This is the next chapter. Electric motorcycles are no longer a novelty. The Arctic Leopard Cheetah E-XE880 is a perfect example of an off-road bike that isn’t defined by its power source. It’s a legitimate motorcycle that just happens to have a battery instead of a gas tank.
To back up a little, Arctic Leopard is a newish company from mainland China just getting a toehold in the U.S. market. It has no relationship to the Arctic Cat ATV/snowmobile brand. So far, the company offers a handful of electric motorcycles. The bike we have here is the Cheetah, which is the company’s most technologically sophisticated product so far. It comes in two different variations: the 800 and the 880, which refers to max output in Newton meters. For rough comparison, 800 N/m is said to be equivalent to 37 horsepower; 880 is supposed to be about 51. We rode both versions, but spent most of our time on the 880. Can you blame us?
The Arctic Leopard Chetah E-XE880 has the biggest battery we’ve yet seen in an electric off-road bike. it sell for $11,000 and is incredibly fast.
THE TECH
Setting the powertrain aside, the Cheetah isn’t that far removed from a conventional dirt bike. The frame is aluminum with a perimeter design. The suspension is from a company by the name of ZL. The wheels are by KKE, and the brakes are Braktec—and yes, it does have a foot-operated rear brake. Tires are Maxxis, and the bodywork has a distinct Honda flavor. This model is clearly equipped with dual-sport certification in mind; it has controls for blinkers and a horn, even if those items aren’t currently in place. Once you get past all that, the Cheetah is wildly different from virtually anything we’ve tested in the past.
It all starts with the battery. The 880 has a 90-volt/75 amp-hour battery, which works out to 6750 watt-hours of capacity. On paper, that’s larger than the battery for the Surron Storm Bee (5700 Wh) or the Stark Varg (6500 Wh), but considerably smaller than full-size street bikes like the Zero DSR (15,600 Wh). Weight, of course, is the limiting factor for a dirt bike. The advertised weight of the Zero is 534 pounds, whereas the Cheetah 880 is 248 pounds (on our scale). Now, for the real questions: how far will it go and how fast is it? To provide the most simplified answers possible, during our test, it lasted over an hour on a motocross course. And, it’s insanely fast.
If you want to dumb it down, you can easily double the range. Company specs say the range is 133 miles if you’re willing to go 15 mph the whole time. We’ll trust them on that number. The real story here is the adjustability of the power delivery. On the handlebar, the Cheetah has controls that let you shift into any one of five different riding modes: Novice, Trail, Enduro, Rally and MX. Within each of those five levels, you can choose three levels of output. If that’s not enough, the Cheetah connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth and provides you with a bewildering number of options. You can customize any of the modes by altering speed, power output, power burst and traction control. It’s enough to quickly send any self-respecting test rider into option overload.
In full-power configuration, the Cheetah 880 can hang with a 450cc off-road competition bike.
There’s more. On the left side of the handlebar there’s a little lever where the clutch usually is. It has multiple functions. It can be an auxiliary rear brake, a battery regeneration brake or an electronic clutch. That last feature isn’t yet available, but will be in the next update of the smartphone app. During our test we used it in battery regeneration mode, but we soon learned there are options within options. You can alter how strong the regenerative braking force is. If it’s too strong, it just locks up the rear wheel.
BUT HOW IS IT?
Our advice is to set all the options into default, put it in Trail mode on level two and have a good time. That’s where the Cheetah is at its best. It makes an exceptional trail bike because it allows you to ride as slowly as you like, but it has a wild side when you want it. When the options are all turned up, it can be difficult to ride because it has so much power and is so responsive. Unlike a conventional bike with a clutch and gearbox, the only real control you have is throttle position, so riding the Cheetah at full strength becomes a lesson in throttle control. You get used to it, but it takes time. At level two (medium output), the 880 is plenty powerful and effective. You know all that stuff we say about how “electric” the power delivery of a good two-stroke can be? It turns out, there’s nothing as electric as the real thing. When you get in a tight, difficult situation, the Cheetah can be gentle and patient while you gather your wits and work on your balance. Then, when it’s time to go, you have acceleration that’s comparable to a good, 250cc, off-road four-stroke.
There are two versions of the Arctic Leopard Cheetah. The 800 (pictured here) has less output and shorter suspension travel, but sells for $1600 less than the 880.
If you like lots of options, you’ll love the VTB smartphone app.
When you get into deep sand or go hill-climbing on level three, MX mode is perfectly appropriate. That’s where the power is comparable to a 450 off-road bike. Interestingly enough, we wouldn’t choose the default configuration of the MX mode if we were to ride motocross. The response is far too sensitive in middle-level throttle openings. Within the app, you can actually access a graph depicting throttle opening on one axis and output on the other—and you can draw a whole new curve with your finger! The possibilities are endless.
MOTORCYCLE PARTS
The biggest weaknesses of the Arctic Leopard turn out to be the easiest things to fix. It’s as if the final testing phase of development were rushed. The standard suspension settings are rough, and the bike’s overall balance gives you a front-end high feel. The rear spring is much softer than the fork springs, and the rear shock is overtaxed. The seat is rock hard, the chassis is very stiff and some of the detailing needs attention. The rear brake pedal is far too vulnerable, the shrouds interfere with the steering and the kickstand can be extended by your heel.
The price of the Arctic Leopard Cheetah 880 is $10,999.
All that stuff is fairly minor in the big picture, and we have to remind ourselves where Arctic Leopard is in its own evolution. When Honda was only a few years old, they had issues of their own. The fact remains that this company is forging ahead into uncharted territory. The Cheetah 880 is at the very forefront of e-moto technology and has set the bar for electric bikes to come. Now, let’s see what happens.
KKE wheels, Maxxis tires and Braktec brakes are standard equipment.
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