A French electric trials bike that nails the one thing electric off-roaders usually cannot: a real, working clutch that makes it ride like a petrol trials machine. Range measured in minutes, the torque number decoded, what it truly costs, and who it is for. Sources on everything.
A purpose-built competition trials bike, ultra-light and silent, with a genuine hydraulic clutch and TKO idle that make it feel like a gas bike. Plan for ride-time, not distance (roughly 100 to 240 minutes per charge), a ~43 mph ceiling you will rarely use, a 2 to 3.5 hour charge, and a premium price. Short on range by design, long on control.
Assumptions: competition off-road use, low annual distance, electricity near US-average $0.17/kWh, maintenance ~$250/yr (tires, brakes, fluids, no engine internals), resale strong in the trials community. Price from about $12,000 plus freight; confirm import duties locally. 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 purpose-built electric trials bike from Saint-Jean-de-Vedas, France. Ultra-light at around 172 lb, silent, and built for balance and control over obstacles, not for getting anywhere. The headline is a genuine hydraulic diaphragm clutch with TKO idle that makes it behave like a petrol trials machine, the thing electric off-roaders usually cannot do. Think in ride-time per charge, not miles, expect a premium price, and know up front it is not street legal. Short on range by design, long on the things that matter in trials.
Start here, the right answer depends entirely on who is asking.
This is a focused tool, so the audience is narrow and the wrong-buyer warnings matter. We lead every report with this so nobody buys the wrong machine.
The sweet spot, and really the whole point. Riders who want electric quiet and instant low-speed control without giving up the clutch feel they trained on. The Race version's six engine maps span docile to full race with clutch and TKO.
Near-silent running makes it far more neighbor-friendly than a screaming two-stroke, so you can practice longer without complaints. The clutch keeps the technique transferable to a petrol bike.
Wrong tool entirely. This is a trials bike, geared and built for walking-pace obstacle work, not covering ground. Range is measured in minutes of stunting, not trail miles.
No. It is not street legal and not meant to be, with no lights, signals or road registration, and minimal seat or range for road use. A poor fit in every way for getting to work.
Same bike, two stories. The struck-through line is the headline; the big number is what to actually expect. The "why" is in Part C.
What is genuinely clever, and what is normal for the class. The part the brand's own page never frames for you.
The Epure's reputation rests on solving one hard problem. Each badge tells you whether it is a real engineering edge, solid, or oversold.
The headline, and a genuine rarity among electric off-roaders: a real hydraulic diaphragm clutch plus a tick-over (TKO) mode that holds the motor at a constant idle RPM. The bike behaves like a combustion trials machine, and reviewers single out the light, one-finger clutch action as the thing that makes it feel natural to old-school riders.
★ Genuine edgeElectric Motion quotes a big rear-wheel torque figure (around 600 Nm). That is wheel torque from the gearing, not raw motor output, but what it delivers in practice is excellent low-speed control over rocks and ledges. The control is real and genuinely good.
✓ SolidThe Race version offers six maps, from docile (like a 125cc petrol bike) to full race with clutch and TKO (more like a 300cc equivalent). Real, useful breadth for matching the bike to a rider's level and section.
✓ SolidAt around 172 lb and near-silent, it is easier on neighbors and lets you practice longer. Light weight is core to trials, and the quiet is a real-world advantage gas bikes cannot match.
★ Genuine edgeMarketing specs vs. the physics. The math is simple, battery capacity and a few formulas, so let us run it.
A 600 Nm figure looks enormous next to a car engine. As with most hub and direct-drive electrics, it is rear-wheel torque from the gearing, not motor output, so it is not comparable to an engine's crank torque.
The number that predicts how the bike pulls is the motor power. Convert it to horsepower:
The quoted ~43 km (~27 mi) figure is almost beside the point. Trials riding is measured in ride-time, and hard technical use drains the pack fast. Here is how to think about it honestly.
