The electric dirt bike/e-moto market has developed a pretty obvious split over the last few years. On one end, there’s a seemingly endless supply of inexpensive no-name machines with questionable components and varying levels of quality. On the other, there are legitimately impressive machines from established brands, but they tend to come with prices to match.
The new Juiced Nomadix R lands somewhere much more interesting in the middle, offering better quality components but at a price that competes well with the budget offerings. After spending several hours riding one off-road, I think Juiced may have just created one of the best performance-per-dollar electric dirt bikes on the market.
And at $2,495, the price is a huge part of the story.
But don’t just listen to me; see for yourself! Check out my testing video below before continuing on with my complete written thoughts.
Two bikes, two awesome rides
There are actually two versions of the Nomadix, both of which were revealed earlier this year. The standard model uses an 8 kW motor and tops out at 60 mph (96 km/h), while the Nomadix R I tested bumps the motor up to 15 kW and claims a 70 mph (113 km/h) top speed.
Battery capacity grows slightly from 2.5 kWh on the standard bike to 2.88 kWh on the R. Neither is designed for endless all-day riding, but there’s still plenty of battery here for some serious trail time. The R also gets a more powerful 10A charger, cutting charging time roughly in half compared to the 5A charger included with the standard model. The 3.5 hour recharge time on the R model is pretty impressive, at least compared to the 7-hour overnight charge on the base model, but don’t expect either to get you a quick top up at the track. The good news is both bikes carry a fairly large battery so you should get plenty of riding in on a charge. And if you really want to push the limits at the track, just bring a second battery.
The rest of the bike is impressively equipped considering the price. There’s KKE suspension with a massive 220mm-travel fork, 19-inch front and 16-inch rear wheels wearing chunky off-road tires, and Talon P6 six-piston hydraulic disc brakes.
At around 160 lb (73 kg), it’s also relatively light and flickable for something packing this much power.
The 33-inch seat height makes the Nomadix R feel like a proper dirt bike without being enormous. Juiced rates it for riders from 5’0″ to 6’4″ (152 to 193 cm), and I can say that at my 5’7″ (170 cm) stature, I felt right at home on it.
And before I get too far about my riding experience, I’ll also insert the obligatory but important disclaimer here: This is an electric dirt bike, not an electric bicycle. It’s an off-highway vehicle and isn’t street legal. That means private property and appropriate off-road riding areas, not your local bike lane.
You’ll also want (and need) proper riding gear. I unexpectedly got the opportunity to spend several hours on the Nomadix R while traveling and thus didn’t have my normal riding jacket with me, but I’d absolutely recommend a full-face helmet, jacket, gloves, long pants, and boots.
Once you’re geared up and pointed toward the dirt, though, this thing is an absolute blast.
There are three power levels, and I actually spent much of my time in Level 2. The Nomadix R has so much power that I simply didn’t need the highest setting most of the time unless I wanted to start spinning the rear tire.
I should point out that I’m not some expert dirt rider, either. Probably 95% of my riding happens on pavement. But that’s actually part of what impressed me so much about the Nomadix R: It made off-road riding feel easy.
There was enough suspension underneath me to soak up my questionable line choices on off-road trails, enough braking power to keep things from getting out of hand, and enough motor underneath me to throttle my way out of situations when necessary.
Juiced General Manager Austin Gomes joined me during the ride and was significantly more capable in the dirt than I was. He was actually piloting my follow-camera mounted on the back of his Juiced Scrambler full-suspension e-bike, and the fact that I occasionally struggled to keep up with him says as much about his riding skills as it does about how surprisingly capable that Scrambler can be.
But even at my more recreational skill level, the Nomadix R was confidence inspiring. More importantly, I could tell there was considerably more capability left in the bike than I was using. It’s the type of machine that a newer rider can enjoy without immediately outgrowing, and someone like me would be able to level up their skills for a good long time.
That also makes Juiced’s Speed Lock feature particularly interesting here. Like on the company’s e-bikes, owners can limit the bike’s performance behind a PIN code. Considering I expect plenty of teenagers are going to be begging their parents for a $2,495 electric dirt bike capable of highway speeds, having a way for those parents to electronically rein things in while a rider develops their skills is a smart addition.
And frankly, the 70 mph top speed is almost beside the point. How often are most recreational riders really going to hit 70 mph off-road?
What you’ll notice much more frequently is the enormous 380 Nm of torque.
Cheap electric dirt bikes can often look impressive on a spec sheet yet feel disappointingly soft when you twist the throttle. The Nomadix R doesn’t feel underpowered in any sense of the word. That torque is palpable, even at lower speeds, meaning you don’t have to go fast to have fun – or get into trouble. All the more reason to take things easy in the beginning while you get used to a bike that is capable of some pretty impressive performance.
That ultimately brings me back to the price.
Comparable Sur-Ron and Talaria models quickly get much more expensive, while many cheaper off-brand machines simply don’t offer the same level of suspension, brakes, build quality, and overall confidence. At $2,495, Juiced is combining serious performance with components that actually feel appropriate for that performance.
As someone who spends most of his time riding on pavement, I’m probably not the target customer for the Nomadix R. But after riding it, I absolutely understand the appeal, and even I am debating getting one for playing around on. Though if Juiced ever decides to homologate a street-legal version of this thing, I can already tell you I’ll absolutely be the first one standing in line with a fistful of my hard-earned cash.
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