爬到航道意大利rightf鞍高ully famous Dolomites mountain range is a writhing rollercoaster of 200-degree uphill peg-scrapers, a few sections of high-speed sweepers and quick passes through alpine ski towns, all surrounded by head-swinging scenery—and alotof traffic. There are pretty much no straight sections of road longer than a few hundred feet.

A bunch of journalists, some Energica staffers and myself were aboard the initial production run of new Experia sport-touring electric motorcycles, and I was getting a high-speed education on Italian driving etiquette. With gas-powered vehicles wheezing in the high altitude air, our string of unaffected electric machines quickly passed lollygagging cement trucks, tour buses, bicyclists and gawking tourists in rented Fiats chugging up the steep and serpentine grades.

It’s close-proximity riding, and the Italians—either by design (likely) or in one of the luckiest oversights in all of transportation infrastructure history—had neglected to paint a centerline ofany kindon the clean and well-tended alpine roads. Given even the smallest of gaps, we passed vehicles en masse at high speed on the short and often curving straightaways, putting the Brembo dual front discs and Bosch ABS to the test as we screamed into the corners while simultaneously tucking back into traffic to avoid oncoming Porsches, Fiats, Ferraris or a rare Lamborghini Murcielago navigating the tiny roadway.

Finally, we made our way around a lumbering compact cement mixer (some small sections of the road were under construction) and looking up the hill at the dozens of curves ahead, it appeared to be free of traffic—in our lane at least. I popped the Experia from Urban to Sport mode and happily played follow the fast-moving leader as triple digits (in kph) popped up briefly on the speedo, not that I was keeping close track of my speed. These roadsdemandyour absolute full attention at all times, despite scenery that borders on an otherworldly alien landscape. The Dolomites are almostpainfullybeautiful, and I say that coming from Oregon, where we have no shortage of jaw-dropping scenery.

But, yes: No center lane markers. Pass at will. Ride on any part of the road. Given room to roam and no oncoming traffic, we follow the race line though the corners and pin the throttle on the straights, the 102-horsepower electric motor’s single step gear whining loudly as the Experia launches forward on a constant 85 pound-feet of torque. As with most electric motorcycles, there is no clutch or gear shift.

Soon enough, we caught back up to another clutch of slower vehicles, but even that wasn’t a buzzkill as an endless array of Porsches, Maseratis, built Mini Coopers, the occasional concours-level VW Beetle and a battalion of BMW GS motorcycles parade by. This is a motorhead’s dream route, and our quiet Experias turn heads with their sharp looks and a simple, signature whir that had tourists and locals alike mouthing “those are electric motorcycles!” in dozens of languages.

Indeed they are, and the new Energica Experia represents a solid step forward in the inexorable evolution of the species. If you’ve been waiting for a sign from the future of electric motorbike design, performance and, yes, practicality, the Experia is that Next Step.

Let’s Get Right To It: Range

The key figure here is 130 miles of highway riding at 73 mph, according to Energica. Go slower, go farther, and vice versa. But that’s 130 miles of range-eating highway droning, which we all have to do at times of course, and that wasnotthe case on this ride. Starting with a 98% charge on the standard 22.5kWh battery, I returned to our base starting point with a 77% charge after nearly two hours of don’t-spare-the-whip riding. But that included a lot of slow riding in traffic and alotof regenerative braking heading into corners or riding downhill. In other words—much more like typical non-highway ADV-type riding, sans dirt or gravel (for the most part). The range in those conditions? Over250 milesaccording to Energica.

Energica says the Experia will go over 160 miles in “mixed” riding that would be more typical of city riding mixed with some highway stretches—the kind of riding this bike was designed for. Because of the short timeline, I was not able to ride an Experia from a full 100% charge to empty, so that test will have to wait until this fall when Experia said they will get me a long-term test bike. But it’s clear that the “range issue” is less of an issue with the Experia. Problem solved? No, but the range improvement is noteworthy, especially on the urban riding figure, and we never had any “range anxiety” to spoil the fun on our Dolomite outings.

Additionally, Energica’s bikes are the only electric motorcycles that include all three charging capabilities, from plug-it-into-the-wall 110-volt to J1772 240-volt Level II and even a 24-kW Level III “DC Fast” capability that can take the big battery from zero to 80% in a claimed 40 minutes. That means a fairly full day of riding with a lunch/nap/phone check stop at a DCFC charger. The Harley LiveWire will do Level 3 DC Fast as well, but its Level II charging—by far the most common type out there now—runs at the glacial Level I AC outlet pace. Set aside a day or two for a full charge at that rate. Zero’s bikes utilize Level II chargers but lack any Level III charging capability at this time.

