Is it an e-bike? Is it an electric motorcycle? Or as its makers claim, is it something entirely new? American e-bike pioneers Super73 say they're "rethinking two-wheel street-legal transportation" with this super-stylish concept. The C1X is lightweight, very fast and a doddle to charge quickly. Also: just look at it.
The C1X is bigger than an e-bike but smaller than a motorcycle, to attract riders who until now have used an e-bike to get around, would like something a little faster, but who find conventional motorcycles daunting. Super73's designers have listened, and come up with the diminutive C1X. Those 'Tron'-like disc wheels are 15" rather than the average motorcycle 17". Clever packaging means the wheelbase is just 51". The battery lives mid-bike, where a conventional fossil-fuelled engine would be.
Rear suspension is mono-shock, allowing for a curvaceous cafe racer style rear subframe. The C1X is low, with the saddle just 31" above ground. The figure grabbing the headlines though is the estimated top speed: 75 mph. That and the instantly-there torque that is the trademark of battery-power should get the adrenaline going. Range is around 100 miles, with an 80% recharge, say Super73, in less than an hour.
Styling is high in colour but low in clutter. It’s minimalist and all the better for that. Twist and go operation means appealing simplicity, echoed by the barely-there LED lights and switchgear. Super73 have chosen chain rather than belt drive for reliability and that means the C1X will have a sound - say some commentators - more like a chain saw than a ghostly electric car. In every way, it's distinctive.
Maker Super73 has had a stellar rise since crowdfunded beginnings in 2016, never lacking in either celebrity endorsement or nifty promotional ideas. Based in southern California, Super73 began with one of the first viable e-bikes, achieving viral fame when an example was dressed up as a Star Wars 'Return of the Jedi' speedster bike. High profile collaborations have followed, most notably superstar football team Paris St Germain, venerable Hot Wheels maker Mattel and storied fashion house Yves St Laurent.
Super73 has tens of millions of pounds of funding in place, and says it's planning for production of the C1X to begin late in 2023. So could there be legions of C1Xs buzzing along on every street near you soon? Pricing is still to be confirmed and that will naturally dictate popularity. As for us, we’d love one.
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