Felt like a Star Wars scene when you were zipping through those lanes stood up.. the no engine noise brought a pleasant feel to it, my friend has a surron and it’s rapid on sports mode, almost dangerous off road for sure!

Great video, enjoyed the assessment of the bike and the challenges you gave to it. I've owned conventional dirt bikes and a Light Bee, and just bought the Ultra, which hits that perfect sweet spot between the pit-bike Light Bee and a heavy dirt bike. Light weight, constant power and torque makes trail riding more fun and less trouble, even though range is a concern - hopefully new battery tech will make a difference as you say. IMHO it's not in competition with petrol chuggers, it's in a new niche of its own. You don't get angry walkers brandishing walking sticks, upset horse riders and scared dogs, and you can hear what's going on, so it's a totally different experience on the trails.

@Tazdeviloo7

8 ай бұрын

If you have the money, you can increase the range 50% with an aftermarket battery already. Doesn't add a lot of weight either.

@Londue

6 ай бұрын

@@Tazdeviloo7would that not decrease the speed?

@Tazdeviloo7

6 ай бұрын

​@@LondueIt's still a light bike even with an extra 10 lbs from a bigger battery. Plenty of torque so you don't really notice the extra weight either

Marc and Ken took me down this loop in the opposite direction with linked brakes (front comes on when you use the rear, not fun downhill) looks a lot more fun this way. Props to Epic Adam Motovlogs for making it so far down that lane, especially by himself and you're a legend for saving him.

@kenbrooks7794

8 ай бұрын

If you come back up for another run you can try it uphill if you want Goose, Bear in mind that I'd only met you an hour before we went down that one, I didn't want to be THAT a*****e that led you into a bad situation! 😉

@CuriousGoose

8 ай бұрын

@@kenbrooks7794 my comment was about my bike not being great downhill not Master Obi Ken Kenobi's route 😉 I had a fantastic time. Next time chuck me in the deep end and see if I float. I don't know my limit until I reach it.

@kenbrooks7794

8 ай бұрын

​@CuriousGoose Yep, i know now that you're game to have a shot at stuff, i didn't at the time so i was trying to go relatively easy on ya. I didn't really realise how the linked braking was making it so hard for you. Next time we'll do uphills so that you dont have to use the brakes! 😁😉

@richarddevaottien7724

8 ай бұрын

Linked brakes between two bikes works for some😅

@CuriousGoose

8 ай бұрын

@@richarddevaottien7724 yeah when they're linked the other way round. My bike adds front brake pressure when I use the rear, so I lose front end traction down hill on loose or slippery surfaces. Most linked bikes are the opposite way round where rear pressure is applied when the front is used. That way the rear can be used to drag down hill. On mine it's nearly impossible to modulate the front brake with my foot.

Great to see you giving one a go. I love them. My friend had a similar Talaria which he found great. In fact he liked it so much he will likely get one of the newer versions and spend the money on an extra large capacity battery. In Sweden at least the cost of doing that is still less than a new Japanese or European enduro bike. The added value (at least what we both think) is its relative stealth and ease of maintenance. If you don't have much spare time to ride and maintain a dirt bike these things are very convenient. They also dont need many tools and such which of course cuts the ownership cost further. If you live in a city or have a shortish commute I think these would be such a fun daily rider. The way electric bikes make their power is also pretty cool. You are always in the power band and as such they feel much stronger than their equivalent petrol bike in most situations. I hope you get to go out on it more and Id recommend anyone heading out to Nathans at least gives it a wee spin. Cheers Paul

Great video Nathan and fully agreed with what you said..to me, they almost appear to be a good alternative..almost..but until the range improves, they’ll not be a viable alternative to me. I take it that chewed lane was Adam’s? Ha ha…the Epic Adam gorge 😂..hats off to Adam for attempting it though and hats off to you for rescuing him, what a bloke, well done mate 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

That looked so much fun, might suit the..errr..more senior rider too 😅

I think the quoted range from Surron might be something like street conditions on perfectly level ground, going straight no turns, in eco mode going no faster than 15mph/24kph with no wind, no bugs, wearing Peter pan tights on a Chinese rider that weighs 80 lbs/36kg. Then maybe 80 miles. On trails over heavy terrain with steep elevation changes my experience has been 45 to 50 miles.

Light weight and manageable is key , as a himmy owner and emtb owner I know which bike I prefer riding off road, great video

All that green laning and I didn't get my boots mucky. Excellent video.

