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The current motorcycle licensing system can seem pretty confusing. So too can the slightly weird world of electric motorcycles. Put the two together and you&#;ve got a recipe for an awful lot of head-scratching &#; so let BikeSocial&#;s brains take the strain instead. If you&#;re a younger rider with an A1 or A2 licence and want to know what electric motorcycles that entitles you to ride (and, more importantly, which ones are worth riding) then you&#;ve come to the right place.
First, a quick recap. Holding an A1 licence &#; or, more likely, being 17 years old and having completed a Compulsory Basic Training course &#; allows you to ride a motorcycle or scooter with an engine of up to 125cc making less than 15bhp. You&#;re also allowed to ride any electric bike with a continuous power output of up to 15bhp. (For more on the difference between maximum and continuous power, check out our Electric Motorcycle Guide). In practice this generally means bikes with performance roughly in line with a 125cc petrol bike, but there are one or two exceptions which we&#;ve highlighted below.
Once you&#;re 19 years old, you&#;re eligible for an A2 motorcycle licence. Pass your test and you&#;ll be able to ride a bike of any engine size, provided it makes less than 47bhp (and, if it&#;s restricted, makes no more than 94bhp in full-power form). In electric land an A2 licence means you can ride anything with a continuous power figure of up to 47bhp &#; but the peak power output isn&#;t limited. That opens up the possibility to ride bikes with way more performance than a petrol-powered A2 machine&#;
What does any of that mean in reality? Here are our top picks from the A1 and A2 electric motorcycle world in , presented in precisely no particular order whatsoever.
Best electric bikes for an A2 licence
Zero DSR &#; £17,000
A new model for , Zero&#;s DSR is a less-powerful version of the firm&#;s DSR/X adventure flagship, designed for A2 licences. A firmware-limited motor controller reduces maximum power from 100bhp to 70bhp and, more crucially, puts continuous power beneath the 47bhp limit. The battery has been restricted too, its nominal capacity down from 15.1kWh to 13.6kWh, but the DSR (as well as its slightly cheaper naked SR sibling) remains the longest-range electric motorcycle you can ride with an A2 licence. Zero claim it can last more than 100 miles on a charge, given a 50/50 mix of city and motorway riding. The 3.3kW onboard charger means a full recharge takes around four hours using a Level 2 socket, or around six hours on a three-pin household plug. If you&#;re looking for an ultra-versatile A2-compliant electric bike that can excel at all types of riding, Zero&#;s DSR is easily the most complete choice. Read our full Zero DSR/X review here.
Power: 70bhp (maximum) / 44bhp (continuous)
Torque: 125lb·ft
Top speed: 93mph (claimed)
Weight: 242kg
Battery: 15.6kWh (maximum) / 13.6kWh (nominal)
Seat height: 828mm
Livewire S2 Del Mar &#; £16,990
A funky, flat-track styled follow-up to the LiveWire One (formerly the Harley-Davison LiveWire), the S2 Del Mar is a completely new model for . Its liquid-cooled motor makes a whopping 84bhp &#; yes, even though it&#;s A2 compliant &#; and over 190lb·ft of torque, which is more than a Triumph Rocket 3. It&#;s not especially heavy either, its claimed 198kg making it lighter than a Suzuki GSX-8S. Monster torque plus modest weight is a recipe for huge acceleration and, sure enough, by LiveWire&#;s stopwatch an S2 Del Mar covers the 0-60mph sprint in a sportscar-shaming 3.0 seconds. The downside is range, its 10.5kWh of battery lasting just 70 miles at 55mph. On a Level 2 charger a full recharge takes 2 to 2.5 hours; at home on a three-pin plug it&#;s nearly 8.5 hours. Not one for touring, clearly, but for straight-line performance the S2 Del Mar is likely the fastest A2-ready bike you can buy &#; irrespective of fuel source.
