Imagine an electric motorcycle that doesn’t look dorky, one that looks like a an ADV bike, with a fit and finish rivaling anything in the world. Before you go all “Ahm a real ‘Murican and yer not” on me, I’m here to tell you this: You don’t have to imagine this motorcycle. It’s real and I rode it. It’s quick and it feels light, and the thing handles. And yes, it’s from China. If that gets your shorts in a knot, move along…there’s nothing for you here.
The bike is the new RX1E from CSC Motorcycles in Azusa, and it’s manufactured by Zongshen. That’s Zongshen, as in million-motorcycles-annually Zongshen. I’ve ridden Zongshen motorcycles all over Colombia, all over China, all over Baja, and all over America, and I’ve been in their factories many times. You may know a guy who’s cousin worked for a guy who thinks Chinese bikes are no good; my knowledge is more of a first-hand-actual-experience sort of thing.
The RX1E looks a lot like an RX3. It’s got the ADV style. I think it is an exceptionally attractive motorcycle. Some folks may wonder why the bike is styled like an ADV bike. Hey, it has to be styled like something. The ADV style has good ergos and good carrying capacity, so why not use that as the styling theme? Just to check, I parked it in front of Starbuck’s, you know, like the big kids do with their BMWs, and it worked just fine.
The motorcycle has an 8 kilowatt motor (with 18.5 kilowatt at peak power), but the kilowatt thing for an electric motorcycle is misleading. This motorcycle is quick. I opened it up getting on the freeway and the bike blew through 70 mph before I realized it. It had more left, but I ran out of space. It’s silent, and you hit speeds you don’t mean to because there’s no noise to go with the acceleration. Think of it as the opposite of a Harley: No noise at all, and lots of acceleration.
It’s not going to be inexpensive, but it’s inexpensive compared to other electric motorcycles. CSC is going to sell a lot of these.
The time for a full recharge, per the CSC folks, is 6 hours. CSC opted for a more powerful charger to get the recharge time down.
It comes with a full set of luggage, crashbars, a windshield, and a cool dash. You can fit a full face helmet in the tail pack.
The RX1E is water cooled. Yep, you read that right. The Zongshen wizards use water cooling with a radiator to keep motor temps down.
The dash is cool, and you can change the color theme. I liked it. It was a little difficult to read in sunlight, but CSC tells me that will be corrected by the time the bikes are released for sale in a few months (I rode the first one to arrive in America).
The bike has three modes: Eco, Comfort, and Sport. Eco saves energy, Comfort is kind of in the middle, and Sport gives snappier acceleration. Think of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
Switchology is superior, in my opinion. Here’s a peek at the left and right sides. Yep, there’s cruise control, reverse, mode setting, high beam and low beam, the horn, turn signals, a park position, and a kill switch. It’s a logical, well thought out, and quality presentation.
The bike doesn’t have that squirt out from under you feeling that other electric bikes have off a dead stop. CSC’s City Slicker had a little bit of that. The Zero I rode a couple years ago had way too much of it…so much so I found the Zero difficult to ride. The RX1E is much more rider friendly.
The bike has disk brakes front and back and ABS. There are cast aluminum wheels. The final drive is via belt. There’s no messy chain, nothing to oil, and it’s quiet. I like it.
The fit and finish are awesome. It’s as good as anything I’ve seen on any motorcycle anwhere in the world. The one I rode was red (it’s the one you see in the pictures here). I saw a Harley chopper and stopped to ask the owner if I could shoot a photo of the the RX1E next to it. He was good to go, and I grabbed the shot you see below.
The RX1E ergonomics felt perfect to me. The seat is comfortable, the reach to the bars was perfect, and I could put both feet flat on the ground.
CSC shows the bike’s weight to be 469 pounds, but it felt way lighter to me. That might be because the weight is down low on this bike. Or maybe I’m just used to my Enfield, which feels way heavier. Whatever it is, the bike feels light. The RX1E has high flickability.
The lack of any noise takes some getting used to. It was unnerving at intersections. On an internal combustion engine motorcycle, the noise makes you at least think other people can hear you. The silence of an electric motorcycle makes you wonder if they see you. Maybe that’s a good thing; it made me even more of a defensive rider than I normally am.
