Last month we broke the news of the Ryvid Anthem’s unveiling, watching as the designers finally took the innovative electric motorcycle out of stealth mode. Now the novel bike is officially launching with pre-orders opening today.
Compared to most highway-capable electric motorcycles that start well north of $10,000, the Ryvid Anthem is on the affordable end of the spectrum. The bike is now launching at just $7,800.
While that’s still a decent chunk of change over a comparably powerful ICE-powered motorcycle, it is decidedly low-cost in the expensive category of electric motorcycles.
But the Ryvid Anthem isn’t only making waves in the industry for its price. The new bike also comes chock-full of interesting tech and innovative features missing from the electric motorcycle market.
One of the biggest differences between the Ryvid Anthem and other motorcycles on the market is the aircraft-style chassis that uses folded sheet metal instead of welded tubes. It allows Ryvid to use an assembly method that is comprised almost entirely of mechanical fasteners.
But that’s only the beginning of the major differences between the Anthem and nearly every other motorcycle on the road.
In a nod to nonconformity, the bike also includes an actuator that can raise and lower the motorcycle seat by up to 4″ (10 cm).
That allows multiple riders to get the perfect fit on the same bike, and riders can even adjust the seat on the fly to dial in the comfort and handling based on the road ahead.
Even the head tube and suspension angles can be adjusted, though those modifications can’t happen while you’re actually riding the bike. That magic trick is only possible with the seat height. But the variable geometry frame does allow the same chassis to morph into multiple styles of motorcycles instead of being locked into a single setup.
Other smart features on the bike include keyless start with push button “ignition,” LED lighting for low energy lighting (that’s still a pricey upgrade on many other electric motorcycles like those from Zero), a 4.9-inch TFT display, and dual high-output USB ports for device charging.
The swingarm-mounted final drive motor also helps simplify assembly, reducing cost and labor along the way. The swingarm even includes variable gearing in the final belt drive, meaning urban riders who don’t need to reach the bike’s full top speed of 75 mph (120 km/h) can trade some top-end speed for even torquier low end acceleration.
The low mounting point of the 7.5 kW continuous-rated and 13.5 kW peak-rated motor keeps the weight lower on the bike, as does the low-slung 4.3 kWh battery pack. The company says that riders should be able to achieve 75 miles (120 km) of range before needing a recharge. The battery is removable for charging either on or off the bike, but weighs around 65 lb. (29.5 kg).
To mitigate the weight, the battery has built-in wheels and a luggage-style extendable handle to let riders roll it into their building for charging.
The entire bike weighs around 240 lb. (108 kg), which is already quite light for an electric motorcycle, but the low center of mass from the low-slung battery and motor makes the bike feel even nimbler. And with 250 lb.-ft. of torque at the rear wheel, the Anthem takes full advantage of that electric motor.
Since the Anthem’s original unveiling last month, the company has announced three color options of Rapid White, Atomic Gold, and Carbon Grey.
There will only be 1,000 of these Launch Edition bikes produced, each of which will come with a numbered chassis.
Deliveries for the first pre-orders are expected to begin in Summer of 2023.
Update: I recently got the chance to test ride the Ryvid Anthem prototypes, which you can see in the video below.
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