Power: 84bhp (maximum) / 40bhp (continuous)
Torque: 194lb·ft
Top speed: 101mph (claimed)
Weight: 198kg
Battery: 10.5kWh (nominal)
Seat height: 825mm
BMW CE 04 &#; £12,850
BMW now has a decade of experience with electric scooters, having launched the original C Evolution back in . In they replaced it with the more radical-looking CE 04, a premium urban commuter packing the same battery cells used in some of BMW&#;s electric cars. It uses a liquid-cooled motor making just 42bhp and weighs in at a surprisingly hefty 231kg, so don&#;t expect mind-blowing speed. It&#;s swift enough off the line (0-30mph in 2.6 seconds) to win most traffic-light sprints, but slows down much beyond that (0-60mph takes over 9 seconds). Range is fairly moot given the CE 04&#;s inner-city intentions, but BMW say it&#;s good for around 80 miles of commuting. A full charge from flat takes 4 hours 20 minutes at home, though an optional quick charger (£850) can reduce that to 1 hour 40 minutes provided you also plug into a Level 2 socket. The CE 04 is also available in an A1-licence version, with peak power reduced to 31bhp. Read our full BMW CE 04 review here.
Power: 42bhp (maximum) / 20bhp (continuous)
Torque: 46lb·ft
Top speed: 75mph (claimed)
Weight: 231kg
Battery: 8.9kWh (maximum) / 8.5kWh (nominal)
Seat height: 780mm
Best electric bikes for an A1 licence
Maeving RM1 &#; £
Launched in , the RM1 is the debut model from British firm Maeving, a Coventry-based collective including a number of ex-Triumph staff. This retro roadster is classified as an A1-licence bike, but with just 6bhp from its Bosch hub-mounted motor and a top speed of 45mph, real-world performance lands somewhere between moped and 125. It&#;s a handsome thing, with its spoked 19in wheels, twin-shock rear end and floating bobber-style solo seat. Buyers can choose between single-battery (£, 40-mile range) or twin-battery (£, 80-mile range) versions &#; the first pack sits where an engine typically would be found; the optional second battery goes inside the &#;petrol tank&#;, or without you instead get 10 litres of built-in storage. Maeving say charging takes under four hours, done by plugging into a household three-pin socket. If you like the concept but want a bit more poke, Maeving are launching a faster RM1S this July: £, 14bhp and 70mph top speed. Read our full review of the Maeving RM1.
Power: 6bhp (maximum) / 4bhp (continuous)
Torque: 118lb·ft
Top speed: 45mph (claimed)
Weight: 111kg (one battery) / 124kg (dual battery)
Battery: 2kWh (one battery) / 4kWh (dual battery)
Seat height: 785mm
Super Soco TC Max &#; £
Super Soco&#;s TC Max has consistently been a strong seller (at least, by electric motorcycle standards) since it was launched back in . It&#;s powered by an air-cooled, mid-mounted motor putting out a peak of 7bhp, which drives the rear wheel via a toothed belt. Like the Maeving RM1 above, its performance is somewhere between moped and 125. Super Soco say the TC Max is good for 60mph, though in use that feels slightly optimistic. There&#;s a single 2.7kWh battery which can be recharged in three to four hours and, while it is removable, it weighs around 22kg &#; so it needs a fair bit of muscle to pull up and out. Range is claimed to be 60 miles in an urban (sub-30mph) setting, but budget on half that for faster out-of-town riding. Chassis-wise you get a steel frame, upside-down forks, a monoshock rear, and linked brakes instead of ABS. Currently available as a blacked-out &#;Night Edition&#;. Read our full review of the Super Soco TC Max here.
Power: 7bhp (maximum) / 5bhp (continuous)
Torque: 10lb·ft
Top speed: 60mph (claimed)
Weight: 101kg
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Battery: 2.7kWh
Seat height: 770mm
Zero FXE &#; £12,500
While the FXE is the most accessible model in Zero&#;s range, it&#;s light-years ahead of any other A1-friendly electric bike on this list when it comes to performance. That&#;s because although the air-cooled motor is rated to make just 14bhp, its peak output is actually three times as much. The non-removable battery holds 6.3kWh of usable energy, giving a claimed range of over 100 miles at steady city speeds, but more like 40 miles at 70mph. Recharging is a decidedly steady process, however. Its rather meagre 650-watt onboard charger means a complete charge takes the thick end of 10 hours. It&#;s far from a cheap choice too, its £12,500 pricetag meaning the FXE isn&#;t eligible for the government&#;s plug-in motorcycle grant. Zero also offer other A1-compliant models in the form of the naked S and adventure DS, boasting higher peak power and larger batteries, but even higher price tags too.
