Price: £7,495 | Power: 14bhp | Weight: 130kg | Overall BikeSocial Rating: TBA
When we rode the original Maeving RM1 we called it a ‘direct hit’ in terms of styling but found the city-oriented performance was a limiting factor outside town. With the new RM1S there’s no change to the attention-grabbing looks but a huge boost in power and top speed to make this the first Maeving that’s a genuine contender for electric bike riders who venture away from city centres.
Pros & Cons
- More than double the power of the RM1
- Bigger-capacity batteries mean no loss of range
- Still looks as good as ever and can be ridden on L-plates
- There are cheaper electric bikes with similar performance
- Electric range and recharging time still hamstrung compared to petrol practicality
- Fast-developing electric bike tech means resale values may be volatile
Review – In Detail
Price & PCP
For and against
Engine & Performance
Handling & Suspension (inc. weight & brakes)
Comfort & Economy
Equipment
Rivals
Verdict
Specification
Maeving is already accepting pre-orders for the RM1S, with a starting price of £7,495 and deliveries are due to start in March 2024.
The standard RM1 price has also been dropped meaning that bike now starts at £4,995, but that’s with just one battery. A dual-battery version now begins at £5,990. The RM1S only comes in dual-battery form, with larger-capacity, reengineered batteries and onboard charging as well as a new, more powerful motor, more than doubling its output and adding 20mph to the top speed. With that in mind, the £1,505 premium over the twin-battery version of the slower, less powerful RM1 seems quite a jump.
The ‘engine’ here is a hub-mounted electric motor, uprated from the original RM1’s Bosch design – which was rated for 3kW (4hp) ‘continuous’ output or a shorter peak of 4.4kW (5.9hp) – to a new version that’s rated at 7kW continuous and 10.5kW peak power. Those numbers equate to 9.4hp continuous, which is the figure that the motor can maintain for long periods without overheating, and 14hp as an absolute peak for shorter periods. The latter figure is the one to compare with conventional, petrol-powered bikes, and puts it squarely in the same performance league as most 125cc machines, which are limited to 15hp by law to remain learner-legal.
The extra power translates to a top speed that rises from 45mph for the original RM1 to a much more usable 65mph – enough to make national speed limit roads a much less intimidating prospect. It’s still a little slow for motorways, but since most owners are likely to be L-plated riders they’re not going to be allowed on those anyway.
Maeving co-founder Will Stirrup said: “The RM1S is the bike we have been asked over and over to build by those riders who want a zero-emissions motorcycle that looks like an RM1 but is capable of highway speeds.
“We’ve worked extremely hard to ensure that everything that has made the RM1 so popular with our customers is carried over to the new RM1S, whilst delivering the greater performance that will mean it can be used in a much wider variety of use cases.
“The original Maeving RM1 has been a huge success for us and, for many riders who stay within inner city limits, it will remain the perfect motorcycle. Adding the RM1S to the collection provides an electric motorcycle for those that need to cover wider geographies at higher speeds.
“It’s an overused phrase, but we truly believe this is a game-changer: an EV that you can purchase for less than the cost of a monthly Oyster card, that can be used for the vast majority of one’s travel needs, with all the joy and convenience that motorcycling brings. We’re incredibly proud of it.”
The RM1S’s simple, steel frame is essentially the same as the RM1’s, and despite batteries with 30% more capacity than the originals it’s just 6kg heavier than a dual-battery RM1 at 130kg ready-to-ride.
The suspension setup is a simple formula, with twin shocks at the back and right-way-up forks at the front, with adjustment limited to rear preload. However, the RM1’s ride and handling was better than those bare specs suggested and there’s no reason to believe the RM1S will be any different in that respect.
The brakes are, again, carried over from the RM1, which means a combined brake setup – the right lever deals with the front wheel alone while the left hand operates both front and rear. The lack of ABS starts to stand out more at the RM1S’s increased performance level, though.
The RM1S, like the RM1, is very clearly not a long-distance tourer, and with a battery range of 80 miles between charges you’re not going to be spending endless hours in the saddle anyway. The lack of weight makes it easy to hustle around, though, and being electric there are no nagging vibrations that will become tiresome.
