A 7,000-dollar board-track-styled e-bicycle that plays street-legal e-bike in town and near-40-mph hooligan off the leash. We read the fine print on race mode, decode the two range numbers, and total the real cost. Sources on everything.
Be clear up front: this is a bicycle, not a motorcycle. It has pedals, pedal assist, and a thumb throttle. In default street mode it is a road-legal 20 mph Class 2 e-bike; an extra-cost key unlocks a 36 mph race mode that is off-road only. The 75-mile range assumes the gentle street setting; ride it flat-out and the same pack covers about 40. You are paying ~$7,000 for the look as much as the speed.
What we can state: the 1,123 Wh pack charges from a standard wall outlet in about 4 hours, and the electricity is near free (math in §7). As an e-bicycle there is no registration or insurance in most of the US, which is part of the value. The big number is the bike, and the styling premium baked into it.
Every module behind the headlines: who it is for, claims vs. physics, true cost, reliability, parts, and the standard scorecard. All sourced.
The Scrambler S is a bicycle, not a motorcycle: pedals, a thumb throttle, and pedal assist, built by Vintage Electric of Santa Clara. The WWII-inspired board-track styling, mock V-twin battery case, and yellow grille headlamp are the whole point. In default street mode it is a 750-watt, 20 mph Class 2 e-bike, road-legal in much of the US. An extra-cost key unlocks a ~36 mph race mode that is for private property and off-road only. The big 1,123 Wh pack does up to 75 miles ridden gently, or about 40 miles flat-out. Buy it for the look and the legal daily ride, treat race mode as a closed-course bonus.
Start here, the right answer depends entirely on who is asking, and where they ride.
Same bike, very different answer depending on the buyer. We lead every report with this so nobody buys the wrong machine.
The sweet spot. If you want a head-turning, well-built e-bicycle for street cruising at legal speeds and nothing else looks like it, this is exactly that. People buy the Scrambler S because of how it looks, and on that score it delivers.
Where race mode earns its key. On private property or off-road, the unlocked ~36 mph and instant torque make this a genuinely fast toy. Lock it back to street mode for public roads and you are legal again.
At ~$7,000 this is a luxury object. If raw speed and range per dollar are your goals, a cheaper e-moto-class machine beats it comfortably. You are paying for design and presence, not a spec-sheet bargain.
If you want a true motorcycle, or plan to ride 36 mph on public roads, this is the wrong tool and, in race mode on the road, not legal. It is a bicycle that happens to go fast off-road, not a registered vehicle.
This bike has two honest sets of numbers, one for street mode and one for race mode. The struck-through line is the headline; the big number is the everyday legal reality. The "why" is in Part C.
What is genuinely special, and which "features" are really styling. The part the brand's own page never tells you.
The Scrambler S sells on design first, capability second. Each badge tells you whether it is a real edge, normal for the class, or pure styling, and styling here is not an insult, it is the product.
WWII-inspired styling, a hydroformed aluminum frame, a mock V-twin battery case, and a mesh-protected yellow LED headlamp. Nothing else in the category looks like this, and the look is the single biggest reason to buy. A genuine, if intangible, edge.
★ Genuine edgeThe signature element doubles as styling and a portable 1,123 Wh pack, more than twice a typical e-bike battery. It looks like the engine of a board-track racer and pulls out to charge off the bike.
✓ SolidFor an extra fee, a key unlocks the motor's full ~3,000 W and a ~36 mph top speed. Genuinely fun on private land, and reversible. The honest caveat: at 36 mph it is no longer a legal e-bike, so it is an off-road feature, not a commuting spec.
✓ Solid (off-road)Five ride modes balance motor help against pedaling, plus an inverted suspension fork and Kevlar-infused Schwalbe tyres. Quality kit, but multi-level assist is standard on serious e-bikes now.
≈ Now standardMarketing specs vs. the physics, and the legal fine print the marketing soft-pedals.
The single most important thing to understand about this bike is the difference between its two modes, and what each one means legally. Convert the power figures to the unit everyone feels.
In street mode the motor is a 750 W Class 2 unit capped at 20 mph. The race-mode key unlocks the motor's full capability, around 3,000 W and a ~36 mph top speed:
Unusually, both range numbers here are honest. They just describe two different bikes: the gentle legal one and the flat-out off-road one. Here is the arithmetic.
Step 1, real energy in the tank. The 1,123 Wh pack (about 1.3 kWh) is more than twice a typical e-bike battery, which is how it reaches 75 miles in the first place:
Step 2, speed sets consumption. Drag rises with the square of speed, so doubling your pace far more than doubles the energy you burn per mile. Ridden gently at 20 mph (ideally pedaling), consumption is low; pinned at 36 mph it roughly doubles:
Charge time is just battery size ÷ charger power. The Scrambler S charges from a standard wall outlet, and the maker cites about a 4-hour full charge.
The sticker is the smallest number in the story, but here it is also a big number. Here is what we can state.
The Scrambler S starts at $6,995, but that is before add-ons, and the race-mode key is one of them. As an e-bike, though, several normal motoring costs simply do not apply.
| Line item | Typical | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bike (MSRP) | from $6,995 | Before any add-ons |
| Race-mode key | extra cost | Sold separately to unlock ~36 mph off-road |
| Add-ons (rack, bags, bell, lock) | optional | Saddlebag rack, Spurcycle bell, ABUS lock |
| Sales tax | ~8% | Varies by US state |
| Registration / insurance | $0 | As a Class 2 e-bike in most of the US |
| Realistic out-the-door | $7,000+ before add-ons | Plus tax and any extras you choose |
Whatever you spend up front, the day-to-day cost of running an e-bike is trivial. Here is the math at the US average rate.
What it is like to own a heavy, premium e-bicycle, and where to weigh it.
We summarize what is verifiable about living with it rather than inventing owner quotes. This is a heavy, substantial, premium machine.
A premium e-bike is only as ownable as its support. Here you get a mix of standard bicycle parts and brand-specific components.
Much of the Scrambler S uses standard high-end bicycle hardware: Schwalbe tyres, disc brakes, and common drivetrain consumables that any good bike shop can service. The brand-specific items, the aluminum battery box, the motor and controller, and the race-mode key, route through Vintage Electric directly. As a Santa Clara, US-based maker, support is domestic, which helps, but the signature battery is the part to ask about for long-term cost and availability, since on any e-bike the pack is the most expensive component to replace.
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. An e-bicycle naturally scores differently on some axes than a motorcycle.
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. The Scrambler S pack is 1,123 Wh, twice a typical e-bike.
You never use 0 to 100%. The BMS holds a reserve and voltage tapers at the bottom. We assume ~88%.
Consumption is the lever: low at 20 mph, roughly double at 36 mph. Drag rises with speed².
Always ask which number a spec quotes. Here it is 750 W street vs ~3,000 W race-mode peak.
"Fast charging" is meaningless without the charger's wattage. The ×1.1 covers losses and taper.
| Cost assumption | We used | Change it if… |
|---|---|---|
| Annual mileage | 1,500 mi/yr (7,500 / 5 yr) | You ride more → tires & consumables rise |
| Electricity rate | $0.17 / kWh (US avg) | Your utility differs |
| Sales tax | ~8% | Your state differs |
| Registration / insurance | $0 (Class 2 e-bike) | Race mode on public roads changes this |
| Resale | Not yet established | Premium e-bike resale data is thin |
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. Both the 75 mi and ~40 mi range figures are published by Vintage Electric for street and race modes respectively. Race mode at 36 mph is off-road only and is not a legal e-bike speed on public roads.