Spending your childhood on a motorbike of any kind is the sign of a youth well spent, and with the advent of electric motorcycles, getting on two wheels is now more attainable than at probably any other time in history.
Joining the throng of electric bike manufacturers, both large and small, is Beta, the specialist off-road bike maker as it launches its E-Kinder range of e-bikes. They look basically like a normal pedal-powered bicycle, although on closer inspection you’ll find no drive chain or crankset. Look a little closer and you’ll see a small electric motor, directly driving the rear wheel of the funky-looking off-roader.
The bike comes in three flavours, with either 16, 18 or 20-inch wheel sizes on offer. The 16 and 19-inch versions are powered by the same 5Ah battery pack and 36V, 500W motor, while the 20-inch gains a 7.5Ah pack and chunkier 750W motor. The battery is claimed to be good for around 300 cycles, and as it’s relatively small in capacity, shouldn’t be too expensive if it needs replacing. The chassis of each bike gets slightly more high-spec as the wheel sizes increase, with the 20-inch model getting the plushest suspension, the longest travel and the biggest maximum rider weight.
The performance of the bike looks to be perfect for kids and those new to the world of a powered two-wheeler, with Beta claiming top speeds of between 18 and 22 mph (depending on the size of the rider and which wheel size you opt for) and there’s a handy control unit so any wary parents can dial down the performance to help the rider gain confidence in their riding.
All in all, the bikes sound great, and you’re ready to place an order, right? Wrong! As it stands the bikes are US-only models, with the 16 priced at $1,390, the 19 at $1,590, and the 20 at $1,790. We just hope that Beta UK reads this and bags a few for the UK market as we would really like a razz… our kids would really like to try them out…
More info on the three bikes can be found on the official website.
