Until relatively recently, riders looking to kick up dirt or catch some air on dirtbikes would have been accompanied by the ear-splitting clatter of a two-stroke. Electric motos offer a cleaner and quieter alternative, and Slovenia's Flux Performance is currently working on a new option.
The Flux Primo is a first look at what's to come, an early prototype, but is already looking pretty good, as you can see in the introductory video at the end.
The test mule is built around a lightweight aluminum frame with a low center of gravity, and features KYB suspension forks offering 48 mm of travel and an Öhlins TTX shock out back. Details on the water-cooled electric motor haven't been revealed at this stage, but there is a single-speed two-stage transmission cooked in and a digital lever to the left of the handlebar that serves as a virtual clutch for precise control.
The processing brains of the prototype bike are currently gathering data from sensors on g-forces, lean angles and wheel speeds on test rides so that algorithms can be developed to improve bike performance and rider safety ahead of planned production towards the end of next year. A digital control system also allows for power and throttle response to be tweaked by the rider, probably through a companion mobile app further down the track.
The bike is home to a 450-V/7-kWh battery pack made up of 432 cells and controlled by the company's own battery management system. To keep charging stops to a minimum, the battery unit can be removed and swapped for a fresh one in under a minute.
Motor braking served up by the left lever could not only eke a little more out of the battery before it needs a plug in, but should also save wear on the brake pads. As for per-charge range, it's too early in the development process for that – Flux intends to give range estimates based on real-world data from rider experiences of testing prototypes.
As mentioned, the Primo is the startup's first prototype and will inform the development of three production models – a motocross flavor, a road-legal enduro bike and a road-legal supermoto. The team is aiming to start manufacture by Q4 of 2024, ahead of deliveries to customers around the same time the following year.
"Our goal is to build the next electric motorcycle giant, with a focus on delivering performance motorcycles that are just plain better than the gas-powered competition," said the company. "We’ll start that journey by building the best electric motocross, enduro and supermoto bikes in the world."
Test rides are initially being arranged for folks in Europe, though the plan is to release the electric dirtbikes globally. Reservations are open now for an early bird discounted price of €12,000 (about US$12,700). The video below shows the current prototype in action.
Source: Flux Performance via Electrek