Great video Nathan, these bikes should be encouraged rather than legislated against. They have many plus points and look great fun to ride on green lanes/tracks. The YT guy 'Sur Ronster' has just got a new bike called E-ride Pro S, that's a level up again from a Surron, looks amazing....for about the same money. These bikes are developing very quickly!

Very interesting Nathan. The lightness helps a lot.

Very interesting video. A lot going for it especially the weight and how non riders perceive it on the trails compared to petrol engine power. Raises a lot of questions like warranty backup, long term durability and depreciation. Range and range anxiety is always going to be the pillion.

Feels like a 2x real world improvement in range make this bike very viable for lane and trail riding

I do like the look of that but for somebody starting out I would recommend something like a secondhand DR125. They allow you to do what you were talking about, to try every trail and learn new routes and new skills. They’re light to pick up and easy to turn around. Something like that is an excellent low price way to try or to get into trail riding. From there a step up to a CRF, Voge or Himalayan isn’t so far.

@nathanthepostman

8 ай бұрын

Yeah the XR125 I have is equally ideal. Not quite as easy as this Surron. But most of the way there. And they'll go forever.

It's by no means a cheap option but if you get the battery re-celled with Samsung 35E 18650 Li-ion cells (you can retain the original BMS and charging circuits) you can more than double the range. I'm kind of keeping an eye out for a cheap one with a duff battery as already have the nickel strips and battery welder from ebike tinkering.

Good honest review as always. Keep them coming! Range will come in time from further development, and I can see this will be the saviour of trail riding. As you say electric bikes are far more acceptable to walkers, wildlife, horse riders, etc. For now I'm happy on my CRF250

Just so you know, the Suspension (Forks + Shock) and Rims are made for Sur Ron by KKE

I'm very jealous that you can ride on the road legally in your country!! In the US we are not there yet. That's really the main thing holding me back from buying this bike. Nice video!

Enjoyed this review.

@nathanthepostman

8 ай бұрын

Thanks soggy

More range and power is available but it costs ££££. Our Ultra Bee is loony tunes jumping range from 3.9kw to 6.2Kw. With an aftermarket controller power (totally adjustable) goes up-to 21Kw (28hp) from 12Kw (16hp) for bursts and speed in excess of 70mph. So riding at the same speeds before the upgrade, range is 5% further. Nathan, come take the bike out!!!

Looks like the future cound be interesting , thats if the range can ve a bit more longer . Interested to hear how the insurance side of things went foe you .

Made that look like a lot of fun and very easy ( I’m sure it wasn’t ) looking forward to see what the bike show has on offer re electric bikes. Shame about the real world range as you say 90-100 and it starts getting serious attention

Well said. The lighter the better. Especially on TET UK or TET Wales. Pity about the range. That's why I'm keeping my Beta Alp 200 for those sorts of solo single trails for now. But I see the future: quiet, 25 kg lighter, easier. Do your offer day rides? I'll be in England/Wales next summer again. Günter/Nürnberg

if you have a place to ride on your doorstep they have an argument and if you only want small rides.....met a chap in the hills of llangollen recently, he was in love, saw him 2 hours later walking it home and had 12 miles to go, over hills...not cool, i didn't laugh at his face but i did remind him of our chat we had at our initial stop, my 500 hadn't even used half a tank - the range changes very quickly depending on terrain as well as mode - why they dont just say the truth i will never know, 80 miles in eco mode if you weigh 6stone and ride flat tarmac yeah, outside of that you are dreaming

Dang. That bike is much more willing than me - taking on some of those "lanes". Agreed, an electric bike is much easier to deal with for other trail users. Now, some riders - not so much. Range wise it does give me pause, but even at 45 miles, that would handle 99% of my current riding.

Another well balanced video from Nathan giving sensible views on issues that face riders....Nathan i would be interested to hear your views on thr small capacity road legal pit bikes produced by Kurz and Thumpstar...125 cc and 85kg ...an option for a green laner?

@nathanthepostman

8 ай бұрын

Thanks Mark. I haven't tried a pit bike on the lanes but anything light and low powered is going to be a good bike for the job. I'd expect either of those to manage these lanes.

