Bicycles

Wicked Xion ebike flashes across road and trail at 50 mph

Wicked Xion ebike flashes across road and trail at 50 mph
The CyberX has 17- or 18-in all-terrain tires
The CyberX has 17- or 18-in all-terrain tires
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The Xion CyberX is motoring its way toward a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign
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The Xion CyberX is motoring its way toward a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign
The CyberX is designed to be highly customizable from the color of the steel frame, to the seat stitching, to options like the laser-printed side panels
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The CyberX is designed to be highly customizable from the color of the steel frame, to the seat stitching, to options like the laser-printed side panels
Xion explains that the large seat offers space for two (up to 500 lb) and a lower center of gravity
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Xion explains that the large seat offers space for two (up to 500 lb) and a lower center of gravity
The LED-lit laser-printed acrylic body panels give the CyberX a look of its own
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The LED-lit laser-printed acrylic body panels give the CyberX a look of its own
The CyberX can hit speeds up to 50 mph
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The CyberX can hit speeds up to 50 mph
With a road-ready mode that tops out at 28 mph, the CyberX is designed for both street and off-road riding
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With a road-ready mode that tops out at 28 mph, the CyberX is designed for both street and off-road riding
The CyberX has 17- or 18-in all-terrain tires
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The CyberX has 17- or 18-in all-terrain tires
The CyberX carries one or two people
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The CyberX carries one or two people
The CyberX definitely seems optimized for those that like to see themselves on social media
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The CyberX definitely seems optimized for those that like to see themselves on social media
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One of the more flamboyant electric bikes to ever put rubber to hard ground, the new Xion CyberX aims to be more than just a brightly colored, two-wheeled wedge. It also packs an impressive list of performance specs designed to deliver thrills on and off road. Riders can accelerate up to a top speed of 50 mph in a matter of seconds or take things slow and nomadic, wandering up to 100 miles per charge. And if night should fall within those miles, the CyberX will have no problem keeping visible.

The CyberX is one among the new generation of electrified two-wheelers that defies classification. It has a pedaled drivetrain, so it's not rightfully a motorcycle, though it does ride on 17- or 18-in moto wheels. Despite having those pedals, its throttle drive, single-speed gearing, 165-lb (75 kg) steel bulk and giant bench seat all but guarantee riders won't be spending much time pedaling it – and it really doesn't look anything like a conventional bicycle, either.

"Moped" seems like it was invented just for this type of contraption, but those are generally confined to the lower-speed part of the spectrum, and the CyberX's 50-mph (80 km/h) top speed puts it above and beyond. "Electric dirt bike" seems like the closest description of how the CyberX is actually specced, but dirt bikes aren't usually street legal and Xion is positioning the CyberX as just that (though the hows and whats of that legality will vary from state to state).

We'll just have to stick with "ebike," bearing in mind that "bike" is commonly used as short form for both bicycles and motorcycles. It doesn't quite fit the usual definition of ebike, but "high-performance electric all-terrain moped" is not something we want to write out again.

The Xion CyberX is motoring its way toward a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign
The Xion CyberX is motoring its way toward a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign

Whatever you ultimately want to call it, the CyberX demands be seen and experienced. We're not sure we agree with Xion's contention that it's the most "badass"-looking ebike out there, but it is among the most noticeable bikes of any kind, owing to the available colorful LED lighting illuminating the side panels and wheels. Those brightly lit panels, held in place by the sharp-pointed diamond-shaped steel frame, ensure that the CyberX will exercise more neck muscles than leg muscles.

The CyberX isn't built solely for puttering around the city to be seen, though. It packs some serious specs, starting with a 5,000-W mid-motor drive that powers the rear wheel through a single-speed belt drive.

Interestingly, the CyberX has only two modes at the extremes. Switch on 750-W eco mode, and it'll coax up to 100 miles (161 km) out of the standard 32-Ah 72-V battery pack, assuming the rider puts some pedal power into it. Dial it up to the full 5,000 watts in sport mode and you can fire up to 50 mph after an estimated four-second 0-30 mph (50 km/h) sprint. For those who don't want to work their legs, Xion estimates a 75-mile (121-km) range cruising at 20 mph (32 km/h) with no pedaling or a 50-mile range at 50 mph.

The CyberX can hit speeds up to 50 mph
The CyberX can hit speeds up to 50 mph

The under-seat lithium-ion battery charges in six hours with the included 5-A charger that connects to the charging port on the side of the bike. Xion also offers an optional 10-A charger to cut that time in half.

