Motorcycles

Sur-Ron attempts an affordable electric road motorcycle with the White Ghost

Sur-Ron attempts an affordable electric road motorcycle with the White Ghost
Sur-Ron White Ghost: free-floating subframe is a striking visual signature
Sur-Ron White Ghost: free-floating subframe is a striking visual signature
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Sur-Ron White Ghost: nifty looking dash
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Sur-Ron White Ghost: nifty looking dash
Sur-Ron White Ghost: 10-kilowatt electric motor with dual-clutch 2-speed transmission
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Sur-Ron White Ghost: 10-kilowatt electric motor with dual-clutch 2-speed transmission
Sur-Ron White Ghost: battery packaging
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Sur-Ron White Ghost: battery packaging
Sur-Ron White Ghost: has indicators
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Sur-Ron White Ghost: has indicators
Sur-Ron White Ghost: LED headlight self-levels as the bike leans into corners. A great idea.
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Sur-Ron White Ghost: LED headlight self-levels as the bike leans into corners. A great idea.
Sur-Ron White Ghost: doesn't rise beyond city commuter aspirations, but doesn't have to, to be successful
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Sur-Ron White Ghost: doesn't rise beyond city commuter aspirations, but doesn't have to, to be successful
Sur-Ron White Ghost: we suspect not a lot of these will go exploring snowy mountain peaks
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Sur-Ron White Ghost: we suspect not a lot of these will go exploring snowy mountain peaks
Sur-Ron White Ghost: unique looks and decently practical performance specs
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Sur-Ron White Ghost: unique looks and decently practical performance specs
Sur-Ron White Ghost: 4.2 kilowatt hour battery gives ~100km range and charges in 3-odd hours
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Sur-Ron White Ghost: 4.2 kilowatt hour battery gives ~100km range and charges in 3-odd hours
Sur-Ron White Ghost: 10-kilowatt motor will suffice for city work
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Sur-Ron White Ghost: 10-kilowatt motor will suffice for city work
Sur-Ron White Ghost: range increases by 40% if you ride it at bicycle speeds
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Sur-Ron White Ghost: range increases by 40% if you ride it at bicycle speeds
Sur-Ron White Ghost: free-floating subframe is a striking visual signature
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Sur-Ron White Ghost: free-floating subframe is a striking visual signature
Sur-Ron White Ghost: could be a terrific electric commuter motorcycle if the price is right
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Sur-Ron White Ghost: could be a terrific electric commuter motorcycle if the price is right
Sur-Ron White Ghost: linked brakes with ABS
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Sur-Ron White Ghost: linked brakes with ABS
View gallery - 14 images

Chinese company Sur-Ron's Light Bee has the off-road ebike industry abuzz. It's a high-powered electric off-roader that sits somewhere between an ebike and a trail bike, and for just under US$3,000, it's one of the first battery bikes to really nail the price point at which people will get off their butts and go electric.

If Sur-Ron's first attempt at an electric road motorcycle can hit a similar note on the wallet, it's got every chance of ringing the sales bell just as powerfully.

The White Ghost is far from a performance machine; the likes of Zero Motorcycles and Energica won't be bothered by the key numbers: 10 kilowatts of power (13.4 horsepower), a top speed around 100 km/h (62 mph) with "turbo" boost speeds up to 20 percent higher if needed, and a range around 100 km (62 miles) of regular city riding – much less on the highway, significantly more if you baby it around slowly. The battery's a 4.2 kilowatt hour, 60-volt job that'll charge up in around 3 hours off a wall socket.

Sur-Ron White Ghost: unique looks and decently practical performance specs
Sur-Ron White Ghost: unique looks and decently practical performance specs

Hardly a party bike, then. But depending on how pricing looks as Sur-Ron gets this through regulatory approval in different markets, this humble could be a solid value commuter machine to take a bite out of the scooter segment.

It's got other things going for it like linked ABS brakes, LED headlights that incline themselves as you lean over to help you see around corners, a two-speed, dual-clutch auto gearbox and a basic traction control system in case one of your 13.4 horses gets carried away.

Sur-Ron White Ghost: nifty looking dash
Sur-Ron White Ghost: nifty looking dash

It's got a heck of a look to it, as well, with its liquid-and-air-cooled motor exposed in front of the rear wheel and a comically long subframe that seems to float in the air over the back wheel. Total weight is 140 kg (309 lbs) and the look from afar is that of a compact, tidy naked bike. Yes, highway range could be extended with a full fairing, but those add expense, and this is clearly conceived as a low speed city bike.

Sur-Ron White Ghost: 10-kilowatt electric motor with dual-clutch 2-speed transmission
Sur-Ron White Ghost: 10-kilowatt electric motor with dual-clutch 2-speed transmission

We're expecting to hear more around the middle of the year about which markets it'll go to and what it'll cost, but we're hoping Sur-Ron can pull another rabbit out of its hat and put the White Ghost in commuter motorcycle territory. Time will tell.

Here's a promo video, which shows the White Ghost in a number of fantastical far-flung locations it would never be able to ride to on a single battery:

Sur-Ron White Ghost electric motorcycle

Source: Sur-Ron

View gallery - 14 images
4 comments
4 comments
Mzungu_Mkubwa
I wonder how the long swingarm with the heavy motor attached will affect ergonomics on this? That was one aspect of their other offering (Light Bee) that was really nice: they had the geometry right (apparently).
Tom Lee Mullins
I think that is really nice. Some of the electric motorcycles seem rather bulky.
Craig Jennings
Looks like that'd fit well in the biggest motorcycle markets in the world. As for everyone else, no, this is not for you, you can buy a lightning.
anton97
When is the release date?