An e-bike manufacturer is making some huge claims about its upcoming electric motorcycle. The Super73 C1X, an urban motorcycle due to release next year, is claimed to charge from 10 percent to 80 percent in just 15 minutes. That translates to 70 miles in the time it takes for a snack break, something Super73 is calling the “fastest charging technology.”
If you live in a city, like getting around on two wheels, and prefer electric vehicles, the number of electric motorcycles out there is frankly astounding. There are commuter electric motorcycles to fit everyone from cheap steeds from China to electric motorcycles that look like art projects. Even old names in the motorcycle world are getting their hands on urban electric motorcycles. Super73 (stylized as SUPER73) is not a known name in motorcycling, but it is known for electric bicycles. The company has been working on an electric motorcycle for some time and now, Super73 is releasing more information about its upcoming Super73 C1X urban motorcycle.
[Editor’s Note: I think one of the coolest things about electric motorcycles vs electric cars is the fact that, on many (possibly including this one; it’s unclear), you can remove the battery pack after use and bring it into your home like a suitcase. Then you charge it overnight, carry it back out to your bike, mount it, and you’ve got full range. -DT].
Super73 was founded in 2016 as Lithium Cycles. The company started its operations with a Kickstarter campaign for the Super73 electric bicycle. This e-bike was designed to look like the minibikes of the 1970s but with modern equipment. The Super73 concept had a 1,000-watt motor, a top speed of 30 mph, and even a bottle opener. Super73 asked for $25,000 and got $441,461 from 293 backers.
Since then, the company has created an entire lineup of electric bicycles styled like motorcycles of decades past.
Along the way, Super73 has collaborated with celebrities like Will Smith, built Star Wars speeder-themed bikes for YouTubers Jesse Wellens and Casey Neistat, and even teamed up with motorcycle designer Roland Sands and Mattel for an e-bike.
A Futuristic Urban Electric Motorcycle
In March 2022, Super73 announced that it was stepping up from e-bikes into electric motorcycles. The Super73 C1X Concept looked like a Honda Grom from a far-off future. Speaking of the Grom, the Super73 C1X concept has a wheelbase of 51 inches, or just four inches longer than a Grom. Super73 was short on details about the concept, stating that the production version would be able to go over 75 mph and had a seat height of 31 inches.
On April 1 (March 32nd), Super73 released more information about the motorcycle. Now, choosing April Fools’ Day for a real press release meant doing a double take, but this new information isn’t a joke.
The biggest change announced by Super73 has to do with how the motorcycle charges. Super73 says that is motorcycle will charge from 10 percent to 80 percent in just 15 minutes. The company doesn’t say how big the battery is, but claims that the production motorcycle will be able to go 100 miles in a city. Based on the few provided stats, I’d estimate the battery to have around 5 kWh of capacity. In its press release, Super73 makes a claim that this motorcycle has the “fastest charging technology” and it’s not just hyperbole.
Other details about the motorcycle are still very light, but Super73 says that the motorcycle has 15-inch wheels, a 31-inch seat height, a swingarm-mounted motor, and the company is targeting a weight of under 300 pounds. This motorcycle will also be fulfilling an interesting niche. Super73 says that it surveyed its e-bike customers and found that 60 percent of respondents wanted an electric motorcycle, however, 67 percent of respondents have never ridden a motorcycle. Many Super73 customers have gone from the company’s e-bikes onto motorcycles.
Super73 says the C1X is supposed to help new riders because it doesn’t have a clutch for the rider to learn, it can’t stall, and it will be maneuverable enough to pass a DMV test with flying colors.
All of that is great, but I do see a big oversight. I love the C1X’s cyberpunk looks, but it–at least in prototype form–doesn’t appear to have anywhere for a passenger or for gear to go. A good city motorcycle should have at least a little bit of storage. Maybe that will be made known sometime closer to production.
The Race For The Fast-Charging Motorcycles
Given Super73’s secrecy about this motorcycle’s specs, I am not holding my breath about charging speeds just yet. However, if the charging system does turn out to be this fast, the C1X would be among the fastest-charging electric motorcycles. Remember the Davinci DC100 “robotic” motorcycle? That motorcycle claims to charge its big 17.3 kWh battery from flat to full in just 30 minutes, offering up to 249 miles of range. Erik Buell’s Fuell Fllow has a 10 kWh battery, 150 miles of range, and is said to charge from empty to full in just 30 minutes.
For comparison, popular electric motorcycle manufacturer Zero Motorcycles says it takes its motorcycles 1 to 3 hours to charge to 95 percent on a Level 2 system, and Level 3 is not currently available. The LiveWire One takes about an hour to fill to full on a fast charge.
What I’m getting at here is that it’s not just Super73 that’s angling for having the fastest charging out there. Like the Super73, those other electric motorcycles don’t exist in production form, either. It would seem that the true fastest-charging electric motorcycle will be the one that can get to market with a system working as advertised. And I hope Super73 can pull it off because this is another motorcycle entry that looks spectacular.
Super73 says that the first production units will hit the road sometime in 2024. Pricing also hasn’t been announced, but it’s expected to be under $10,000. If you want to get in line for one, Super73 is taking refundable reservations for $73.
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Aside to the article – Fuell has just launched pre-orders for their V2 pedal-assist bikes. I own a 1st-gen and it’s super nice. Fit & finish are impeccable and barring some minor design quirks that they seem to have ironed out for V2 I strongly recommend it.