The battery setup is a notable departure from the RM1. On the original bike, one battery sits vertically in the housing where you’d normally find the engine and the second, optional battery lies flat in the ‘tank’ ahead of the rider. For the RM1S, the packs are new – replacing the Samsung 35E ‘18650’ cylindrical cells (18mm diameter, 65mm long) with LG 21700 (21mm diameter, 70mm long) cells that have a higher capacity. That means each of the two batteries has a capacity of 2.6kWh instead of the 2.03kWh of the older generation.
What’s more, the engine-shaped housing on the RM1S is redesigned to allow both the batteries to fit inside it, leaving 10 litres of lockable luggage space in the ‘tank’ above.
While you can still remove the batteries to charge them indoors, as on the original RM1, you now need to buy an optional battery dock to do that. The standard charging process for the RM1S is to leave the batteries in the bike and plug the whole thing in, charging both simultaneously – something the RM1 can’t do. A typical 80% charge takes 3.5 hours, while a 100% charge requires 4.5 hours.
If you’re looking for endless lists of acronyms for advanced rider aid technologies, or the latest in infotainment, the RM1S isn’t the bike for you. Its appeal lies largely in the stripped-back, bobber-style design and the very fact it avoids complexity. There are riding modes to alter the power delivery – accessible via the bars and displayed on the simple, circular dash that’s shared with the RM1 – but that’s about it in terms of gadgetry.
Pickings are still slim in this part of the electric bike market, but there are a couple of options and the imminent launch of Kawasaki’s Z E-1 and Ninja E-1 will introduce two more to the field.
The most obvious alternative is the Super Soco TCMax, although it’s noticeably less powerful than the Maeving and has a shorter range, albeit for much less money. Kawasaki has yet to confirm specifications for its upcoming electric bikes but they have been type-approved (giving us access to the specs below).
BMW’s new CE 02, while more scooter-shaped, is also a stylish, well-equipped electric bike with similar power and price to the RM1S but a much shorter range: just 28 miles is quoted for the single-battery, entry level version of the BMW.
Super Soco TC Max | Price: £3,699
Power/Torque: 6.7bhp/9.5lb-ft | Weight: 100kg
Kawasaki Z E-1/ Ninja | Price: £TBA
Power/Torque: 12bhp/TBA lb-ft | Weight: 135kg/140kg
BMW CE 02 | Price: £7,450
Power/Torque: 11bhp/55lb-ft | Weight: 132kg
We’ll let you know once we’ve ridden it!
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New price
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From £7,495
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Motor details
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Hub-mounted, direct-drive motor
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Power
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14bhp (10.5KW)
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Torque
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TBA
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Transmission
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Direct drive, single speed
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Battery size
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2 x 2.6kWh
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Max range to empty
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80 miles
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Rider aids
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Linked brakes
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Frame
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Steel tube
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Front suspension
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Telescopic forks
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Front suspension adjustment
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None
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Rear suspension
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Twin shocks
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Rear suspension adjustment
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Preload only
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Front brake
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240mm disc, three-piston caliper
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Rear brake
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180mm disc, single-piston caliper, linked brake system
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Front wheel / tyre
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3.25 x 19
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Rear wheel / tyre
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3.25 x 19
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Dimensions
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2140mm length, 872mm width
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Wheelbase
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1396mm
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Seat height
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785mm
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Weight
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130kg (kerb)
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Warranty
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2 years
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Servicing
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12 months/3000 miles
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MCIA Secured Rating
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Not yet rated
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Website
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maeving.com
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What is MCIA Secured?
MCIA Secured gives bike buyers the chance to see just how much work a manufacturer has put into making their new investment as resistant to theft as possible.
As we all know, the more security you use, the less chance there is of your bike being stolen. In fact, based on research by Bennetts, using a disc lock makes your machine three times less likely to be stolen, while heavy duty kit can make it less likely to be stolen than a car. For reviews of the best security products, click here.
MCIA Secured gives motorcycles a rating out of five stars (three stars for bikes of 125cc or less), based on the following being fitted to a new bike as standard:
- A steering lock that meets the UNECE 62 standard
- An ignition immobiliser system
- A vehicle marking system
- An alarm system
- A vehicle tracking system with subscription
The higher the star rating, the better the security, so always ask your dealer what rating your bike has and compare it to other machines on your shortlist.
