Though many ebikes are designed to look like regular bicycles, a number ride a moped line. Canada's Lyric Cycles is officially launching the Graffiti X thrill machine next year, a powerful update to a current model with a 3,000-watt motor and 70-mile battery.
Originally launched last year as Lyric's first in-house release, the hardtail Graffiti featured a 2,500-W hub motor, a top speed of 38 mph (~60 km/h) and could be had in a dual-battery configuration for up to 100 miles (160 km) of speed-regulated Class 2 riding.
The upcoming X variant takes things up a notch, starting with a 3,000-watt hub motor that peaks at a monstrous 7,200 W but can be tamed to 750 W for street-legal Class 2 riding in the US up to 20 mph, over nine levels of pedal-assist and with a low-maintenance Gates belt connecting crank to hub. Head off-road though, and this beast can be unlocked to 45 mph (72.4 km/h), with a full-twist throttle available for motor-only adventuring.
The ebike/moped hybrid has a 60-volt/35-Ah battery made up of Samsung 21700 cells, which has been calculated to be good for between 60 and 70 miles (up to 112.6 km) of ebiking by a 175-lb rider on a single charge, or up to 40 miles (64 km) when opened up for off-road adventuring.
All that power is housed in a 6061 aluminum frame with a two-person seat and integrated rear cargo rack. Rough terrain is absorbed by hydraulic front suspension and dual rear shocks, it rolls on 16-inch alloy moto rims wearing 4-inch-wide chunky tires "engineered for traction, durability, stability and reliability" and Magura 4-piston hydraulic disc brakes with 203-mm rotors provide stopping power.
Elsewhere, there's a mid-bar display for at-a-glance ebike data, a 6,000-lumen motorcycle headlight with a 7-inch diameter – plus integrated braking tail-light and turn signaling – ensure that the rider can see and be seen, a 12-V horn alerts folks of the X's approach, fenders help keep clothing clean on the ride to work, and a side-mounted kickstand is included for parking ease.
The current Graffiti model is priced at US$2,999. The Graffiti X is expected to retail for a thousand bucks more when it officially lands some time in the Northern Hemisphere spring, but can be reserved now via the landing page below.
Product page: Graffiti X