Experia Tech Overview: Big battery, small(er) motor

The Experia is essentially a clean-sheet design from Energica, which is based in Modena, Italy’s automotive wonderland and the home of Ferrari, Lamborghini and others. The Experia joins Energica’s three other current models, but not much carries over from the Ego, Eva and EsseEsse9. As noted above, the Experia packs a large 22.5kWh battery pack, but instead of being a big brick of a thing as on past bikes, the form factor has been rethought and the pack is now a vertical stack with some horizontal appendages in order to fit a smaller, more integrated frame. Energica folks call it a “tree” design.

Additionally, the Experia uses a smaller, lighter, less powerful motor, which sits lower in the frame. It weighs 22 pounds less than the motor in the other Energica bikes but it still makes 115nm/85 pound-feet of torque and 102 peak horsepower—nothing to sneeze at. And while those numbers are way down from Energica’s top-spec Ego RS sportbike, which makes 171 peak horsepower and 148 pound-feet of twist, the smaller motor was far more manageable than the Ego in the tight confines of the Dolomites while still delivering sportbike levels of acceleration. I know this because Energica smartly brought their entire lineup for us to sample and compare, but the main attraction was certainly the new Experia.

The new bike also marks another major change for Energica when it comes to suspension. Previous production models used a sort of oddly direct frame-to-swingarm rear shock mount that placed the spring on the right side of the swingarm. Riding the Ego and Eva in New York City in April, the setup seemed to work well enough and certainly makes adjustments a breeze, but the Experia moves the shock to a more conventional (and less vulnerable) central location inside the swingarm, using a linkage like most other motorcycles. Both wheels are cast aluminum and sport ZF Sachs suspension with full manual adjustability and 150mm/5.9 inches of travel. Brembo brakes with 330mm dual front rotors haul down the Experia, with a single rotor out back. Our press bikes rolled on Pirelli Scorpion Trail II tires that worked extremely well on pavement. We had to wander through some gravel areas as well due to construction and they seemed fine there as well, but that’s hardly a real test, and something a bit more dirt-worthy (maybe even DOT knobs) might allow the Experia to wander farther afield. We’ll have to test that theory in the future.

As noted, there are no “gears” on the Experia or other Energica bikes (as is common on electrics), but Energica does use a single step-gear reduction system as a torque multiplier and a chain final drive. Zero, for example, drives the rear wheel right off the electric motor’s drive shaft, and uses a belt drive system. Technically, the Experia does feature a second gear of sorts: Reverse, which is limited to about 1 mph. Since it’s throttle by wire, of course, cruise control is a standard feature.

Rider controls are up to par with a 5-inch color LCD display that is not a touchscreen, four built in ride modes (Eco, Urban, Rain and Sport) and three customizable user-settable modes, along with four “engine braking” profiles that puts power back in the battery while slowing, much like an electric car. Riders can make changes to ride modes and more while riding using a simple turn signal-like controller on the left bar pod.

Traction control offers six levels of sensitivity and it should be noted that the ABS system can be adjusted but cannot be turned all the way off, even at the back wheel. Why not? Again, despite the ADV profile, the Experia is designed as a pavement-oriented sport-touring machine and not a bike for wandering the dune seas. That could change with future iterations, and conversations I had with Energica principals seemed to indicate a more ADV-oriented version may be in the queue, but U.S. and Euro safety regulations and other bureaucratic hurdles around ABS make turning it off a sticky wicket for bike makers.

Ride Time: Energica Experia and Ego RS

尽管旅行相对良好，但我从来没有去过意大利（或欧洲），更不用说白云岩山区了，当我们从舞台上出发到山区时，它有点类似于骑在另一个星球上。平坦的区域在很大程度上被深绿草覆盖，这些草地横向岩石和距骨的电影塔。那条狭窄，扭曲的道路穿过狭窄的峡谷，拥抱了垂直的悬崖面，起初，我在车道上留下了一些麻烦，因为我的头部旋转时，每个新角落似乎都打开了一个更加戏剧性的深层全景。蓝天，绿色的田地和高耸的岩层，向上延伸了数千英尺。在冬季，这个地区是一个庞大的滑雪者天堂，但是我们六月的天气在阳光明媚的阳光下有80年代的白天温度，并带出了各种方式的摩托车，旅行巴士，租车，租车，露营车和偶尔的异国情调。

My first riding stint was aboard the Ego RS (below), Energica’s top-tier sportbike offering, and with visions of strafing uphill switchbacks like those I’d seen for years in magazines, I had the Ego in Sport mode. Bad idea. The roads around the Dolomites aren’t like the Stelvio switchbacks, and the massive power and sportbike crouch of the Ego was complete overkill, especially with the traffic we were dealing with, so I dropped it back into Urban mode and even then, it was just too much. Eco mode turned out to be the perfect porridge for the Ego on the Dolomite byways, and I willed myself to focus on the road instead of the scenery after a few too-close calls with cars and other bikes.

