW motor probably from QS motor can take 30kW easy. I ride hub motor since 2007, I know what I am talking about =)

[@NewZeroland]

True! The Evoke guy said this 8kW motor put out a peak of 22kW, so that might explain why it was so fun to ride. Still less power, heavier, and more expensive than an R3 though.

[@carlll6101]

When you mentioned Super Soco. I changed rotors on mine to the one from Burgman and now it stops ;P also I don't understand why so many small electric mopeds and ebikes manufacturers are putting engine cutoff on the brake. That's motorcycle not bicycle we often need power to the engine when we are applying brakes.

[@NewZeroland]

Nice! Yeah, doesn't make sense to me either. I hope they fix that.

[@alexmcleod4330]

If you're running power to the motor while the rear wheel can't move, all of that power will turn into heat. Even at only a couple of kilowatts, if it has nowhere else to go, it'll overheat in just a few seconds. Materials like coil winding insulation will start degrading at only ~130°C, and they can't really be repaired. ICE bikes don't have this problem because they have big clutches, with lots of metal and oil, to limit excess torque and dissipate waste heat. Of course you're actually not talking about locking up the wheel and sitting still at full power - but if that was something that *could* go wrong, it *would've* gone wrong in testing, so they've just eliminated the possibility. Have you ever noticed that your Super Soco sometimes refuses to accelerate, by the way? It's probably because you've been riding normally (mixing brake & throttle in the corners etc.), and now it's trying to buy a few seconds to cool its coils down.

[@carlll6101]

@@alexmcleod4330 not really, you drag the rear in low speeds. Not "revving" with applied brakes.

[@alexmcleod4330]

@@carlll6101 yeah, I know what you mean, but bikes aren't smart enough (yet) to know the difference between trail-braking, mechanical faults, user errors or emergencies. As far as the bike is concerned, having power to the motor while the brakes are applied (even a little) must be treated like a problem. If the motor can't spin freely, it's an induction cooker with nothing to cook but itself. I'm sure there'll be better solutions in later generations, but the bikes we're getting now aren't much smarter than blenders.

[@NewZeroland]

@@alexmcleod4330 we're not talking about being on throttle and riding the brakes. They cut the regen when you're braking, which makes no sense. If the motors overheat, that's a design flaw.

[@SenseiEpu]

Scooterazzi eh? Don't forget FTN Motion off Tory St. Methinks I'll head over to Scooterazi and test one. Thanks for the review.

[@NewZeroland]

Oh yeah! I need to make a long term FTN Streetdog review soon. That's a fun bike but totally a different category.

[@SenseiEpu]

Yeah. I tested it at beta stage. I'm 6"2' and the FTN bikes are too small for me. Have fun!

[@willburk]

I wouldn't think 10 HP would be enough for 85mph /140kph. Is it?

[@NewZeroland]

I didn't get to take it up that high but supposedly it'll do it.

[@NewZeroland]

@@marianomancini6109 maybe 8kW is just to get by the legal limits of 125cc equivalents then.

[@willburk]

Zero FXS?

[@NewZeroland]

That would still cost more money than the Evoke, but I'd rather have an FXS, for sure.

[@keving5235]

6061-GT dude, its a beast.

[@NewZeroland]

Here's hoping they make it!

[@shiftend7316]

evoke bike which country makeing

[@NewZeroland]

China

[@Ray88G]

ALRENDO TS BRAVO is a mid drive 125cc equivalent

[@NewZeroland]

Aw, I was hoping that had more power. At least competition for Zero!

[@nogasdash]

Lets goooo!!! 🔌🔌🔌

[@KimariBiker]

If you're looking for a R3 like in electric, try the Ebroh Bravo CR which I have (see my channel). You can upgrade it with better suspensions, brakes, more range with batterie extension and upgrade to a 12Kw motor 😉 Only 146 kg !

[@NewZeroland]

Oh wow! The styling is cool and I like how much lighter weight it is.. but that's still not enough power. I need moooore hahaha!

[@KimariBiker]

@@NewZeroland That's why I mentioned the upgrade possibilities 😜🤙🏻

[@CRPerformance1]

We need more kitten mode!

[@NewZeroland]

Bwahaha I need to slow down! These videos will get me in trouble.

[@evolv.e]

🐱 has entered the chat

[@lepod]

It's not really worth $10k more than the super soco though surely? I still think for commuting a super soco is hard to beat value for money wise. Love mine, had it three years now.