@marks-0-0

8 ай бұрын

@@nathanthepostman Nathan what do you think of the Storm Bee? Its more of a full sized trail bike and heavier but easy to ride i hear. I've got a new CT but think one of the Surrons would be a fun play bike on private land.

i would advise new folk to head to a beta alp etc over something like this all day every day, not a great deal of weight difference, the real bike would cost less and go further, it will also last longer , a hell of a lot longer - the only advantage of these things is quiet places - remember when you add heavier tyres or 21/18 wheels the consumption drops once again, considerably...

@nathanthepostman

8 ай бұрын

I wouldn't disagree and for a sensible choice you're quite right. But, and it is a but, dynamically these are incredibly capable and I personally enjoy the riding experience more than petrol power. So yes, definitely get a Beta today, but if they can get the battery range better then I'd personally take something like this. But there's options. More options. And options are good.

Great video. Is there storage under the seat?

These things look brilliant. Bit pointless up here in Scotland though because we don't have green lanes. If you register it it becomes a motor vehicle and it's illegal to ride in any of our forests or trails. If you don't reelgister it it's illegal everywhere except private land with land owners permission. That's why I think legal ebikes are still the best option. You can ride them absolutely anywhere and nobody can say anything. I am terrified of the upcoming escooter legislation though. I think it's going to ruin everything. They want scoots to be registered and have number plates and insurance. What's stopping them coming after ebikes after that? Then what's stopping them coming after push bikes?

Adam was lucky to have your number in his phonebook! 😀 Sadly I think that as many problems with interactions on the trails ev bikes fix, I think there will be as many that they add. It looks agreat bike, think I'd rather a Montessa 4ride than this personally, although that also has a 45mile ish range, at least you can refuel it.

Impressive. How do you feel about charging? A good friend of mine had a lithium battery fire in his garage… enough to put me off 😬

I normally wait until things dry out a bit before taking the bike out in all that.

@nathanthepostman

8 ай бұрын

We'd be waiting until summer next year for it to dry out round this way. Always water logged

Think for me its the price and usability. if its range was alot more be great.

I wonder what insurance costs, given that these are very popular with the more mischievous youths.

Looks like a nice rig, I'm liking the 85kg weight but the low mileage range kills it for me. Have you tried the sinnis sm xe 125? It's got great reviews.

@nathanthepostman

8 ай бұрын

I haven't ridden the Sinnis but I did have a poke around one at the ABR festival. It did look a bit poorly finished and quite pricey I thought. I do have a Honda XR125 which is a fantastic bike and I got it for £900, so I'd probably steer people in that direction.

@Lander76

8 ай бұрын

Sounds like you got a nice deal on the xr, although I've heard decent dual sports tires are hard to find for that bike. There has been a couple of guys who reviewed the sinnis mention the overall finish as pretty good, i.e welds and paint etc, the only niggles I've heard about are the poor quality of the transfers.Do you really think 3k is too pricey for a new dual sport bike like the sm?

@nathanthepostman

8 ай бұрын

​@@Lander76the xr has Mira's e09s on which seem pretty good. Not an enduro tyre but they're ok. I've heard the sinnis is good to ride. But at the £3399 plus on the road list price it didn't look a great quality product to my eyes. I'd personally go for a tidy xr or xt, but I bought Voge 300 rally so my judgment could be considered off as well. But that's £3799 plus otr for a 300 so that does feel much better value. Keen to try the sinnis tho before writing it off

@Lander76

8 ай бұрын

@@nathanthepostman The voge looks like a very capable bike but I can't get past the strange look of the fixed headlight. I will keep a look out for your review on the sinnis.

How many miles did you do on that ride Nathan?

@nathanthepostman

8 ай бұрын

About 40 in the end. Got back with 10% remaining.

Just out of interest how would people rate that trail. Beginner, intermediate, or advanced. It looked a bit intimidating to me, with zero off road experience. Especially that bit with the huge pond, it's hard enough without being unable to see what obstacles are in the way.

@nathanthepostman

8 ай бұрын

There were elements of those trails that were beginner, some that were intermediate and maybe a touch of advanced. That's the problem with the UK really. There's no consistency. Which is why if you're new to it it's so hard to know where to ride. Because an easy lane might suddenly turn difficult and then you're stuck. Which is why the bike choice is so crucial as it at least gives you chance to get out of a bad situation and explore more lanes. All of those lanes on that video bar the second lane (heartbreak hill), I've taken beginner riders down on my Honda CT110s and they get down them ok. But I'd never take them down those lanes on something like a Himalayan or even a CRF300. A light, clutchless bike makes so many more lanes more accessible to more people.