I commuted 35km to work for 10 years on my trusty [Honda] CBR250 in a mix of city/freeway/traffic… This bike would easily beat out the CBR as a commuting tool, if just by virtue of not needing to do as much tapdancing in traffic. As everyone else has pointed out, though, a *brand new* CB300 or similar is $7,088 ($CAD) all-in, and it will happily take you 300km up north to the cottage your friend rented for the weekend as well as pulling commute duty. The value proposition might be there for someone with “multiple-new-bikes” money but I ain’t that person.
Woof. I wanted to like it but I stumped my toe at $10000. It’s so expensive to be poor or an early adopter.
Ten grand. Which could instead buy three small-bore gasoline Hondas, or one reasonably quick gas motorcycle. All of these manufacturers need to rethink their costs and pricing before these become a viable alternative. At ten grand, these are just toys for the wealthy.
electric batteries cost an incredible amount of money. it’s not a matter of rethinking pricing, it’s an inherently more expensive product. the only ways to really address this are some revolutionary new battery tech or to give up and just sell ebikes (which super73 has been doing).
Maybe. But let’s assume the battery pack in this has 50x 18650 Li-Ion cells. They retail under $5. Wholesale for less. At most, the batteries cost $250. Heck, even if there are 100 in the pack that’s still $500. Not ten grand, and the rest of the components aren’t 10 grand, either. Not even close.
I could easily be wrong, but I don’t think 100 $5 li-ion cells will get you the range that a commercial product would be shooting for. I know someone who made a 400-cell setup for his electric motorcycle project for 5kWh. That’s not matching Zero’s cheapest bike in terms of battery capacity, and I imagine they have to go with a different, more expensive battery design to cram it in the chassis. Not saying it’s impossible to make a bike for cheaper, we saw it with the sondor metacycle, but we also saw all the compromises they had to make to get to that price point (and it still seems like they’re running at a loss).
Okay, lemme try this another way… Six grand buys me a 40KWh battery for a Nissan leaf.
And that Leaf battery is way to heavy and can’t come close to these charging speeds without breaking down.
I’ll wait for Toecutter to do the real math, but you’re looking at a battery more in line with this as a starting point. I know of a guy who built his own E-moto with close to these capabilities using Headway cells, which is probably a good comp. A better option to march range and charging speed would be these cells. I love my E-bike I built, and the battery I made is pretty similar to the original SUPER73 bike using 2nd hand 18650s. No way this motor cycle gets the weight, size, ampacity, and charging speed with cylindrical cells.
Something doesn’t add up with that math. I suspect it has a lot more than the equivalent of 50×18650. A 100Ah 12V LFP on the low end is around $250/kWh, which would put the 10KWh at around $2500. Tesla probably has some of the lowest battery costs and they’re around $110/KWh.
I suspect their margins are decent and their production costs are high (unoptimized manufacturing, R&D amortized across low production numbers). Price will probably come down with volume and competition.
I put down $73 for this a few months ago, but I’d probably have to sell my existing bike to justify it, and I don’t see that happening unless they get to a really good price point. Still a solid, incremental improvement over the other electric motorcycles on offer these days.
Yeah I’m seeing mini bike here not motorcycle. Probably what most riders need.
My daughter wants a motorcycle for her 16th birthday, and this looks yummy
I love the idea of electric motorcycles, but at this time they really only work around a city, and to be honest other drivers are the most dangerous part of riding imo.
Agreed, but they scare me too. It’s already hard enough to be seen on a bike, take away the noise and it will be even easier to be invisible.
Frankly, unless cars have their windows down or you straight pipe it, people in cars can’t hear you anyway. Tests were done on this.
The other problem is where the noise goes and when. Mostly backwards and while accelerating, so minimal benefit most of the time even when they can hear. No help with lane changes or when sitting at intersections. Maybe a little at 4-way stops.
I reviewed a LiveWire One for about two weeks in and around Chicago a few years ago. Was it quiet? Compared to an ICE bike, yes, but it’s absolutely not silent.
I rode past a dude–who was wearing headphones and reading a paper/magazine–sitting on a bench across from an idling bus. Dude looked up as I rode past. I’d say that’s enough noise.
Plus, there’s always the horn.
That makes sense, given that motorcycles typically have only a gallon or two of gas and get 60 mpg or more. So the ebike’s claim isn’t much of a stretch.
What bikes only hold a gallon or 2? All 3 bikes I had held at least 4.
My old 1980 Kawasaki 250 LTD had a fuel capacity of 2.1 gal. IIRC I was able to get 80 MPG out of it on my expressway commute.
I think small bikes like that which the e-bikes presented here are most comparable to are what the OP is talking about.
Fair enough. I had a rebel, and I thought it had 4 gallons too. And I’m wrong. It was only 2.6 apparently. I sit corrected. Though it did get more like 85 90 mpg.
I wouldn’t say a gallon is typical for motorcycles these days, but it is typical for mini motos like the supercub, and I think that’s what this bike is really in competition with (city bikes that could hop on the highway for one or two exits if needed).
I see it more as competition with any of the myriad 250 cruisers on the market, such as the rebel or suzuki GZ250 type thing, still only capable of short jaunts on the freeway though for sure.