The CyberX seats one or two people on its bench-like leather saddle, cushioning bumpy rides and big jumps with a long-travel fork and rear coil suspension. Hydraulic disc brakes bring the toothy tires to stop. An LED headlight keeps the road visible while the color-changing illuminated body and the taillight take care of keeping the bike visible to other road users.

The CyberX is designed to be highly customizable from the color of the steel frame, to the seat stitching, to options like the laser-printed side panels
The CyberX is designed to be highly customizable from the color of the steel frame, to the seat stitching, to options like the laser-printed side panels

The CyberX cockpit features a centered LCD display for battery life, speed, distance and other metrics. Since the rider's ears won't be filled with gas engine rumble, Xion also tacks on a waterproof Bluetooth speaker. Riders can dock their phone on the handlebars and tap into the big battery via the USB charging port while streaming music to the speaker.

Xion is currently running a highly successful Indiegogo campaign to raise the money it needs to launch the CyberX. It's pushed past the $1 million mark with more than three weeks left to go. Supporters will now find the CyberX for pledge levels starting at $3,699, roughly a 24 percent savings over the estimated $4,900 retail price. Xion offers three different frame sizes and a variety of colors for the acrylic side panels, powder-coated chromoly frame and seat. The laser light show-style mirrored acrylic side panels, body lighting and wheel lighting are available as add-on options, as are larger batteries and high-torque tunes.

Xion's plans call for building the CyberX bikes at its San Diego headquarters, where it will offer free pickup. US shipping costs between $200 and $350, and Xion also offers shipping options for the UK and Canada.

Source: Xion

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6 comments
6 comments
guzmanchinky
Ok these are amazing machines, but I saw a kid get busted on one (a Sur Ron) by the police here in Newport Beach riding fast on a sidewalk. I'm not sure where these things are legal, if anywhere? They aren't street legal (turn signals and a license plate) and they aren't bicycle legal (class 1 no throttle) so people that buy them (in California at least) will be easily targeted by law enforcement and also ruin this segment for those of us who would love to see more of these kinds of vehicles, but legal ones! I live near San Diego so I'll have to go check them out...
Daishi
This area of really powerful ebikes is a new and growing segment but I hope we don't slow down innovation too much over our inability to classify them. It's a bit of a double standard that electric bikes are judged by their top speed while motorcycles and automobiles are capable of top speed operation for longer periods of time but they are not judged the same way. If you are on a bike trail traveling at reasonable speeds that shouldn't be considered a crime any more than driving a powerful automobile within the speed limit on public roads. We would never ticket someone in a Corvette driving the speed limit for the capability of exceeding it if they wanted so no sense in treating ebikes any differently. If they are on public roads going 30-70 MPH they should be considered a moped/motorcycle and subject to the same restrictions for vehicles at the speed they are traveling at. if someone gets pulled over going 70 on an unregistered vehicle ticket them but if they aren't going those speeds please don't ticket them just for having a vehicle that theoretically could. That's generally consistent with how sports cars are treated so it seems like a rational approach.
guzmanchinky
Daishi that is true, however what you're running into is the expectation from hikers and other bicycle riders of vehicles not coming at them at crazy high speeds. So where this ruins the sport is there are always people who will use the machine to it's limits, even on sidewalks and bike trails. We shall see where it goes, I agree with you, but setting these (or superfast scooters) loose in areas where high speeds are not expected is going to have the law and public coming down really hard...
c w
Ride it like bicycle on the street (to right of most lanes most lanes), and it should be fine. This will mean NOT riding at it's full potential many (or most) times. Absolutely don't ride it on bike paths unless willing to ride at human-powered speeds - but they're still illegal there, generally. DO NOT RIDE ON SIDEWALKS. That's asking for it. If you want to ride at 50 on street, get it plated as a scooter.
cjeam
Please call it an e-motorbike, or electric motorcycle. That reasonably reflects what it is. The pedals are there for legalistic get-outs and are not ever practically going to seriously be used to move the thing. Calling things like this an e-bike encourages confusion between them and proper electric bicycles. E-bikes are great, we want to encourage them, and they should be able to use bicycle infrastructure. This sort of thing should be confined to roads and require a licence and motorcycle equipment.
ljaques
They must have spent thousands on seat design alone, judging by the sleek and organic look.