We loved the KTM Freeride electric motorcycle range when we tested them. But as much as we wanted one, it was a bit difficult to justify the cost. With that in mind, KTM has made the road-legal Freeride E-SM available with two finance options.
The electric supermoto puts out 21.5hp (16kW) with 42Nm of torque. That means it’s equivalent to similar sized petrol bikes in terms of performance. And it’s fine for anyone aged 17 and over with an A1 licence. There are no gears or clutch to worry about, and it’s got WP suspension and 17-inch road tyres.
If you fancy an electric KTM and have a skate park nearby to mess around in, then you can put down a £99 deposit and pay the rest over 24 months with 0% APR. Or skip the initial payment, choose 36 months and you get a 2.5% APR.
With the KTM Freeride E-SM listed at £10,599, that could mean a monthly cost of £437.50 over 24 months. Or if you still put down a deposit, but go for 36 months, it’ll be £302.76. As always, there are terms and conditions to read first, and if you need advice, check out our guide to motorcycle finance.
There are a load more technical details on our test article. But basically you’re looking at about an hour of riding, depending how gentle you can be. And about 80 minutes to recharge.
The tech is impressive, and more affordable financing will help. But besides lowering the initial cost, the best thing KTM might do is to offer a Personal Contract Purchase option, and allow us to pay a fixed sum to get the bike, with the option to settle the rest or return it, after a few years. That would take away the problem that new technology will only get better and cheaper – let me ride a current model for a year or two, then give it back and start paying off a 2017 or 2018 model and an electric motorcycle makes loads more financial sense.
Until then, you need to be fairly committed to put up with the cost and range, which is a shame. But hopefully more tracks will start hiring out the bikes soon – it’s not only fairly cheap and a great way to get kids onto bikes, but the lack of noise means no complaints from people living nearby.
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