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Up close with the 68 MPH Sur Ron Storm Bee electric motorcycle

The much anticipated Sur Ron Storm Bee electric motorcycle was shown off at the EICMA 2019 Milan Motorcycle Show this week.

The Sur Ron Storm Bee is the Chinese electric motorcycle company’s second production vehicle.

It was designed to provide a step up in power, speed and performance over the Sur Ron Light Bee, the company’s first electric motorcycle.

Its forged aluminum frame sports an air-cooled mid-drive motor with a peak power rating of 22.5 kW (30 hp).

That motor is fed by an FOC sine wave controller supplied by a 96V and 48Ah battery offering 4.6 kWh of capacity.

sur ron storm bee

Sur Ron claims that the Storm Bee will be capable of traveling over 100 km (62 mi) on a charge, though at city speeds of around 50 km/h (31 mph).

Of course, the Sur Ron Storm Bee will be capable of faster speeds as well, with a maximum rated speed of 110 km/h (68 mph).

The bike will offer four riding modes of Economy, Rain, Sport, and Turbo.

The Storm Bee’s hydraulic disc brakes clamp onto a 270 mm rotor in the front and a 240 mm rotor in the rear, and also feature ABS.

The Storm Bee on display here at the show was the dirt bike version outfitted with incredibly knobby tires on its 21-in front wheel and 18-in rear, as well as 290 mm travel suspension in both the front and rear. But Sur Ron will also be offering a street-optimized version of the Storm Bee that should make a potent commuter bike.

The Storm Bee puts out 520 Nm (382 lb-ft) of torque at the rear wheel. Between the available power and torque, the Sur Ron Storm Bee can climb angles of 45º. For those keeping score at home, that’s a 100% grade.

The bike weighs in at 118 kg (260 lb) and can support another 120 kg (265 lb) in combined rider and gear. Don’t expect to hit the top speed of 110 km/h (68 mph) with that heavy of a rider though. Sur Ron rates the top speed of the bike while using a 75 kg (165 lb) rider.

Electrek’s Take

So far, the bike is shaping up to be a pretty sweet ride.

I will say that it doesn’t look like quite as much thought went into the design as it did with the smaller Sur Ron Light Bee. On that bike, the frame design was quite elegant in the way it wrapped around the battery. With the larger Storm Bee, it’s all just kind of there. There’s nothing highly distinguishable from a run of the mill dirt bike in terms of aesthetics.

But of course, aesthetics are objective. What really matters is the performance and the price. The former is looking promising, assuming it lives up to its spec sheets. For the latter, we’ll have to wait a bit longer to find out.

What I’m really more interested in is the street version. There’s a significant lack of a gap-filler electric motorcycle in the street bike market right now. Something smaller than an 85 MPH Zero FXS but faster than a 45 MPH CSC City Slicker. This could be it… if Sur Ron can deliver.

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Author

Avatar for Micah Toll Micah Toll

Micah Toll is a personal electric vehicle enthusiast, battery nerd, and author of the Amazon #1 bestselling books DIY Lithium Batteries, DIY Solar Power, The Ultimate DIY Ebike Guide and The Electric Bike Manifesto.

The e-bikes that make up Micah’s current daily drivers are the $999 Lectric XP 2.0, the $1,095 Ride1Up Roadster V2, the $1,199 Rad Power Bikes RadMission, and the $3,299 Priority Current. But it’s a pretty evolving list these days.

You can send Micah tips at Micah@electrek.co, or find him on Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok.