America's First Affordable Electric Motorcycle! Kollter ES1 Review

⛑️ My safety gear:

🎥 My filming gear:

🚲 My favorite e-bikes:

🛴 My favorite e-scooters:

0:00 Intro
0:08 Great included commuter gear
1:00 Road tires and suspension
1:17 Brakes and drivetrain
1:43 Speed
2:14 Power
2:33 Range and battery
3:36 Design
4:01 Room for improvement
4:45 Price
5:08 Summary
5:26 Outro

[bass]

The prices are moving in the right direction. I figure in a couple more years we will get the range we want and the price we can afford.

[overpoweredbikes]

The Kollter ES1 is definitely shaking things up, it's great to see more affordable electric motorcycles!

[julesslim]

I love the removable battery option. You can literally stockpile batteries and use them for alternative projects, home backup, and run your bike.

[jaybrucker]

I bought my first ebike 2 years ago. Went for cheap but quality, I got the letric XP and I can say for what I paid 1k it was a steal. For the things I use it for it is amazing. This video makes me excited to see what the future brings. 4 years ago this bike woulda been like 20k. The battery life and power is getting better and better every year. And with the price constantly dropping.

[Debrief]

I ended up buying the bike back in January with the dual battery. It does the job for commuting 10+ miles one way. I still have 30% battery life going on standard mode. It’s my first bike and it does the job, but I do want something else with longer range and have a higher speed capability..but I am not there yet. :-)

[seanfrank]

That is pretty cool. Perfect for ripping around a small city but might be limited in larger centers given the battery range.

[alwaysplaythegame]

I have a Zero S with a bigger battery. Let me just say you really need the 2nd battery. It won't just double your range, it'll increase power by at least 25%. Most would pay $1k for the power increase alone or the range increase alone. Absolutely essential.

[kenhoward]

"It's a commuter bike - nothing more." It's good that you emphasized that. $6, 000 certainly seems like a bargain for a new bike, but the weak batteries required for that price don't make it a good value for most riders. It would be fun for around-town riding, but higher-speed miles will deplete those batteries quickly.

[xpndblhero]

That's so awesome, I wish I had $6, 000 but if I was gonna spend that much, I'd just go w/ a Enduro frames w/ dirt bike rims and run a QS 273 3.5t 20kw capable hub motor so I could pack the frame w/ a huge battery... The good thing is (at least in my state) you can run a pedal kit and if you have head light/brake light/turn signals and a horn you can run it as a moped so you just need the license and you should be fine.

[danny_the_K]

Micah, thanks for the review. You need to do a 2nd review/ mileage test (35% highway at 65mph and 65% town speeds 25-45mph) for a real world battery vs distance one can expect in mixed use driving.

[DSCO]

had one for 3 month now, absolutely love it

[IVfluids]

this would be up my alley. I have been struggling with wanting to buy a Tesla because i drive about 30 minutes to work every day then have that same trip back; i know not earth shattering, but at $40 a week in gas it does add up. 95% of the time it is the right vehicle for me, but things like backpacking packing and visiting family in areas that don't have fast chargers means I have to have a second vehicle available and that negates any savings I am trying to keep (upkeep, another insured vehicle, gas etc). This actually looks like it would be an affordable and doable option that would get me back and forth to work. I will have to look into this, thank you for ending up in my feed!

[j_k]

The real competition for this is a used Zero FXS or FX with 7.2 kWh or 6.5 kWh, although a used FXS/FX would probably be $2000-$3000 more. I would love to see a comparison video of the ES1 versus a used FXS.

Also, what is the real world range of the Kollter? Without hyper miling and actual acceleration from traffic lights. Or keeping up with slow lane traffic on the highway, not being a moving roadblock.

[paulmouttet]

I like it. Really have to see what is happening with Sondors and Niu motorbikes to see which makes more sense.

[caramelzappa]

It's nice seeing more options. We need emoto's to have accessible pricing if they're ever going to be more than a niche within a niche in the US.

There are big sacrifices here besides just the power though. With no dealer network and an undoubtedly small community, plus it being produced by a chinese company, servicing your $6-7k moto is going to be difficult if not impossible for some.

While I understand a limited budget doesn't grow out of thin air, for those that can afford another couple grand for an FXS or similar, it will undoubtedly give them far more value and save them money and headache in the long run. In fact, you can find used FXS models for nearly the same price as this, and personally I think that's a far better buy for the price.

[rlbrett]

Micah, this bike is cheaper than a Cab Motorworks Eagle. The Kolter is a great bike for the money. Thank you for putting in the work for this satisfying video!

[singlespeed]

their website shows a lot of interesting products. prices are moving in the right direction on EV motorcycles. thanks for testing this motorcycle.

[blautens]

Cool. It's about time someone addresses this market.

[HuyTran-skpy]

Badass, we need more and more of these, competition drives prices down and pushes innovation.

Though once the Sondors Metacycles ($5500/80mph/80miles) get delivered anything else will be too expense and once Damon Bikes ($20k/200mph/200miles) starts delivering, everything else will be obsolete.

[alwaysplaythegame]

I would personally buy a used Zero FXS/S over a new Kolter, but I really love this bike and am curious if the Sondors will be similar for $1k or if this bike is nicer in the end.