New CSC RX1E Electric ADV Just Announced

[Working_ZS]

I just got an email from CSC announcing their new electric RX1E ADV bike. Specs are as follows:

Liquid-Cooled Electric Motor
96-Volt, 64Ah Lithium-Ion Battery
Bosch Dual ABS Brake System
Three Riding Modes:
Eco
Comfort
Sport
110-Volt Power Supply
37mm Inverted Telescopicfork with 4.7 inches of travel and adjustable rebound damping.
Monoshock Rear Suspension with 4.3 inches of travel, adjustable spring preload and rebound damping.
LCD Instrument Panel
USB Port For Charging Mobile Devices
ABS Saddlebags & 72-Liter Top Box
Large Front Storage Tank
Center Stand
17" Cast aluminum Wheels
Tubeless Front & Rear Tires


Weights & Measurements

Length: 82.2 inches (2090mm)
Width: 34.0 inches (865mm)
Height: 47.4 inches (1205mm)
Seat height: 30.9 inches (780mm)
Ground clearance: 6.0 inches (150mm)
Rake & Trail: 27°, 74mm
Wheelbase: 55.5 inches (1400mm)
Curb weight: 436.5 pounds (198kg); 469 lb with luggage and crash bars
Max load: 331 lb (150kg)

Regular MSRP is going to be $8495, but there is a $500 discount for preorders, which will knock it down to $7995 for the first ones who order. Comparing it to a Zero FX Dual Sport @ 12,995, it's $4500 less and includes a ton of extras, though it is down on power at 8 kW sustained and 18 kW peak power versus the Zero's 46 kw peak power. Motor torque is 61 ft/lb versus 78 ft/lb on the Zero. Also, the RX1E's motor is liquid cooled, while the Zero's is air cooled.

I'm not planning on buying one myself, but it is a pleasant surprise to see CSC and Zongshen throwing their hats into the electric motorcycle ring.

[JerryHawk250]

That's all cool but the range is only about 125 miles. For an Adventure bike your biggest adventure would be finding a charging station out in the middle of nowhere. lol

[Sport Rider]

real range probably more like 60 to 80. it would be good for a commuter, but not sure why they used the ADV platform for this since there is no way you could travel on this bike without a really long extension cord.

[Chris_Top_Her]

I think this next year will be telling for CSC. Over 9 grand after T&T, from a relatively unknown brand selling Chinese bikes from a single dealership..At least there are less mechanical parts that require technical maintenance..

And the RX6 is possibly coming, which will probably be 7kusd +. One dealer model will be competitive near price with benelli, and cf moto and really traditional brand bikes with the prices.

[Bob Kelly]

a person could buy harbor freights smallest generator and throw it on the back and charge when needed ! as it charges on 110vac ( don't know about the amps though, probably 20 amps or there about.)
3 problems with this bike...
1.) it's way too heavy
2.) it's range
3.) top speed is only 80mph !
but it is a good start for an electric bike almost the same as the RX4 except electric !
and that's not bad at all..... the lower seat height is a good thing given it's weight....
I think it would be a great bike to go back and forth to work on every day as long as work was less than 50 miles away.... just plug it in when you get home
but you must realize that the cost of electricity is going to skyrocket soon and there will be no savings at all by going electric as compared to gas and you are sacrificing the range you can go to go with electric..... when they get to 500 mile range I'll be interested.... no matter what California does, the technology just isn't there yet for me !
.....
Bob......

[vividpixel]

Originally Posted by Bob Kelly

the cost of electricity is going to skyrocket soon and there will be no savings at all by going electric as compared to gas

I agree with you on the range, definitely, but lots of people do generate their own electricity, while nobody generates their own gasoline.

[Working_ZS]

Originally Posted by Chris_Top_Her

I think this next year will be telling for CSC. Over 9 grand after T&T, from a relatively unknown brand selling Chinese bikes from a single dealership..At least there are less mechanical parts that require technical maintenance..

And the RX6 is possibly coming, which will probably be 7kusd +. One dealer model will be competitive near price with benelli, and cf moto and really traditional brand bikes with the prices.

CSC seems to be doing quite well, given the number of models that they are selling now and how busy they are; they're definitely not hurting for sales. I do agree that this RX1E and the RX6 are going to be a reach, though the increasing MSRP's on mainstream manufacturer's bikes will work in their favor. The real obstacle is going to be CF Moto's new line up - those 650's and 700's are pretty compelling, and the prices are super competitive.

