A gorgeous, French-built, 400-unit limited-edition lightweight supermoto, decoded with real physics: where the range actually goes, what the torque number really means, why the price is the catch, and who it is for. Sources on everything.
A beautiful, featherweight French supermoto sold as a numbered collectible, not a value proposition. Plan for ~65 to 75 real miles (not the 93 city claim), ~31 hp peak from a 23 kW motor, no DC fast charging, and a price near $19,900 for 125cc-class performance. The styling and exclusivity are the product.
Assumptions: ~$19,900 purchase, street use (registration + insurance), ~2,500 mi/yr, $0.17/kWh, low-maintenance belt drive, resale highly uncertain on a numbered limited edition. Sold mainly in Europe, UK, UAE. Full table in §10.
Every module behind the headlines: who it is for, claims vs. physics, true cost, reliability, parts, and the standard scorecard. All sourced.
A design-forward lightweight electric supermoto from a small French maker (founded 2018, since acquired by Peugeot), built as a strictly limited run of 400 numbered units with a handlebar plaque and certificate. Mechanically a featherweight: ~276 lb, a 7.1 kWh pack, ~35 hp peak, with proper 17-inch wheels, KYB suspension, and Brembo brakes. Plan for ~65 to 75 real miles (not the 93 city figure), no DC fast charging, and roughly $19,900. It is a boutique object as much as a motorcycle. Here is exactly how we get there.
Start here, the right answer depends entirely on who is asking.
Same bike, very different answer depending on the rider. We lead every report with this so nobody buys the wrong machine.
The sweet spot, if you live in a served market. A rare, beautiful, numbered French supermoto that also rides well. If the limited-edition cachet and the craftsmanship justify the spend for you, this is the buyer it was built for.
Genuinely light and nimble at ~276 lb, with a clean belt drive and lively low-speed torque. For short urban and backroad rides in its served markets it is a delight, just keep expectations at 125cc-class pace.
Look elsewhere. At ~$19,900 you are paying superbike money for 125cc-class performance. The premium buys exclusivity and design, not extra speed or range. If you measure value in performance per dollar, this is not it.
Proceed with caution. Service and parts are concentrated in Europe, the UK, and the UAE, with no established US dealer or aftermarket network. There is also no DC fast charging. You would be largely on your own.
Same bike, two stories. The struck-through line is what the listing tells you; the big number is what to actually expect. The "why" is in Part C.
What is genuinely clever, and which "innovations" are really table-stakes. The part the brand's own page never tells you.
What sets the 1 Alpha apart, rated honestly. Each badge tells you whether it is a real edge, normal for 2026, or marketing gloss.
Genuinely light and nimble versus most street-legal electric bikes, with proper supermoto-spec 17-inch wheels, KYB suspension, and Brembo brakes. The low weight is the real engineering and riding win here.
★ Genuine edgeA clean, quiet, low-maintenance final drive, exactly right for a light EV: no chain to lube or adjust. A genuinely good choice, and increasingly common on premium electrics.
✓ SolidEach Alpha is a numbered unit with a handlebar plaque and certificate of authenticity. This is the actual product: exclusivity and craftsmanship. Whether that is an "innovation" or simply scarcity pricing is for you to judge.
✓ The real productA marketing name for a temporary power mode that briefly lifts output for overtakes. Useful, but a boost mode is common across EVs and the name oversells a standard feature.
≈ Now standardMarketing specs vs. the physics. The math is simple, battery capacity and a few formulas, so let us run it.
DAB advertises a big torque figure, and it is real, but it is wheel torque produced through the belt reduction, not raw motor output. Here is the honest reading.
The advertised ~395 Nm is wheel torque after gearing, not what the motor itself makes. Bike EXIF and others have noted the high number reflects the reduction, not a giant motor. The figures that actually define the bike are its power outputs:
The headline gap. The 93 mile figure is a best-case city number; DAB's own WMTC mixed figure is the honest one. Here is the arithmetic.
Step 1, real energy in the tank. Range starts with how much energy the battery holds. DAB lists a 72V system with a 7.1 kWh maximum pack and a 6.2 kWh nominal capacity, so we use the nominal figure as the realistic store.
Step 2, how much you spend per mile. Consumption (Wh/mi) is the whole game. Stop-and-go city riding is gentle; steady mixed riding at supermoto pace costs more because drag rises with the square of speed.
An 81 mph top speed is honest for a light 125-class supermoto, but holding speed is exactly what trims the range above.
The 1 Alpha tops out near 81 mph, plenty for city and backroad work but not a motorway cruiser. Held near the top, consumption climbs and the WMTC mixed figure drifts toward the lower end of our range estimate. The honest framing: this is a nimble, lightweight machine that rewards flowing roads, not sustained high-speed runs.
So the long range and the top speed are not meant to coexist. The bike is at its best ridden for feel and flickability, where its weight advantage shines, rather than chasing numbers.
Charge time is just battery size ÷ charger power. DAB keeps it onboard only, no DC fast charging, so the charger wattage is the whole story.