There’s no shifting, and because of that there’s no clutch and no shift lever. Oddly, the lack of any need to shift felt perfectly natural. Not having a clutch lever on the left handlebar when coming to a stop takes a little getting used to.
The bike has a reverse. It doesn’t need one. It felt so light and the seat is so low that backing up the old-fashioned way is easy…you know, sitting on the bike and using your legs to back it up a hill. Yep, I did it.
The turning radius is delightfully tight. I don’t have a spec for this, but I can tell you that u-turns in one-lane alleys are easy. I know because I did it.
CSC tells me the range is about 80 miles, although the spec below says 112 miles. I haven’t tested the bike for range like I did on the City Slicker because I only played around in town for an hour or so. Good Buddy TK, the sales dude at CSC (who may be the world’s only sales guy who never stretches the truth), has been commuting back and forth to work on the bike and he tells me the 80-mile range is real.
The RX1E impressed me greatly. If reading this blog gives you the impresssion that I really like the RX1E, I’ve done my job as a writer. CSC and Zongshen have hit a home run here. Zongshen’s engineering talent and CSC’s ability to see what the US market wants is impressive.
Spoiler alert: Knowing people in high places has its advantages. I used to be a consultant for CSC, and CSC advertises on the ExNotes site. But that hasn’t influenced what you’re reading here. My friendship with the CSC owners got me an early ride on the RX1E (a scoop, so to speak) and a chance to see the specs before anyone else, which we’re sharing here. They’ll be on the CSC website today or tomorrow.
CSC RX1E Specifications
Motor: Liquid-cooled permanent-magnet
Peak Power: 24 hp (18.5kW)
Torque: 61.2 lb-ft (83Nm)
Battery: Lithium-ion 96-volt, 64Ah
Battery Capacity: 6.16kWh
Charger: 110-volt
Input Current: 15A
Range: 112 miles based on New European Driving Cycle (NEDC)
Frame: Tubular steel
Rake & Trail: 27°, 74mm
Wheelbase: 55.5 inches (1400mm)
Front Suspension: 37mm inverted telescopic fork, 4.7 inches travel, adjustable for rebound damping
Rear Suspension: Monoshock, 4.3 inches travel, adjustable spring preload and rebound damping
Front Brake: Two-piston caliper, 265mm disc
Rear Brake: Single-piston caliper, 240mm disc
Wheels: 17-inch aluminum
Tires: 100/80-17 front; 120/80-17 rear
Length: 82.2 inches (2090mm)
Width: 34.0 inches (865mm)
Height: 47.4 inches (1205mm)
Seat Height: 30.9 inches (780mm)
Ground Clearance: 6.0 inches (150mm)
Curb Weight: 436.5 pounds (198kg); 469 lb with luggage and crash bars
Max Load: 331 lb (150kg)
Top Speed: 75+ mph
Colors: Crimson Red Metallic, Honolulu Blue Metallic and Silver Moon Metallic
Price: $8,495 (plus $410 dealer prep, documentation, and road testing fees) and if you order the bike now, CSC is offering $500 off with delivery in Spring 2023
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Lol.
Well it’s not about if the Chinese bikes are any good. But you know that , joe.
To me , electric bikes aren’t worth the risk that is inherent to riding motorcycles.
I don’t care who or where it’s made.
Internal combustion or bust .
After all , isn’t this blog named
Exhaust Notes ?
Shrilling an electric bike doesn’t flux.
Never mind one from a Human Rights country as is China.
BTW. The girl on the mural is gorgeous.
Kudos to the artist , you mention whom the artist is? I missed it.
You could have maybe used a Chinese lady in the mural . Instead of the Irish lassie.
But no matter , an ad for beautiful Asian woman followed the article . Lol.
My wife is Asian . Not from an ad , but Asian she is!
Just like women from everywhere on earth , it starts out great ! What the decades beyond brings , no on can say. Lol.
I want an electric bike – electric everything.
But – main concern is battery replacement in 5-10 years.
I tend to buy and keep. Hopefully there will be a battery service industry.
Do they make batteries that can be taken apart and serviced?
Electronics tend to go “out of date”. Never ending “evolution”.
My favorite electric is my electric lawn mower, already paid for itself in gas money, not counting trips with the ever empty gas can. Starts every time. Bonus, the wife can mow the lawn without messing up my nap.