[@NewZeroland]

Yep, I agree 100%. If the Evoke was $12k it might be a bit easier to justify, but right now the TC Max would be my choice, too.

[@marcbrasse747]

I think you are actually waiting for the Ultraviolette F77. So am I.

[@NewZeroland]

Nope :\ No DC fast charging

[@stevenb7319]

Nice! Electric tuners hacking too much time. But then you meet Thor and ride some dinosaurs.

[@NewZeroland]

That's the future!! Or the past. Either way, I support this.

[@RedBatteryHead]

8kW is 12,4Hp Nice urban Bike

[@NewZeroland]

Google says 10.7hp. Either way it needs more!

[@RedBatteryHead]

@@NewZeroland yes, sorry. Google is right. I made miles instead of hp 😂😂

[@NewZeroland]

@@RedBatteryHead oh right hahaa

[@theelectricgasstation]

I don’t think I will live long enough to see affordable e-bikes that have useable range. I have a Sondors Metacycle and per cost ratio this is even more expensive.

[@NewZeroland]

Yep.. I was planning to make a whole comparison chart at the end but it got too negative haha. The Metacycle is the best bang for buck electric commuter right now, and it doesn't look like a gas bike!

[@theelectricgasstation]

I love it. It's not a Livewire or Energica but it's perfect and while others will eventually be better, I think it's the best looking of any emoto. I do wanna buy the F-77 from Ultraviolette also. If they ever ship it to the states.

[@jkkkkk1016]

dont trust this company, i brought this bike for 3 years ago and they took my money and never gave any feedback, probably took the money and ran! NEVER BUY BIKE FROM THEM!!!

[@NewZeroland]

Thanks for letting me know!

[@ram64man]

10kw 8 usable 8x3.5= 28 miles real world 70mph miles around town no more than 40 since it lacks regen . This is why I say ev bikes until a battery revolution expected with solid 733wh packs ev bikes will never replace existing bikes for range so a motorcycle should continue post 2030 instead of being banned in parts of the world

[@NewZeroland]

Yeah we need 20kWh batteries to be the minimum, and prices have to come down. Traditional ICE motorcycles are really toxic polluters though, so things need to change asap.

[@pinaero]

First. Not woke? Just Evoke!

[@NewZeroland]

No joke! More fun than a Mini Moke but too much money and now you're broke.

[@Random_Tangent]

The fairings look cheap and colours don't hide it, they'd do better to keep it simple go for a roadster look or simple lines.

[@NewZeroland]

Roadster look?

[@NemoEUC]

DONT BUY ONE. I had a evoke urban classic here in the US and it was complete trash, tons of errors, overvoltage, ondervolrage. i had so many issues with it, i sent it to the junk yard and sold the battery. Complete waste of time and money.

[@jimzenglish1]

$18K for a commuter doesn't make sense, you can get a compatible petrol commuter for $9K so it's going to take alot of time to use $9000 worth of petrol.

[@NewZeroland]

That's the hard truth.. $9k worth of petrol on an R3 would get you 75,000kms 😂 That's years and years of riding before it breaks even.

[@jimzenglish1]

@@NewZeroland agree I’ve ridden a few electric bikes including the Livewire and they’re fun but the price point and options just aren’t there yet, especially in NZ.

[@albertdelbosco9686]

Get wuxi what I have

[@NewZeroland]

Oooooo mid-mounted motor!

[@albertdelbosco9686]

@@NewZeroland they have both I have the hub want to get the other

[@christianpaulroldan4010]

That is weaker than 125cc but quicker that it 😏

[@NewZeroland]

Maybe the torque makes up for the low horsepower

[@IIARROWS]

The charge port is the ugliest thing I've ever seen in an electric vehicle. It's worse even than the female C13 on the lower Zero. At least 3D print some sort of cover.

[@NewZeroland]

Yeah.. a lot of this bike was just thrown together from a parts bin of other stuff, and unfortunately the build-quality suffers because of it.

[@SentientIronHeart]

Is it just me or does electric motorcycles does not sound appealing, do you not want the whole experience and sound? It seems to me its boring to ride.

[@NewZeroland]

Depends on the bike, for sure. Little commuters like this are very purpose-built and definitely lack some character. Our Energicas are sexy, noisy, ridiculously fast Italians 😂 Electric can be exciting for sure.

[@haveric24]

evoke feel cheap

[@NewZeroland]

I wish the price reflected the build quality!

[@MilesBellas]

China? meh