2024 Himiway C5 eBike Review

Two weeks ago, I received the new-for-this-year Himiway C5 to review. The C5 is a full-suspension motorcycle-inspired ebike with motorcycle-style dual-crown suspension forks, a 750-watt hub motor, a banana seat, and 20”x4” wide fat tires. Himiway says that the C5 is part of its new “family” series of ebikes, alongside the kids’ C1 and the cargo bike C3.

If you’re short on attention span, here’s my five-bullet-point review of the 2024 Himiway C5:

1. It seems pretty expensive at $2,300 USD (about $3,000 CAD), considering that it’s using an entry-level Shimano 7-speed groupset and a standard 750-watt hub motor, but that’s not the point of this bike. Its big 20 Ah battery ensures that you can throttle around for a claimed 80 miles (though it’s probably closer to 50-60 in the real world), and since the C5 uses a torque sensor, motor input is smooth and responsive (almost “natural” feeling) when you do pedal. It’s an odd but effective combination for riders who want something to joyride around while being heavy on the throttle.
2. The riding position is not ideal for aggressive pedaling, so you’ll be relying on the 750-watt motor to do a lot of the lifting. It makes 86 Nm of torque, which is pretty potent and, on flat ground, gets the C5 moving to its top speed of 28 mph / 45 kph relatively quickly. However, it’s still a hub motor, so it struggles on hills and has average acceleration overall unless you’re pedaling along with it. Speaking of which…
3. I’m 6’2” and find the C5 awkward to pedal, but fine when I’m mostly using the throttle. Its ride height is ideal for anyone in the 5’ – 5’8” range. Teens could ride this bike if they’re trained/confident, but at 88 lbs, it shouldn’t be treated like a toy. It can go fast (up to 28 mph / 45 kph).
4. The combination of full suspension and 4” fat tires results in a comfortable ride. The 4” tires are perfect for this use case, affording good traction in most circumstances. I had tons of fun riding the C5 in the snow and sand.
5. The C5 should have come with fenders. The rear fender is inadequate to prevent you from getting soaked, and there is no front fender (nor anywhere to easily mount one). Unless where you’re riding is bone dry, you’re going to get wet and dirty every time you ride the C5. Also, this bike has the worst kickstand out of all the bikes I’ve had in my garage to date; I swear, the C5 falls over if you look at it wrong.

As a Canadian, early March is an interesting time to review an ebike, and due to living west of the Rockies, the C5 and I have gotten to experience three seasons in the past two weeks. I’ve ridden on and off-road, through sand and snow, and have put the C5 through its paces.

Overall, the C5 is a good but imperfect e-bike, and it could improve in several areas. But perhaps the most important point to make is that, while the C5 looks like an electric motorcycle, it is, at the end of the day, a pretty standard moped-style ebike with a torque-sensing PAS system and a fancy body kit. Set your expectations accordingly.

This review covers three areas: aesthetics and design, build quality and components, and how it is to ride. I rode the snot out of this bike, abused the motor, and rode it on pavement, in the dirt, through the snow, and up and down every hill I could find.

wBW readers know that our reviews go deeper than surface level, so if you’d like to know what it’s like to ride and live with the C5, this review is for you.

Words & Photography: Cameron Martel

Himiway sent us the C5 at no-charge. We do not have a financial relationship with Himiway. All reviews are subject to our review policies. Products are scored based on our hands-on experiences with it. To date, I have hands-on reviewed more than 30 ebikes and have five in my garage at any given time.

2024 Himiway C5 Specifications

• MSRP: $2,299 USD
• Where to Buy: Himiway website
• Warranty: 15-day money-back guarantee, 2-year warranty on the bike and battery
• Top Speed: 28 mph / 45 kph 
• eBike Class: Class 2 out of the box, class 3 unlockable
• Range: Claimed 80 miles / 125 km (wBW estimated 50 miles / 80 km)
• Bike Weight: 88 lbs / 39 kg (including battery)
• Weight capacity: 330 lbs (150 kg)
• Motor: 750-watt rear hub
• Torque: Estimated 86 nm
• PAS: Torque, 5 -levels
• Brakes: Tektro hydraulic brakes with 180 mm rotors
• Gearing: Shimano 7-speed
• Battery: 48V 20 Ah (960 Wh)
• Wheels & Tires: 20” x 4” wheels and tires (no-name tires)
• Other: Headlight, powered taillight, insulated mug

Himiway C5 Unboxing & Assembly

The C5 comes mostly assembled. It took Melissa and me about 20 minutes to unbox it, finish assembling it, clean up the garage, and set the tire pressure to 20 psi. 

