kTM SX-E5
Electrc vehicles are becoming more and more common as technology evolves and we want to improve our carbon footprints. Although i’ve never been sure how greener these battery powered cars and bikes are…but thats a conversation for a different post.
Electric Dirt bikes are also starting to become main stay and we have already seen the lower powered kids bikes become popular. I wrote an article about Electric Dirt Bikes For Under $1000. Thats peanuts but it will never be in the same league as te big players like KTM. These are the guys who are bring electric dirt bike to the sports arena and things are getting impressive.
The KTM SX-E 5 2020 is available direct from KTM for $5049 plus shipping at $300. Aimed at the beginner and junoir comp riders this is the electric alternative to a 50cc dirtbike.
I would love to get my hands on one of these for my kids but for now lets go through what the SX-E5 is offering us and carry on dreaming.
KTM SX-E5 Info:
This bike is aimed towards kids aged between 4 -10 years of age and is a competition machine. These are not built like the little chinese imports you see on Amazon, they are replicas of the full sized KTMs which means the quality of the build is the same too, and that is a high standard.
kTM SX-E5
The main spec is listed below in the table comparing the SX-E5 to the gas alternative so I wont repeat myself here but the bike has some great features.
I love the fact you can adjust the seat height by moving the position of the subframe and then adjust it further by changing up you shock suspension setting. This allows the bike to be sized for the smaller end of the age range and then you can bring the height up as the kid grows.
For sure they may want to advance quicker then that but it wont be the size of the frame that stopping them.
kTM SX-E5
As well as that it has a cool speed setting feature which allows the parent to set the dirt bike at 1 of 6 different speeds and lock the speed at that level which the kids wont be able to change on their own as it is key enabled. This is another way of coaching your child up through the levels until they are happy on the fastest confirguration and be happy in the knowledge they cant change it whilst out riding.
Another feature worth mentioning is the motor cut out. This is a wrist lanyard that the rider wears and should they fall or crash and come of the bike it will pull a stop mechanism to cut out the motor which is a great safety feature.
kTM SX-E5
Other usual adjustment can be made on the bike such as front and rear suspension settings for rider weight, preference and track conditions.
The handle bars are tappered down to 18mm which are great for kids because they have a smaller circumference making it easier for them to control the bike and they will tire less easily. There is also what KTM call a crash pad in the middle of the bars to make hard knocks a little less harsh.
The overall look of this electric dirtbike is awesome. They have purposely modelled it on a full size KTM dirtbike and the graphics and colour combos in my opinion are spot on.
kTM SX-E5
I definitley look forward to getting on of these in the future for my young lad to ride at which point I shall probably do a short video review and add it to this post. In the mean time check out KTMs video below.
How Does The Price Compare To A Gas KTM?
KTM tells us the SX-E5 is the equivalent to the 50cc and for 2020 that is the KTM 50 SX and they list it at $4349.00 plus shipping. That’s a difference of $800. So what do you get for those $800 extra bucks?
Below is a comparison table of all the main features. By looking at this table you can see that pretty much every aspect of the bikes are the same. They have the same frame with the same wheels, rims and tyres. The same wheel base and ground clearance. Really it’s just the bike weight which see the electric version coming in slighly lighter which I would imagine it would because you a battery instead of an engine.
KTM SX-E5 2020 and KTM 50 SX 2020 SPEC
| Electric KTM SX-E5 2020 | KTM 50 SX 2020 | |
| Price | $5049 | $4349 |
| Engine | n/a | 50cc, Single Cylinder, 2 Stroke |
| Tank Capacity | n/a | 2.3L |
| Battery | 48v Lithium-Ion 21 ah | n/a |
| Charge Time | 100% – 70 min 80% – 45mins | n/a |
| Power | 5KW Max | not sure |
| Cooling | Air | Liquid |
| Seat Height | 665 mm. Can be reduced to 615 mm and 560 mm | 684 mm |
| Frame Construction | Tubular Frame with Double Craddle | Tubular Frame with Double Craddle |
| Front Suspension | WP XACT – 35mm upside down | WP XACT – 35mm upside down |
| Rear Suspension | WP XACT – Monoshock | WP XACT – Monoshock |
| Front and Rear Brake Discs | 160mm Diameter | 160mm Diameter |
| Front Rim | Anodised Black 1.50 x 12″ | Anodised Black 1.50 x 12″ |
| Rear Rim | Anodised Black 1.60 x 10″ | Anodised Black 1.60 x 10″ |
| Front Tyre | OEM Maxxis Knobbly 60/100 x 12″ | OEM Maxxis Knobbly 60/100 x 12″ |
| Rear Tyre | OEM Maxxis Knobbly 2.75 x 10″ | OEM Maxxis Knobbly 2.75 x 10″ |
| Handle Bars | Tapered Nexxen Bars 28mm -> 22mm -> 18mm | 22mm Aluminum Bars |
| Wheel Base | 1032mm | 1032mm |
| Ground Clearance | 252mm | 252mm |
| Bike Weight | 40.3 KG | 41.5 KG |
Frame:
The frames on both of these dirtbike are the same from what I can tell. They are lightweight and constructed from high strenght steel with the subframe being made from fibre glass so super light.
The subframe can be mounted in 2 positions which reduces or increases the seat height accordingly. This is why the spec listed 3 seat heights, with the 3rd being acheived from suspension adjustment.
Bike Weight:
Both around the 40KG mark with a slight increase in the gas version which I would put dont to the engine parts, as I said earlier. That is my guess though. Either way the bike is an easy lift at that weight and on the lighter side of 50cc. A Honda CRF50 for example is going to coming in at around 50KG so quite abit heavier.
Tyres:
These Maxxis Knobblys are great tyres, giving the rider the alot of grip on all surface types. Replacement cost is approximatley $40.
Suspension:
The front forks and rear mono shock suspension are both made by WP Suspension which are great quality.
The forks are upside down forks which look cool, are 35mm in diameter and have 205mm of travel. The air spring in the left fork allow the rider to make easy adjustments to suit the riders weight using a single air pump.
The mono shock is fully adjustable so can be adjusted for track conditions. It allows a 185mm rear wheel travel.
