How good can the cheapest Super73 electric bike be?

Super73 is all in regards to the laid-back, Southern California fashion. These electrical bikes place an emphasis on the mini-bike styling and provides the texture of zooming round city on an electrical moped or bike. However with lots of the full-featured Super73 e-bikes beginning at $2k or extra, I needed to see in case you might get the identical form of expertise on the $1,150 Super73-Z1, which is the corporate’s entry stage mannequin.

Super73-Z1 electrical bike tech specs

• Motor: 500W nominal, 1,000W peak rear hub motor
• High pace: 32 km/h (20 mph)
• Vary: 32 km (20 miles) although nearer to 12-15 miles actual world
• Battery: 36V 11.6Ah with Panasonic cells (non-removable)
• Cost time: 6-7 hours
• Weight: 25.4 kg (56 lb)
• Max load: 125 kg (275 lb)
• Body: Metal
• Wheels: 20 inches with 4-inch fats tires
• Brakes: Tektro mechanical disc brakes
• Extras: Banana seat, thumb throttle, LED battery meter, kickstand

Super73-z1 e-bike video assessment

Take a look at my video assessment under to see the Super73-Z1 in motion.

Naked bones, simply the necessities

The very first thing you’ll discover is that the Super73-Z1 is stripped all the way down to the naked requirements.

There aren’t any lights, fenders, suspension, pedal help, gear shifter, horn…. nothing! I even included the kickstand within the “Extras” part of the tech specs above as a result of I used to be scraping the underside of the barrel.

So that you’re going into this understanding that there’s not a whole lot of fancy tools or options.

However what you do get is an reasonably priced and enjoyable little moped-style e-bike to tear round on! The bike will get as much as 20 mph (32 km/h) and has these good fats road tires that can help you actually lean into turns and roll proper over obstacles (no shedding these tires in trolley tracks!).

The banana seat isn’t adjustable, however you may simply scoot ahead or backward to seek out essentially the most comfy spot for you. It doesn’t actually matter the place you sit since you aren’t going to be pedaling this factor a lot. It’s tremendous awkward to pedal. There’s just one gear that isn’t low sufficient for hills or excessive sufficient to assist out pedaling at max pace. However the motor is robust sufficient to stand up hills with much more energy than I anticipated from a 36V setup.

The most important draw right here is the fashion of the bike. You undoubtedly flip heads on a Super73; it’s a really eye-catching design. And the cool factor in regards to the Super73-Z1 is that it seems to be much more costly than it’s. It’s priced at $1,395 on Super73’s website proper now. However I’d advocate checking it out on Amazon where you can save $250 and pick it up for $1,150. That’s an awesome value for a motorcycle that appears this good (and this a lot enjoyable to trip!). And in case you actually wish to catch individuals’s consideration, consider going for the “Astro Orange” model.

Although pedaling is sort of futile, I didn’t actually miss it. The Super73-Z1 is unquestionably a laid-back, cruise-around sort of motorcycle that feels rather more like a motorcycle than a regular bicycle. And since it’s a Class 2 e-bike (restricted to twenty mph), it’s allowed in many more places than quicker Class 3 e-bikes.

After all it isn’t going to be as fancy as Super73’s different e-bikes. They only unveiled an awesome full suspension e-bike for $3,500 and even their S1 and S2 with more range, larger energy drivetrains, and fancier options begin at twice the worth of the Super73-Z1. And I like the Super73-S1, don’t get me improper. I reviewed it last year and had a blast. However forking over $2k+ is a a lot larger dedication than $1,150 for the Super73-Z1.

After all you aren’t simply giving up options like lights and LCD shows right here, you’re additionally giving up vary. That’s in all probability the most important caveat of this bike — it doesn’t have nice vary. The 418Wh battery is a bit under common in comparison with the trade, and people 4-inch-wide fats tires aren’t doing effectivity any favors. The corporate says you will get 20 miles of vary, however that’s seemingly measured at lower than prime pace. Is 20 miles of vary attainable? Certain. However who rides like that?

In actual life, whenever you’re spending most of your time with the throttle pegged, you’re not prone to see greater than 15 miles (25 km) of vary. Thrash it actually onerous and you possibly can get even much less.

So in case you want an extended vary bike for distance rides, this isn’t it. Not solely is the vary quick, however the battery isn’t detachable. You’ve obtained to cost it on the bike, which in all probability means storage charging for most individuals.

However for anybody who simply desires to cruise across the metropolis, run errands, or look cool driving the native boardwalk or pier, the Super73-Z1 is the bike that may do it for you. And although it isn’t as fancy as another e-bikes, I can forgive all that due to the worth. For those who can afford a fancier e-bike, Super73 has higher-end bikes on provide. However for these of us that wish to stretch each greenback so far as we will, the Super73-Z1 hits the spot.

Subscribe to Electrek on YouTube for exclusive videos and subscribe to the podcast.