Assembly is very easy:

• Put on the handlebar
• Attach the front wheel
• Screw on the pedals
• Inflate tires to your desired PSI (20 – 30 psi is fine for most settings)
• Check all the nuts and bolts to ensure they are tight

The box includes alternate dark fender graphics, the charger, a Himi-hat, and an insulated mug. 

Why the mug, you ask?

To put in your frame-integrated faux carbon fiber cup holder, of course!

Unboxing Assembly Video

YouTube channel MILTONATOR has a good unboxing and assembly video.

Himiway C5 Aesthetics & Design

The C5 is an attractive ebike in the style of a small dirt bike, and it’s probably one of the best-looking ones on the market right now. 

Nice job, Himiway: The C5 is being added to our list of the best ebikes that look like motorcycles.

Somewhat unique to the bike is the use of motorcycle-esque inverted dual-crown forks (the HeyBike Brawn I reviewed last year also had forks like these). Paired with aggressive plastic bodywork, a banana seat, and a faux carbon fiber “tank”, and the C5 allllmost looks like a small electric motorcycle…

… so much so, in fact, that many helpful people have stopped what they were doing to let me know that what I’m riding looks like one (and “hey, can that even be on the path?”). 

Kids and teens especially love this thing, and can you blame them? I’d have loved riding around on it when I was 14. The C5 is also sized right for that age group…

… you’re welcome, kids”
– Himiway 😉

The bodywork largely hides the rear air shock, and despite being patently useless for its intended use case, the rear fender does round off the look in an aesthetically pleasing way.

Unfortunately, the rear bodywork plastic can get scratched, and since the C5’s kickstand has a shallow lean angle, the bike will fall over a lot, testing that theory. This is a very fixable problem if you want to replace the kickstand it ships with for something that offers a bigger lean angle.

I like that Himiway included a metal grab bar at the rear above the powered tail light, which is functional and pragmatic. The grab bar is a lifesaver since the dual-crown forks restrict maneuverability, especially in garages and tight spaces.

A gripe I have is how the headlight is attached and stabilized to the frame via a single hex bolt. No matter how tight I tighten the bolt, I must readjust the headlight position and angle after every few rides.

2024 Himiway C5 Build Quality & Components

Himiway hit the market in 2021 (we reviewed the Himiway Cruiser and Cruiser Step-Thru that year), and since its initial release, it has continuously iterated and improved its bikes. It offers a wide range of bikes, from entry-level cruisers to hardcore mountain bikes… like the Himiway Cobra Pro I reviewed last year.

Every year, they improve the components used on their bikes, and as a result, the brand-new C5 ships with Tektro hydraulic brakes, Kenda tires, and a huge 20 Ah battery. Despite the entry-level 7-speed groupset, the quality of components is much improved over earlier Himiway models (and most ODM bike-in-a-box brands, including the previously mentioned HeyBikes).

Suspension, Forks, & Tires

The coil-suspension inverted dual-crown forks are preload and compression adjustable, with 140 mm of travel. I found it easy to dial in my preferred comfort level, and the compression dial is easy to reach and adjust on the fly. 

The forks are heavy compared to “normal” forks and have a bump-stop to prevent you from hitting the frame while turning. Speaking of which, the reduced turning radius generally isn’t a problem, but I did notice it when I was winding my way through some tight trails near the river bank… and never mind maneuvering the bike in the garage.

The rear suspension is an air shock, which is adjustable if you have a suspension pump. I adjusted the on mine and eventually settled at 60 psi as a good mix of bounce and firmness.