Hey Joe,
How did you feel the performance was compared to the RX3? Both bikes have similar power. but different weights.
Dan K.
Hey, good to hear from you, Dan.
That’s a good question. I’d say they felt about the same, with the RX1E maybe having a bit more “oomph” at the top end. But take that with a grain of salt. I’ve not ridden an RX3 for a while and these kinds of comparisons are best done back to back. And, the lack of any sound probably altered my subjective assessment of the bike’s power level.
Good report from one of my favorite Joe writers.
I just want to mention that in 2014 I was considering a Zero SR for my commuter/errand/toy.
At that time the MSRP was about $8500. So while it is spendy for a bike that is about a 250cc equivalent, it is a bargain in the field of e-motos.
Also, Hi Kearney!
Jay
I’m interested, but both the article/post and CSC’s website are a little light on info. Does it have regenerative braking? What are the details on the three modes, cut top speed or just slower response to the throttle? Currently have an RX3, but would definitely consider the RX1E as a replacement if I had more details.
You might give CSC a call, Ken. Ask for TK or Steve.
I called TK, got his feedback from a week of commuting on RX1e vs RX3.
Just reserved an RX1e in silver.
I was thinking about waiting for the RX6, but the new RX1e alongside my RX4 probably makes more sense.
At present I own a 21 RX4 in yellow, have 1900ish miles on her now, took delivery 2/6/22. I love that NC450 engine with 6 speed gearbox. What a fun machine, a fo-fiddy at that!
Every time I dismount from the RX4 I’m smiling, amazed that a “mere” 450 can be so fun after so many years of 1000-1300cc bikes. It’s a versatile package. Not only is the engine a welcome surprise, the tires that come stock work pretty damned will on pavement! Made in China tires, they simply work and work well at that. Yes I admit to worrying about the source of those tires at first, now the chicken strips are fading…them sumbitches work!
How times have changed, I now eagerly look for the latest offerings from CSC/Benelli/CFMoto/Royal Enfield etc before the “establishment” brands. My first bike was a 1977 Ducati 860 my second was a 1978 Suzuki GS1000E, reminds me of the ascent of the J bikes back then relative to the Euro bikes. And look at Janus, using reliable and efficient C motors in their individually crafted bikes.
I went to a dealership back in July to see a Benelli TRK 502x in person. It was parked alongside a 2022 KLR650. The salesman first made sure I didn’t run when he told me “made in xxxx”, I showed him my iPhone 13 told him we’re here to see the bike not debate geopolitics. Then he proceeded to tell me the C bike did everything better than the J bike except maybe purely offroad. He said honestly I cannot tell you it isn’t the better machine and the valve adjust is every 16k miles…The fit and finish was great. The seat was amazing. Oh, and the quote was amazing too, holy smokes …… (As you’ve written, there is a Bend You Over provision in quoting freight setup documentation etc. Frigging new white 21 TRK 502x was 6499.00, then with the bags and expenses they quoted me at 10,200.00 otd with WA state sales tax at 9ish percent. DAMN, I heard banjo music from Deliverance when i saw that haha. Boy, that shows the CSC upfront pricing has some merit……yes I left happily on my RX4 that’s paid for….)
Speaking of giving fair assessment of bikes from China (& India), over at Ultimate Motorcycling Don Williams and Kelly Callan’s reviews of the Benelli TRK bikes is worth a read, Joe. I’ll bet you’ll enjoy those reads.
I think you should tell Steve to get those two writers a current RX4 and the RX1e for review. Or possibly an RX3 back to back vs the RX1e.
Thanks for commenting, Bill. Enjoy your new bike(s).
Very detailed and objective review article!
Thanks very much, my friend!
I’ve pretty much resigned myself to the fact that my next car will be electric because by then (ten years?) they will have, hopefully, figured out the battery situation and the cost, range, charge time thing. (And built all the SMR nukes to charge them.) But as for an electric motorcycle… I have a small supply of gas engine bikes that should last me. Who knows?
Great minds work alike, Marcus.
I got a demo ride in the Chevy EV1 (before they got squashed). It was quiet and uneventful. It wasn’t a demo day. I was at a car show and some sales rep type person who worked for the local electric utility had one so I just flat out asked him if he would take me for a spin. And he did.
They’re coming. By 2035 our governor wants us all to be electric.