Is This Chinese Thing the Electric Sportbike We Didn't Know We Wanted?
We're all a little hesitant when a new Chinese brand rolls onto the scene claiming to have the next big electric thing. It's like when your little brother tries to sell you on his homemade go-kart—you know it's probably a bad idea, but you're also a little curious to see how badly it'll crash and burn.
Yadea–bless their ambitious hearts–thinks it has the goods with its new Kemper RC. Let me fill you in on the details, and by the end, you can decide whether it's genius or a complete disaster.
For starters, the Kemper RC looks like something an alien would ride after a long rave on Mars. I wouldn't call it pretty, but it's the kind of bike you just can't ignore. I mean, bright yellow paint? Single-sided swingarm? This thing screams, "Look at me!" like a desperate reality TV star.
Under the wild bodywork, it's got the bones of what could be a decent little sportbike. The suspension's from KYB, while the brakes are genuine Brembo. Not bad, China, not bad at all. The heart of this machine is a mid-mounted electric motor that cranks out about 54 horsepower with a 'continuous' output of 31 horsepower. I wonder what that means? Perhaps it overheats after a few laps and transforms into a glorified e-bike...
Yadea says this thing will hit 62 miles per hour in under five seconds, with a top speed of around 100 mph (160 kph). That's honestly not too shabby and puts it in the ballpark of smaller-displacement gasoline sportbikes. Of course, we're all about real-world results, aren't we?
The battery setup is where things get interesting – or suspicious, depending on how cynical you are. Yadea claims you can cram 80 percent of charge into this thing in a mere 10 minutes. Let me put that in context; you can brew a pot of coffee, walk the dog, and still have time to spare before a comparable electric bike from Zero even gets to half charge. If that claim is true, well, color me impressed.
Yadea hasn't mentioned how far the Kemper RC will take you on a single charge and that's a pretty glaring omission. Are we looking at a city bike that runs out of juice faster than an iPhone during a YouTube binge? I'm hoping not, for Yadea's sake.
They did pack in a whole bunch of gadgets though. Traction control, ABS, colorful screen thingamajig, smartphone connectivity, and they even stuck a dashcam on it. I suppose they figured that if it does crash spectacularly, at least you'll have it on video for the inevitable viral YouTube compilation.
Now, the million-dollar question: How much will this wacky electro-sportbike cost? Yadea's keeping mum on that for now, but if they want to take on the established players, it's gotta be priced right. Come on Yadea, let's see what you've got in store – the whole world is waiting.