The energy. The Epure Race carries a roughly 1.9 kWh battery (larger 2.5 kWh packs exist on related Electric Motion models). Apply the usable-energy rule:
Why distance is the wrong unit. In trials you are rarely moving fast or far; you are balancing, blipping, and clutching over obstacles, then stopping. So the meaningful figure is time. Electric Motion and reviewers describe roughly 100 to 240 minutes of casual operating time per charge, with aggressive sessions cutting that sharply. One reviewer rode two hours with frequent stops and still had about 65 percent left, enough for a club trial.
Charge time is just battery size ÷ charger power. The small trials pack makes this quick, and a higher-amp charger makes it quicker.
Electric Motion quotes about 3 hours 30 minutes from empty on the included 10A charger, dropping to roughly 2 hours with an optional higher-amp (about 25A) unit. Our formula lines up with those figures:
The sticker is the smallest number in the story. Here is the whole bill.
The MSRP is a headline, not a checkout total. This is specialist gear sold through trials distributors, so freight and import handling matter.
| Line item | Typical | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bike (MSRP) | ~$12,000 | Epure Race; Sport variants near $11,700 |
| Freight | ~$475 | Quoted on US trials-dealer listings |
| Sales tax (~8%) | ~$960 | Varies by state; some exempt off-road |
| Starter gear (helmet, boots, armor) | $300–$700 | Non-negotiable for trials |
| Realistic out-the-door | ≈ $13,700–$14,100 | Before a single section |
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 (MSRP + freight) | ~$12,500 | Excl. tax; varies by dealer and region |
| Gear (one-time) | ~$700 | Helmet, boots, armor |
| Electricity (charging) | ~$60 | Almost nothing, math below |
| Tires, brakes, fluids, consumables | ~$1,250 | Trials chews tires; ~$250/yr |
| Engine internals / oil / valves | $0 | None: electric drivetrain |
| Insurance / registration | $0 | Off-road / competition only |
| 5-year total (before resale) | ≈ $14,510 | |
| Resale value (yr 5) | − ~$3,300 | Strong in the trials community if cared for |
| Net true cost to own (est.) | ≈ $11,200 | ≈ $2,240 / year |
What breaks, who fixes it, and whether you can get parts.
We read the reviews and the trials community so you do not have to, and summarize the recurring themes. For the Epure, the picture is a focused, well-regarded specialist machine.
A bike is only as ownable as its parts supply. Here the Epure is specialist gear, supported by the trials community rather than the mainstream.
Electric Motion runs through dedicated trials distributors, such as Trials Superstore in the UK and specialist importers elsewhere, rather than general motorcycle dealers. OEM parts and support are available through that network, and the trials community is knowledgeable, but you will not find Epure consumables on a mainstream shelf. Plan to source through a trials specialist, and factor that into where you buy.
| Part category | Availability | Rough cost |
|---|---|---|
| OEM battery / electronics | fair, specialist-only | via trials dealers |
| Tires, brakes, fluids | good (trials supply) | $20–$250 |
| Clutch / drivetrain parts | fair, specialist-only | via distributors |
| Aftermarket upgrades | trials-community | niche catalog |
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. A focused competition tool will lose points on axes it was never built to win.
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 only kWh is published, as here (~1.9 kWh), we use it directly.
You never use 0 to 100%. The BMS holds a reserve and voltage tapers at the bottom. We assume ~88%.
For trials, distance is the wrong unit. Ride-time per charge is what matters, here roughly 100 to 240 minutes.
Always ask which number a spec quotes. A 600 Nm wheel-torque figure reflects gearing, not motor output.
"Fast charging" is meaningless without the charger's wattage. The ×1.1 covers losses and taper.
| Cost assumption | We used | Change it if… |
|---|---|---|
| Annual use | Low distance, competition/practice | You ride more → tires & brakes rise |
| Electricity rate | $0.17 / kWh (US avg) | Your utility differs |
| Sales tax | ~8% | Your state differs / exempts off-road |
| Battery life | No replacement in 5 yr | Very hard use → sooner |
| Resale | Strong in trials community | Condition & market vary |
We cite everything and date it, because specs, prices and import duties 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 June 2026. Manufacturer pages state claimed specs; treat them as marketing figures, not independent tests. Prices and import duties vary by region and over time; confirm with a trials dealer before relying on any number.