Common Tread has just posted a three way comparison between the CF Moto Adventura 650, Triumph Tiger 660, and the Versys 650, and the worst thing that they could come up with is that the CF Moto is sprung too soft. Everything else that they mentioned was the usual fear about parts and support for a Chinese bike, and that they think the other two are a better value, despite being thousands more in price. Personally, for a $3000 plus savings over the other two, I would be willing to spend a couple hundred on stiffer springs for the forks and the shock on the Adventura 650.

For the RX6, the killer feature in its favor is going to be the engine - Zongshen licensed the new Norton 650cc parallel twin before Norton went tits up and used it as the basis for the RX6's engine. That design features the much desired, by some anyway, 270 degree crank, plus it was designed for up to 175 bhp, depending upon the configuration. It should be quite a step up from the RX3 and RX4's single cylinder engines, though I suspect that Zongshen will once again leave power on the table to maintain durability. The devilish detail is going to be the MSRP - if CSC can bring it in @$7000 or less, I think it will sell. I'd even consider selling my 2015 Versys 650 to pick one up and try it out, if they can manage that price. We'll see - it's definitely a good time for the US Chinese motorcycle market right now.

[Working_ZS]

Originally Posted by JerryHawk250

That's all cool but the range is only about 125 miles. For an Adventure bike your biggest adventure would be finding a charging station out in the middle of nowhere. lol

C'mon man, everybody knows you just pull the extra fully charged bike out of your support vehicle, then let your dead one charge on the generator.

[wheelbender6]

Agree with JerryHawk. Good urban commuter but don't get too far from home.

CSC usually does things more incrementally. I was expecting something more like this one in terms of price and performance.
https://www.advrider.com/at-least-su...rapped-riders/

[krat]

Originally Posted by Working_ZS

Common Tread has just posted a three way comparison between the CF Moto Adventura 650, Triumph Tiger 660, and the Versys 650, and the worst thing that they could come up with is that the CF Moto is sprung too soft. Everything else that they mentioned was the usual fear about parts and support for a Chinese bike, and that they think the other two are a better value, despite being thousands more in price. Personally, for a $3000 plus savings over the other two, I would be willing to spend a couple hundred on stiffer springs for the forks and the shock on the Adventura 650.

They just released a Daily Rider episode today and that was not "all they could come up with".

Zack was not as "gentle" as the joint article and gave some of the behind the scenes feedback.

All of the associated riders agreed that they would prefer a used Jap 650 anything to a new Adventura and that making the bike on the adventure platform was absurd. The company lacks the craftsmanship culture to pull it off.

3/4 the price for 1/2 the bike with no dealer support is not the deal I want.

[Working_ZS]

Originally Posted by krat

They just released a Daily Rider episode today and that was not "all they could come up with".

Zack was not as "gentle" as the joint article and gave some of the behind the scenes feedback.

All of the associated riders agreed that they would prefer a used Jap 650 anything to a new Adventura and that making the bike on the adventure platform was absurd. The company lacks the craftsmanship culture to pull it off.

3/4 the price for 1/2 the bike with no dealer support is not the deal I want.

I just watched that video and did not get your take from it. Basically, in addition to the suspension and handling not being to his liking, Zack did not like the mirrors, the abrupt fueling (my 2015 Versys 650 is the same way), and some of the fonts on the TFT and how it is adjusted. Also some of the Navigation units were wonky, but the fonts and Nav can be corrected through firmware, so not something that I would be that upset about. Throughout the video he was pretty hard pressed to say that anything was actually bad on the bike, which I find very telling. He even likes the styling, not accusing it of aping the styling of any western bike. In the past, Chinese bikes usually had something glaringly wrong that stood out like a sore thumb and begged to be criticized, but that was not the case here, which is pretty impressive and indicative of a sea change of sorts regarding Chinese motorcycles.

Regarding no dealer support, did you actually watch the whole video? There are 200 CF Moto motorcycle dealers currently, per Zack, with more to follow out of CF Moto's 550 ATV/UTV dealers. That damn sure as hell qualifies as dealer support in my book.

So the Adventura 650 is more like 85% of the bike, for 65% of the price, which is a much more favorable ratio to me. If this had existed four years ago, I would have chosen it over the used 2015 Versys that I bought for $6150. New, with zero miles, as well as a warranty, for only $650 more? Yep.

As for the ADV thing, the only thing ADV about the Adventura 650, as well as the Versys 650 and Triumph 660 is the body styling. The tires are too small in diameter, weight and center of gravity too high, suspension travel too small, and they have too much exposed down low to qualify as ADV's - they're sport tourers and that is how they were reviewed, properly in my opinion.