The suspension setup isn’t as comfortable as you might be expecting a full suspension bike to be. Still, it is leagues better than a hardtail – especially for this application and style of ebike.

The tires have a custom Himiway logo pattern and look good. They aren’t especially knobby, but despite that, they have plenty of traction in most settings. I’ve ridden the C5 on pavement, in the dirt, and through gravel, sand, and snow.

Traction is pretty good on pavement and packed dirt, but the lack of a more aggressive off-road tread pattern means the C5 has less bite in loose dirt, sand, and snow than off-road specific tires. 

That said, I found it easy to dial the tire pressure down to better suit the terrain I was riding on. 4” fat tires are a bit of a cheat code in that respect. I run the tires at 24 psi on pavement/packed trails, 18 psi on loose gravel/dirt, and 8 psi in sand and snow.

Display & Handlebars

The C5 has BMX-style bars that aren’t that wide. The grips are comfortable, and the bike is easy to manipulate. The left handlebars have the throttle and display input pad, and the right bars have the shifter (and bell, in this case).

Himiway has upgraded the display on its newer models. While this display is a black/white LCD, it’s much improved over prior generations and very visible in all circumstances (including direct light). 

Hold the + and – buttons for a few seconds on the input pad to access the settings menu, where you can adjust the backlight brightness, display units (mph/kph), clear the trip display, etc. Hit the “M” (mode) button to change settings while using the + / – buttons to navigate the menu.

To adjust the advanced settings, while already in the settings menu, hit the – and M buttons simultaneously. Then, enter the passcode 0510. Once done, you can adjust the wheel diameter and speed limit (LS). I “unlocked” the limit from 20 mph / 32 kph (class 2) to 28 mph / 45 kph (class 3).

Groupset & Brakes

The Shimano Tourney 7-speed groupset is used on almost every entry-level ebike. Normally, I’d lament this were the C5 a mountain bike (or even a commuter), but given that the C5 is meant to be throttled most of the time, the 7-speed groupset is fine.

After all, the money they saved on the groupset they put into brand-name hydraulic brakes, a huge 20 Ah battery, and a torque-sensing pedal assist system.

At 88 lbs, you need hydraulic brakes (in my opinion), and I’d prefer to have seen larger rotors than the 180 mm ones the C5 comes with. The 180 mm rotors aren’t small, but since the bike is so heavy, the extra stopping power and heat management of larger rotors would be good (and wouldn’t meaningfully increase the price by much, either).

Preferences aside, the Tektro hydraulic brakes bite down hard and have consistent feedback. I didn’t feel any brake fade/shaking as I rode, but it was also 27 F / -3 C for most of my rides.

What’s the 2024 Himiway C5 Like to Ride?

People who see this bike assume that it’s fast. As you know, looks can be deceiving, as they are in this case. The C5 isn’t slow, but its performance does not match its aggressive look. 

The C5 accelerates at a moderate and very controllable pace. On flat ground, it will reach its 28 mph / 45 kph top speed on throttle alone, and it can climb small to moderate-grade hills on throttle only as well. However, the rear hub motor does not benefit from the bike’s gearing, so it struggles when hills get steep.

From a dead stop, throttle input is almost instantaneous. Mash the throttle, and the bike starts accelerating immediately. However, at speed, the throttle takes a second or two to respond after engagement. It’s not a buzz kill, but it’s noticeable.

If the C5 had a mid-drive motor, it would absolutely rip. Another motorcycle-inspired ebike I reviewed last year, the Michael Blast Vacay mid-drive, comes with a 500-watt mid-drive, and it easily accelerates twice as fast as the C5 and is much more capable of climbing hills.

Himiway is adding mid-drives to many of its models, so hopefully, the C5 will receive the same treatment. It’s good as it is, but it’ll be insanely fun and borderline addictive if they add a potent 250—or 500-watt mid-drive to it.

Dirt & Single-Track Trails

4” fat tires help the C5 go wherever you point it, and since it’s full suspension, you’ll be pretty comfortable while you do it.

