It’s not that difficult to buy a cheap and quite capable two-wheeler these days, thanks to the rapid growth of the electric mini bike segment. And the offers available keep growing in number, thanks to more and more players joining the party.
There’s a good chance you haven’t heard that much about a mini bike maker called FRP Moto. An offshoot of FRP Powersports, the California-based company has been playing the gas-based mini bike game for a while now, but this week, it unveiled its first-ever purpose-built electric two-wheeler.
The design is called M3, and it is powered by an electric drivetrain consisting of a permanent-magnet synchronous electric motor good for just four horsepower (5.5 peak, but it can only hold that for 17 seconds) and a removable 60V battery pack that gives it a maximum range of 35 miles (56 km). It takes up to nine hours to charge the thing using a 3A charger.
The bike’s top speed is rated at 55 mph (89 kph), which is not a lot. Then again, that’s not how the M3 plans to charm its customers: it will do that with the auto-wheelie feature it comes equipped with.
You see, the mini bike has three main riding gears, but it tops that off with two dedicated wheelie gears, a practice mode and an advanced mode. They can both be used at speeds of up to ten mph (16 mph), with braking power left in the control of the rider.
They both kick in as soon as the rider brings the front wheel up, and are used to hold the bike in that position thanks to a controller that constantly adjusts motor output to keep the bike balanced.
Going deeper into how the thing works, the throttle moves from controlling speed to setting the wheelie angle, which can be anywhere from 20 to 45 degrees. If the bike detects it tips past 58.5 degrees, it automatically comes out of wheelie mode.
The company says it decided to offer this feature to fulfil riders’ needs to learn how to wheelie at their own pace
The FRP M3 also throws in a triple-clamp with suspension, 5.7-inch-wide SunF tires, and USB-A and USB-C ports. All of this is packed in a package that tips the scales at 121 pounds (55 kg) – light, but not flimsy, as it can support riders weighing almost double that, or as much as 210 pounds (95 kg).
FRP says it has already opened the order books for the mini bike, with deliveries expected to begin early next month. There are two versions on the table: the Basic that sells for $2,049.99, and the Plus that goes for $2,149.99 for the simple reason that it comes with a wheelie bar. There are five colors to choose from: gold, purple, black, red and white.