The Ramblers won't be able to complain about engine noise. You're flying through the lanes Only a moron will ride a Himalayan down those overgrown lanes 😅

@tribester07

8 ай бұрын

A moran?

@EpicAdamMotovlogs

8 ай бұрын

@tribester07 moron. God forbid someone spelt something wrong on the Internet. Also, Nathan was talking about me. I'm the moron.

@mrrarerooster3578

8 ай бұрын

Very funny EpicAdam. I followed your excursion down the lane with interest. I don't mind gravel or grass up the middle of a track, that's as far as I dare go. I watch you characters green lane adventures as a salutary reminder to never go down them. :-)

@flatcapcaferacer

8 ай бұрын

Adam I thought you on part of that trail.

@craigyllyn

8 ай бұрын

Only a moron? Not fair. You weren’t to know. Unless you had fully walked the lane first you’d never know quite what you were about to face. You just couldn’t turn around. Oh how we laughed-because we’ve probably been there ourselves. Some of us have luckily got out OK… some of us haven’t…😊😉😉

I can't see electric bikes catching on unless there's a step change in the technology. Maybe a small niche but that's it. Lot's of unknowns too, which is never good when you're talking about a wedge of cash.

@nathanthepostman

8 ай бұрын

I think as you say, without a step change in technology they're always going to be niche and righty so. But they are great fun to ride. So I definitely hope we get that step change as then they could be serious alternatives.

I looked into one of these about 7 grand at the time earlier this year. And come to the conclusion it's not the bike thats the problem it's the environment. In the UK even in rural areas like yours and mine in the peak District if your out for even an hour your spending 90 percent of the miles on road . Legal green lanes are slowly closing around 5 percent each years due to manily 4x4 damage and the horse riders and walking groups who organises themselves very well to influence and lobby councils to close them so in terms of the future it's a non starter. Most of your great videos on UK trails are just you on your own . I'm a member of my local trf if we went out as a group it would need three times the range. One could make the argument that you could recharge it while having a pub lunch etc. Most pubs give you a confused look when you ask to charge your phone imagine the nerve required to ask to charge a road legal motorbike . Even at 52 miles an hour if your in a group of other riders unless every one has the electric motorbike it's just going to hold people up. Every year we are having to travel further and further between lanes. The curiousity from walkers from walkers is more to do with the thinking the job will take longer to close the lane and not to welcome you. It could work in niche situations. For example you could have 6 of then Nathan then arrange going routes in your area then arrange sunthing for lunch where you have already got your chargers Thier to help charge while your having a good lunch a forwarding thinking pub would get alot if income from 6 hungry riders while only cost a pennies to charge them for you . The street legal honda montesssa 4 ride is a trils bike with a seat and only 90 kg at the same price that's a good middle group option .

@nathanthepostman

8 ай бұрын

Yeah all good points Lanzy. Yeah I don't think this is ever going to be a bike that could slot into a large group of TRF riders. It's not a bike for a full day on the trails. I definitely wouldn't run a fleet of them due to cost and impracticality. But to be honest I'm not really after a bike that'd slot into a group ride. I like riding on my own. But the range is definitely poor. Get the range sorted - which might never happen - and I think it'd make reasonable sense. As for walkers, I've never had issue when out with the posties. Not on the trails. I think our bike choice has a lot of impact on whether we're liked or not. I remember riding with a guy on an enduro bike in the Peaks who was popping wheelies where the walkers were. It made me think no wonder they hate us. But definitely all hangs in the balance.

@Lanzy4lee

8 ай бұрын

@@nathanthepostman yes I agree Nathan it's just takes a one percent of disrespectful riders to ruin the whole thing. We are on the same page Nathan. You are obviously aware but your still underestimate how much a positive contribution you are making towards this part of the motorcycle sector. Not Just your videos but you as person . Things may be difficult but I think your passion will not only help the motorcycle community but also your own personal goals in the future. I'm looking forward to booking on one of your European trips in the future

Use it with a generator on a uni-wheel luggage trailer instead of expensive, dangerous lithium batteries. The trailer is good for carrying arm-juice recipients collapsed on trails too

no doubt fantastic in the correct environment but I'm afraid in the suburbs these are fast becoming a scurge. witnessed masked 'gangs', all in black , clearly enjoying the harassment effect they were having on walkers out, trying to enjoy some outdoor time at the local green spaces.

@nathanthepostman

8 ай бұрын

Yep, definitely an image and usage problem.