Looks like classic British motorcycles of the past. Behaves like high-powered electric transport of the future. The Maeving RM1S is the flagship model of the young British company, whose stated aim is to produce “breath-taking machines that balance raw appeal with tomorrow's technology”. Quite the claim. But then the high performance RM1S is quite the piece of machinery. We’ll be honest here: we want one already.
It's the performance that’s drawn seasoned motorcycle journalists to reach for the superlatives. The company’s entry level machine - the much-praised RM1- is good for 45 mph. More than adequate for a shopper. The RM1S, though, will hit 70 mph making city-to-city travel easily manageable. Range with the bike’s twin batteries is 80 miles - unless you’re keen on utilising all the performance in Sport mode which limits you to 52 miles before an overnight plug in recharge. That shouldn’t take you - say Maeving - more than six hours.
The RM1S, in true form follows function style, doesn’t hide what it is. There’s no fake noise, no cloaking of the batteries that take the place of a fossil-fuel engine. There are black-spoked wheels with disc brakes front and rear for maximum stopping power. It’s all so perfectly realised. And that’s not least because though the company is a start-up, it’s heavy with former staffers from Triumph, classic British motorcycle royalty of the first rank.
Maeving RM1S: Building on the original
Building on the minimalist design of the company’s debut release - the urban-oriented short-range RM1 - the RM1S lacks nothing in showroom style. Design aficionados will be giving you more than a second glance. Saddle is swaddled in leather, available with custom options should you choose. We’re keen on the black with gold colourway - a classic Norton Commando look - but other options are offered too, each as classy as the next. If the words “battery powered motorcycle” haven’t exactly spoken of style, they do now. And then some.
Raw design appeal, however cool and calculated, is as of nothing without performance to match. And it’s here that Maeving have rolled out the big guns. That’s big guns strictly in the eco-friendly sense: those twin batteries offer up to 11.1 kW of power from a 14 bhp hub-mounted electric motor. Batteries can easily be removed to recharge, using Maeving’s supplied charger which plugs in to an ordinary three pin domestic outlet. No need for a dedicated charging station, though adaptors are available should you require. Handy, all round.
Storage space for your sandwiches and flask of coffee at the halfway point of your Sunday morning quiet storm blast? That’ll be, like the RM1, in what looks like the fuel tank. As we said, handy.
Eager for a test ride? Maeving are waiting to hear from you. You might have to queue behind us, however, such is the kerb appeal of the design and the performance promised by the company’s engineers. With prices from £7,495, we can see success beckoning for a new true Brit.
Next up: The best electric motorcycle brands to know right now.