[ChopperCharles]

While I really do like CSC (My SG400 is awesome), I'm kinda holding out for the Benelli TRK752 or TRK802. Whichever makes it to the USA. I want a physically large good-looking sport-touring bike that can handle the hot mess they call roads in northern california. I'd get the TRK502 now, except that I already have the Leoncino Trail, which uses the same engine. I know they're vastly different bikes, but my brain still sees them as the same thing because they share a motor.

[Working_ZS]

Originally Posted by ChopperCharles

While I really do like CSC (My SG400 is awesome), I'm kinda holding out for the Benelli TRK752 or TRK802. Whichever makes it to the USA. I want a physically large good-looking sport-touring bike that can handle the hot mess they call roads in northern california. I'd get the TRK502 now, except that I already have the Leoncino Trail, which uses the same engine. I know they're vastly different bikes, but my brain still sees them as the same thing because they share a motor.

I saw a video of the new TRK802 and wasn't too impressed by it, given the imminent arrival of the CF Moto Adventura 800. The weight is up there, while the power is down. I would definitely wait until the Adventura 800 arrives before I would consider either a TRK802 or a RX6. Ninety-five horsepower versus seventy-five is a big power delta to overcome, especially if the MSRP's end up close together. Plus, the Adventura 800 is absolutely loaded to the gills, farkle-wise. It's probably the first bike that I would not have to add anything onto, since it already has it OEM. We're talking centerstand, auxiliary lights, skidplate, luggage, TPMS, heated grips and seat, and crash bars. Basically, just buy it and ride it; I like that very much. I absolutely despise having to shut a bike down for upgrades - I just want to ride the damn thing.

For the TRK502, no, I wouldn't recommend it at all. Way too heavy at 546 lbs wet, with only 38.5 HP. Plus, it's expensive as hell right now - a nationwide search on CycleTrader only shows a couple new and used units, mainly in the $6400-$8400 price range, and that is not OTD pricing either. I know you like Benelli's, but this one is a hard pass, IMO.

If you really need a touring bike right now, pick up a new Adventura 650 or a used Versys 650, or even a VStrom 650. You'll find their 65 HP or so much more to your liking. They're still hefty, but they have the power to move that heft.

[outboardr]

You’re right about all the choices we have.
The quality and features of the bikes from China is advancing soooooo rapidly….
Friggin heated seats are coming. Next will be heated windscreens an regen braking etc
Lots of choices.
That interview with the head of Norton is interesting
He basically states that the market for liter and above is dying fast, and that growth will be in the smaller displacement markets and ev
I put a deposit on a silver RX1e.
Most of my rides are an hour to hour.5, it will handle that just fine

Im down to only one bike my 21 Rx4
I can always pop for a CFMoto an RX6 or Benelli.
With my 30” inseam i have to pay attention to seat height.
Glad to see a centerstand on RX1e

[Working_ZS]

Originally Posted by outboardr

You’re right about all the choices we have.
The quality and features of the bikes from China is advancing soooooo rapidly….
Friggin heated seats are coming. Next will be heated windscreens an regen braking etc
Lots of choices.
That interview with the head of Norton is interesting
He basically states that the market for liter and above is dying fast, and that growth will be in the smaller displacement markets and ev
I put a deposit on a silver RX1e.
Most of my rides are an hour to hour.5, it will handle that just fine

Im down to only one bike my 21 Rx4
I can always pop for a CFMoto an RX6 or Benelli.
With my 30” inseam i have to pay attention to seat height.
Glad to see a centerstand on RX1e

The head of Norton is right - small to middle cc displacement bikes are where it is at, both in terms of weight and power. I really don't want to deal with more than 100 HP or 500 lbs; any more power is wasted, as it isn't useful off road, and just tempts you into tickets on the street; while excess weight is just a pain in the backside picking it up, both on the street and in the dirt.

For the type of riding that you do, an RX1E should slot in nicely. I will warn you though, you might get to missing all the valve checks, oil changes, and chain maintenance - so you better keep some cash ready to spring for a RX6, Adventura 800, or TRK802 if it really starts to gnaw at you. Better safe than sorry, lol.

Given your inseam, the CF Moto bikes would most likely fit you to a tee. From what I've seen and read about them, CF Moto seems to have made it a priority to keep the seat heights low on their bikes, Adventura 800 included.

Definitely some good times, China bike-wise.