Electric motorcycles haven’t truly gained mass appeal yet from the public in the same way that electric cars and trucks have, and that’s due to two major flaws with current offerings. Battery tech just isn’t where it needs to be yet to assure a decent range – most e-motos simply can’t compete with a gas bike in that regard. And for the few that do have reasonable ranges, the price is above what most are willing to spend.
Take Zero or Energica motorcycles for example – $20,000 will get you a great ride quality and enough power, but you’ll only get 100-150 miles of range with one charge.
At AIMExpo 2023, the MPN team got to look at an interesting e-moto that coincidently is manufactured in Cleveland, OH, just 40 miles north of the MPN headquarters.
The Land District, an electric motorcycle (or e-bike/e-moped, depending on what throttle mode you use) was one of our favorites to ride and test at the expo. It appeared to be a favorite for quite a lot of other AIMExpo attendees as well, as there wasn’t one time we passed the E-bike Demo Area without somebody trying out the District.
It was apparent that the District is designed for use by everybody and anybody. Yes, it is technically a motorcycle, and motorcycles by design are a hard sell to newcomers, but with its lightweight, 180-pound body, top speed of 70 mph and twist-and-go nature, it becomes easily accessible to newbies. And while it is classified as a motorcycle and requires a license or endorsement to be ridden on the road, the small frame almost makes the ride feel more like you’re on a bicycle than a motorcycle. Assumedly, that was the point of the design.
For riders who don’t need to hit highway speeds, the motorcycle can cycle through two lower-end power modes: Class 2 eBike which locks out at 750W and 27mph, and eMoped which sees speeds up to 37mph. Mode 3 and 4 are eMotorcycle and Performance eMotorcycle, which both can reach the 70mph top speed.
The District features a number of high quality manufactured parts like its one-of-a-kind Fox suspension, but the most notable aspect of the bike is it’s removable battery. Buyers can choose between a 2.1 Max Kwh battery, dual batteries that output 4.2 Max Kwh, or a larger 6.4 Max Kwh battery. The options provide 40, 80 or 120 miles of range respectively.
Land’s Head of Design Evan Painter says that the team will continue to improve their battery tech so that later down the line, District owners can upgrade their batteries while retaining the same chassis.
If you have a motorcycle, ATV, UTV, snowmobile or jet ski you’d like to feature in MPN’s Ride of the Week series, please email MPN Content Director Greg Jones at [email protected].
