MOTOR BIKES Super73 Gets Serious! By Tigra Tsujikawa
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teel may be real but Super73 rolled out its expanded range of aluminum-framed motor bikes combined with more powerful motors, uprated suspension and global connectivity. While the all-new R and RX models were the intended highlights of the unveiling in Los Angeles on January 25, the S2 stole the spotlight according to dealers. Intended for the urban adventurer “the S2 is a sport-cruiserstyle motorbike built with an aircraft-grade aluminum alloy frame and a fully adjustable air spring suspension fork,” says CEO & co-founder LeGrand Crewse. “This is one of many upgrades of our existing S1 model, and bridges the gap between our flagship R-Series models.” He states the addition of coil rear shocks and inverted suspension forks on the two R-Series bikes allowed Super73 to develop a new aluminum frame that delivers greater rigidity for the suspension platform and better resists corrosion and rust. Powered by a 960Wh (Watt hour) battery with technology similar to Tesla’s batteries, the S2 and R-Series share the most powerful drive system Super73 has ever offered. Featuring multiple ride modes and a connected electronics suite compatible with both iOS and Android mobile devices, Crewse claims. “Updates can be added to the system via over-the-air updates to address different regulated assist limits from country to country. This means the bikes are built to be truly global vehicles.”
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The new S2 is programmed with a Class-2 riding mode, which allows for throttle operation and pedal assist riding up to 20mph. This makes it legal to ride on most bike paths without a license, insurance or registration. For areas where throttle-powered electric bicycles are not allowed, the Super73-S2 can be operated using pedal assist with the throttle deactivated in Class-1 and Class-3 modes (Class-1 up to 20mph and Class-3 up to 28mph). There is also an “Unlimited” mode, which gives riders access to 2000 watts of power via the throttle for speeds in excess of 28mph. The dense battery technology packs an additional punch: Most electric bicycles utilize 400-700 watt-hour batteries, the state-of-the-art 960 watt-hour battery provides an estimated 40+ miles of range at 20mph when using throttle-only operation. Clicking into the ECO pedal assist mode makes for an estimated range of 75+ miles.