我们在自我循环通过骑行路线,伊娃nd EsseEsse9 while another group of riders tried out the Experia. After a short break, we swapped out bikes and I poked around in the setting to set up the new Experia. With a smaller motor and less power, I put the Experia into Sport mode and we set out, but a few curves in, it was clear again that even with less power on tap, the steep attack rate of the throttle in Sport mode was making riding a chore, not a pleasure. I dropped the Experia to Urban mode and this was the more perfect blend of motive power and throttle finesse. Also helping matters: The redesigned battery, frame and motor placement keep weight lower than on the old bikes, making the 573-pound Experia feel much lighter and handle far better than I expected. Only at a standstill did the weight become apparent as we queued up for some photo passes in a gravel turnout. But above walking speeds, the Experia feels light, agile and well-balanced. It is fun to ride, and even more fun to ridefast.

我骑着两个版本的Experia,“基地”bike with no panniers, and the farkled version with a top case and hard side panniers. Despite the added weight, the case-equipped Experia was still easy to ride and quick to turn, but the pannies were also empty. As a larger rider, I would have liked to have taken a bit of time to better finesse the suspension (especially front preload), but overall, the Experia, with its wide handlebar, sit-up posture and firm seat, was a very comfortable and confident partner as we flew past slow-moving cars (and buses and trucks) and dived into the corners hard on the Brembos. Even with “reduced” power compared to the other bikes, the Experia was still both quick and fast, with 85nm of torque scooting it out of corners and 100-odd horses coming online at about 7,000 rpm that shot the Experia past long lines of slow-moving markers. With a tech-regulated top speed of 122 mph, which I did not have the room to explore, the Experia is plenty fast for me; your touring needs may be different. But I feel Energica made the smart move with the Experia to use a smaller, lighter, less power-hungry electric motor that stretches out the bike’s range while still providing plenty of excitement under power.

Conclusions

It’s still a transition for me to ride an electric motorcycle (I’ve ridden many but don’t own one), and I reached for a clutch lever and stabbed at the non-existent shifter a few times out of habit. During a short roadside stop, another group of riders on various ICE bikes pulled in for a breather and immediately came over to take in the fleet of Experias. One grizzled older American rider on a rented GS peppered me with questions, and got on the Experia at my invitation. He remarked on the comfort and style of the Experia, and then his gaze came to rest on the left handlebar. “I don’t know that I could ride a bike with no clutch. I just need that control over the bike. And no gears? I dunno…” But overall, he had a positive impression of the electric machine.

I get it, because I thought the same things when I first rode a single-speed electric way back when (the early Brammo Empulse bikes had clutches and six-speed gearboxes), and to be honest, riding a modern electric bike is a different experience from a gear-shifted gasser. I have always loved the symphony of movements riding a motorcycle requires, especially at speed. The loss of the clutch and shifter has become more normal to me, and it offers riders a more direct link to the machine to be sure, but also a different dynamic while underway, allowing more focus on bike behavior and unabridged acceleration without the interruptions of a clutch and gearbox. It’s…weird. But it’s also great fun once you get used to the drivetrain behavior.

Bottom line is that Energica has come out with a worthy addition to its trio of electric pavement scorchers, and while it’s not an ADV bikeyet, it seems to at least be on the off-ramp to that market space. With its recent infusion of funding from U.S.-based and EV-focused investment company Ideanomics, Energica now has a possible breakout bike with excellent road manners, sleek good looks and more range than anyone else on the market, but for how long? Market leader Zero is certainly paying very close attention to the Experia, and with Harley-Davidson’s successful Pan America adventure bike and LiveWire electric, they have the opportunity and resources to move into the electric ADV and sport touring space as well if they so desire.

许多美国骑手将考虑130英里的全高速公路范围并通行证，但是对于许多欧盟车手来说，160英里的混合范围和250英里以上的城市能力以及更成熟的充电网络可以轻松地转化为骑行的一到两场500英里的一天，没有40欧元汽油停止。这是令人信服的，什么也没说从电动摩托车承诺减少的维护和其他服务成本。Energica Experia是一家公司建造的能力和优质摩托车的事实，直到今年为Motoe提供了电动赛车，并且基本上是在赛车上，这应该使潜在的骑手有信心进行电力投资。如果您要乘坐白云岩，请注意在角落里的旅游巴士。

TheEnergica Experiawill run $23,750 USD for the base model and $25,880 USD for the Launch Edition with panniers and top case. The company says deliveries should begin this fall. I rode both pre-production and early production spec models.Pre-orders are now open.

We’d like to read your comments on the Experia, especially if you’re in Europe.