Shopping for one of these, you will see the same platform listed with different numbers. They are not all lying, here is how to read them.
| You will see | What it really is | Trust it? |
|---|---|---|
| 7.1 kWh / 6.2 kWh | Maximum vs nominal capacity. Use the 6.2 kWh nominal for honest range math. | use nominal |
| 23 kW peak / 8 kW nominal | Burst vs continuous power. ~31 hp peak, ~11 hp sustained. | real, both |
| ~395 Nm | Wheel torque after the belt reduction, not raw motor torque. | geared figure |
| "93 mile range" | City best case. DAB's own WMTC mixed figure is nearer 75 mi. | city best case |
| DAB 1 Alpha vs DAB 1 vs 1aX | Different models. The Alpha is the 400-unit limited edition; the DAB 1 is the cheaper mass version; the 1aX is a related scrambler. | check model |
| EUR 14,900 / ~$19,900 | The limited Alpha launched near 14,900 euros in Europe; US-equivalent pricing is higher. | market-dependent |
The sticker is the headline, and on this bike it is also the catch. Here is the whole bill.
The price is the story here. At ~$19,900 you are paying superbike money for 125cc-class hardware, and the cheaper mass-production DAB 1 makes the Alpha's premium look steeper still.
| Line item | Typical | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bike (Alpha) | ~$19,900 | EUR 14,900 launch in Europe |
| Registration / on-road costs | varies | Depends on country (EU/UK/UAE) |
| Insurance (first year) | $400–$900 | High-value, low-volume bike |
| Starter gear | $500–$1,500 | Helmet, jacket, gloves, boots |
| Realistic out-the-door | ≈ $20,800–$22,300 | Before a single mile |
The number almost no one shows you. We itemize it, show the math, and state every assumption so you can adjust it to your own riding.
| Cost over 5 years | Estimate | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase | $19,900 | Excl. gear; registration varies by country |
| Gear (one-time) | $900 | Helmet, jacket, gloves, boots |
| Electricity (charging) | $400 | Cheap per mile, math below |
| Insurance + registration | $3,000 | High-value bike, ~$600/yr est. |
| Tires, brakes, belt service | $1,200 | Clean belt drive keeps this modest |
| Battery (replace / upgrade) | $0 | None assumed in 5 yr |
| 5-year total (before resale) | ≈ $25,400 | |
| Resale value (yr 5) | − $5,900 | Highly uncertain on a 400-unit collectible |
| Net true cost to own | ≈ $19,500 | ≈ $3,900 / year |
What breaks, who fixes it, and whether you can get parts.
We read the coverage so you do not have to, and summarize the recurring themes, not cherry-picked raves. On a small-volume bike most coverage is preview and first-look, so the data is thin.
A bike is only as ownable as its parts supply. Here the 1 Alpha is at the difficult end: a small-volume maker with a concentrated service footprint.
Service and parts are concentrated in Europe, the UK, and the UAE, with no established US dealer or aftermarket network. Common consumables (tires, brake pads, belt) follow standard sizes, but anything specific to DAB's powertrain or bodywork routes back through the maker. North American buyers are largely on their own.
| Part category | Availability | Rough cost |
|---|---|---|
| Powertrain / battery (OEM) | maker only (EU/UK/UAE) | via DAB |
| Tires, brake pads, belt | good (standard sizes) | $150–$500 |
| Bodywork / styling parts | limited-edition specific | via DAB |
| Electronics / controllers | maker only | varies |
One scorecard, identical axes on every bike.
Every e-moto on the site is scored on these same eight axes, by the same rules, so a 7 here means the same thing as a 7 anywhere.
Our standing methodology, run identically on every e-moto, including bikes we would otherwise have reason to flatter.
The only honest way to compare two batteries. When a max and nominal are both listed (7.1 vs 6.2 kWh), use the nominal.
You never use 0 to 100%. The BMS holds a reserve and voltage tapers at the bottom. We assume ~90% of nominal.
Consumption is the lever: ~60 Wh/mi city, ~75 mixed, more at pace. Drag rises with speed².
Always ask which number a spec quotes, and whether a torque figure is at the motor or the wheel.
"Fast" is meaningless without the charger's wattage, and here there is no DC fast charging at all.
| Cost assumption | We used | Change it if… |
|---|---|---|
| Annual mileage | 2,500 mi/yr (12,500 / 5 yr) | You ride more → tires & charging rise |
| Electricity rate | $0.17 / kWh (US avg) | EU rates often higher |
| Registration / tax | Country-dependent | EU/UK/UAE rules differ |
| Battery life | No replacement in 5 yr | Very hard use → sooner |
| Resale | ~30% of price at yr 5 | Collectible, highly uncertain |
We cite everything and date it, because specs and prices change. Manufacturer figures are labeled as claims; real-world numbers are our estimates from the methodology above. Spot an error? Our corrections policy means we fix it in public.
Sources retrieved May 2026. Manufacturer pages state claimed specs; treat them as marketing figures, not independent tests. Pricing is market-dependent; we re-check periodically because it moves.