Having never driven an electric vehicle in any form, I was really curious, interested, keen, to take an electric motorcycle for a ride.

So when the opportunity to ride the Australian Savic motorcycle came up, I jumped at it.

The Savic is a unique bike with a unique look. And in its own way, I think it looks really good. Like many things, pictures don’t do it justice. While it’s classified as a ‘cafe racer’ with all the styling cues of that, it’s still very much its own thing.

I’m not going to get into all the specs as you can find them all on their website. 

So … what did I think…?

Sitting on the bike, this is no light weight, but it also doesn’t feel as heavy as the spec sheet suggests. Looking at it, I was expecting it to feel more top-heavy … but it wasn’t.  Everything felt pretty much normal, sans the clutch and gear levers.

After a brief ‘how to’, I follow my guide out onto the road to experience the electric bike in a real-world setting.

The trick to getting the bike underway is selecting the direction on the right-hand cluster: one push for forward; long press for reverse. Then twist the throttle. It’s that easy.!

The Savic has a number of preset modes defining the electric powertrain’s characteristics, including its power delivery, throttle response, and the amount of regenerative braking. Switching between modes is just a push of the button while the throttle is closed … is that even the right term now as you’re not really closing anything…?

As we head up the road I start out in the standard mode, the bike feels normal … well, except for no gears … and going for the clutch when coming to a stop. But it doesn’t take long to adapt to the twist and go riding.

Playing with the modes … this one is too soft, this one is too slow, and this one has too little engine braking.

Pulling over for a chat with my guide, and we set up a couple of custom maps based on my comments … full everything, and sports mode with more regen.

Woah, full regen is too much! You roll off, and it’s like you grab the brakes. Nope, I don’t like that.!

Sports with more regen was my goldilocks zone, with all the power and its huge torque figures of 250Nm (compared to my ZX14R of 158Nm), and with a regen rate that still feels natural but with a sensation of more engine braking than my 14 enabling the ability to ride mostly just using the throttle, and only needing to grab the brakes occasionally.

Unfortunately, the ride was only around 10 minutes, and our route didn’t take us out of town onto some open flowing roads. Around town it felt great, especially after finding the right settings for me. It’d be interesting to see how it translates out of town and ridden at a spirited pace on your favourite road.

Just tooling around town, on a different style of bike, with a very power delivery system, it was hard to get a good sense of it handling and true capabilities. The weight really didn’t phase me as it sits between my ZX14R and ST1300 however it felt much lighter, smaller, and shorter … although it’s only 40mm shorter wheelbase than the 14 … it certainly felt much shorter than that.

Obviously, one of the big differences is the aural experience, which is much different.! 

So … what didn’t I like.?

The two things that I commented on after the ride were:

• the TFT dash was a bit hard to read due to the angle, and some of the detail was a bit small.

• I found the mode button was a bit hard to reach without moving my hand.

Small stuff really. They are looking at options for the  screen following feedback. And modes … after reflecting on this, this wouldn’t be a problem as in normal riding, you wouldn’t be playing with it like on a test ride. For example, my 14 has been on full power and the lowest traction setting for the last 10 years.

So … the $64,000 question … would I buy one.?

Did I like this bike? Yes.

Would I buy this bike? No.

This bike doesn’t fit my type of riding, either for touring or for long distance riding. And I can’t afford a $30,000 sunday bike.

Would I buy an electric bike?

Based on this ride, yes, I think I would. And if I did have a spare $30k sitting around for a commuter / Sunday bike, I’d be seriously tempted.

Final thoughts

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did. Savic has made a great bike, and I can see electric bikes as being a worthy option in the future.

My advice, get out there and take one for a ride, and let me know what you think.