Power: 44bhp (maximum) / 14bhp (continuous)
Torque: 78lb·ft
Top speed: 85mph (claimed)
Weight: 140kg
Battery: 7.2kWh (maximum) / 6.3kWh (nominal)
Seat height: 836mm
Kawasaki Ninja e-1 &#; £
The first electric motorcycles from an established Japanese bike brand are Kawasaki&#;s new-for- Ninja e-1 and its naked sibling, the Z e-1. Designed as 125 equivalents, both bikes feature the same air-cooled motor which puts power to the rear wheel via a chain final drive. Pressing an &#;e-boost&#; button on the bars releases its full 12bhp in 15-second bursts, and temporarily raises top speed from 55mph to just over 60mph. There are two removable batteries, each storing 1.5kWh of energy, each weighing 11.5kg and each taking a claimed 3.7 hours to fully charge from a household socket. Claimed range is 45 miles, but our sums suggest it&#;s likely closer to 30 miles on rural roads. A Ninja e-1 &#;Sport&#; is also available, including a smoked screen, tank pad, USB charger and a solo seat cowl, though the price lifts from an already plenty salty £ to £.
Power: 12bhp (maximum) / 7bhp (continuous)
Torque: 30lb·ft
Top speed: 61mph (claimed)
Weight: 140kg
Battery: 3kWh (nominal)
Seat height: 785mm
BMW CE 02 &#; £
Just launched fresh for , BMW&#;s CE 02 offers something along the lines of an electric monkey bike. It&#;s a small, short, light urban plaything rolling on titchy 14-inch wheels, and aims to turn the daily commute from a tedious chore into something fun and enjoyable. A small air-cooled electric motor delivers its 15bhp peak power to the solid rear wheel by toothed belt, while the rider chooses between &#;Flow&#; and &#;Surf&#; riding modes. All very &#;trendy&#;, with just the vaguest whiff of a middle manager&#;s boardroom vision of what &#;young people&#; think is &#;cool&#;. As standard the 900-watt offboard charger takes just over 5 hours to fully recharge the 3.92kWh battery, though a faster 1.5kW charger is available as an optional extra which drops that time to 3.5 hours. Range is claimed at over 55 miles, which is probably plenty given the CE 02&#;s slim, flat saddle. Read our full BMW CE 02 review here.
Power: 15bhp (maximum) / 8bhp (continuous)
Torque: 41lb·ft
Top speed: 59mph (claimed)
Weight: 132kg
Battery: 3.92kWh (nominal)
Seat height: 750mm
Horwin CR6 &#; £
Austrian-designed and Chinese-built, the Horwin CR6 has been imported to the UK by Artisan Scooters since and has sold steadily since. There&#;s a good slug of café racer / retro to its styling, especially its ribbed saddle which tapers at the tail like an old race bike. It uses a mid-mounted, air-cooled 8bhp motor, with a chain final drive. Performance and sense of size and substance both feel a whisker ahead of the Super Soco TC Max. A nicely balanced chassis and slim tyres means the CR6 is most comfortable darting through traffic in town, but its top speed also means it can just about tackle some quiet backroads too. Its 3.96kWh Panasonic battery is fixed in place and takes around four hours to fully recharge from a household socket. Realistic range is 60 miles at 30mph, or around 30 miles of flat-out riding.
Power: 8bhp (maximum) / 4bhp (continuous)
Torque: 30lb·ft
Top speed: 57mph (claimed)
Weight: 138kg
Battery: 3.96kWh (nominal)
Seat height: 815mm (est)
VMoto Stash &#; £
Perhaps the most intriguing new A1-friendly electric motorcycle for is the VMoto Stash. From the same firm who makes Super Soco machines, the Stash will become the flagship in the UK lineup by virtue of offering the biggest battery, the most powerful motor and the highest pricetag. Styling is by Brit legend Adrian Morton, formerly the head of design at both MV Agusta and Benelli. The clever design extends to a storage compartment where you&#;d normally find a petrol tank &#; hence the &#;Stash&#; name. VMoto claim it packs a whopping 7.2kWh battery, with a claimed range of over 90 miles (presumably at steady urban speeds) and a five-to-six-hour charge time. The spec also includes ABS, traction control and a huge colour TFT dash. With more power than any equivalent 125cc petrol bike, and the battery capacity of a Zero FXE for half its price, the Stash is a seriously promising offering. Read our Review of the VMoto Stash here.
Power: 20bhp (maximum) / 11bhp (continuous)
Torque: TBA
Top speed: 75mph (claimed)
Weight: 143kg
Battery: 7.2kWh (est)
Seat height: 830mm
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