I am impressed with the torque-sensing drivetrain, which is very sensitive and precise in delivering power. It’s not tuned as well as the Surface 604 Boar Hunter I reviewed last year, which also uses a torque-sensing drivetrain with a hub motor, but it’s leagues better than the cadence pedal assist systems you usually see on ebikes like this.

For single-track trails, this means that you can use more precise inputs while feeling in control of the motor. This is especially helpful in tight settings where precision is more important than power. Ironically, it’s in these same settings where the reduced turning radius is also most obvious.

Sand & Snow

Each time I’ve taken the C5 out in the snow, it has performed reliably. It’s also in the snow that I rethink my desire for a mid-drive motor that makes more power; the M620 Himiway used on the Cobra Pro, for example, almost makes too much power for snow riding.

But in the snow, the C5 makes the perfect amount of power.

The motor is predictable, controllable, and fun to play with. With soft suspension and 8 psi in the tires, the C5 has plenty of grip in light/moderate snow. I wouldn’t go plowing through 8” of it, but a few inches of fresh powder is a fun playground for the C5.

4” fat tires are a huge help here. Drop the pressure down to 8 psi and let ‘er rip.

Rocks & Gravel

Between fat tires, soft suspension, and a torque-sensing powertrain, the Himiway C5 begs you to ride it on dirt and gravel paths. It proved to be a capable rock crawler as I trawled along the riverbank to find a suitable photo shoot spot.

Keeping the tires at 8 psi, I was always in control of the bike and felt confident riding it along the river (which is a great thing, because that river is real cold this time of year).

Pavement & Groomed Trails

The C5’s got big, fat tires, a potent motor, and a huge battery; it has no issues on paved pathways and groomed trails. Sure, fat tires aren’t ideal for pedaling on these surfaces (since they amplify rolling resistance), but that’s what the motor is for.

In Conclusion, the C5 is a Fun Moped-Style eBike That’s Better Throttle-On Than it is With Pedal Power

I had a mixed reaction to the C5 when I first received it. As good as it looks, it’s also quite heavy (I don’t care that 88 lbs is “light” for an e-moped ebike, it’s heavy for an ebike). It also isn’t set up well as a daily rider: pedaling is awkward due to its fixed right height and riding position, it could use a proper set of fenders, and there’s no way to attach a rack or any storage.

But the more I rode it, the longer the list of things I liked about it became:

1. The snow and sand fun factor is high… really high
2. It’s one of the best-looking motorcycle-styled ebikes on the market
3. At $2,300, it’s priced on the high end of competitively with other moped-style ebikes, but comes with a better PAS system and a bigger battery
4. The powered rear taillight is a nice visibility touch
5. The rear grab handle is great for maneuvering the bike in your garage
6. The integrated cupholder is, honestly, awesome (and the included mug is decent enough as well)
7. Ride quality is good all around, thanks to its fat tires and full suspension
8. The torque-sensing drivetrain is much better than its cadence-powered peers
9. The brakes have lots of bite and stop the C5 quickly
10. The huge battery gives you 50 – 60 real-world miles (80 – 95 km) of range with heavy use of the throttle

But it’s not perfect.

I’ve read some other reviews of the C5 and watched a few review videos, and I’m surprised that others aren’t as critical of it as I am.

Maybe I’m out to lunch and out of touch because I think that there are areas the C5 can improve:

1. Fix the lean angle on the kickstand so the bike doesn’t fall over so easily
2. Wrap the rear bodywork in a clear plastic film, which should reduce how many scratches the bike gets from falling over so much
3. Include proper front and rear fenders (or at least the mounts for them), as you’re going to get dirty and/or wet whenever you ride the C5
4. Improve throttle response for when you’re already moving (throttle response is almost instant from a stand-still, but takes a couple of seconds to respond while you’re in motion)
5. Improve the turning radius so the C5 handles tight trails, twists, and turns better

Would I buy the C5 as my only ebike, or for a daily rider? No. Its riding ergonomics aren’t conducive to that use case.

But for a second ebike? A “fun” ebike? A “let’s mash the throttle and scoot around” ebike? Oh hell yes, and if they ever strap a mid-drive to it, I’d probably buy two.

Have fun, and keep it rubber side down 😉