Feeling the buzz | Spanish off-road brand Rieju branch out with new urban E-Tango EV supermoto

With the small bike market now inundated with super light electric motorbikes, Spanish brand Rieju have thrown their hat into the ring with the introduction of the new E-Tango Supermoto.

Already well established in the off-road world, the SM is the latest addition to their E-Tango electric range, offering what it describes as “a perfect cocktail of pure fun and practicality on wheels.”

Rieju go on to describe the E-Tango SM as “a safe bet for those who want to make a difference and move in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way, without sacrificing maximum enjoyment.”

The new machine comes as part of a trio, two of which are road legal and suitable for riders holding an AM licence and still going through the process of learning to ride, and one dedicated to off-road competition only. The supermoto was the latest of the group to see production, with the Spanish firm backing the apparent success of its off-road sister models as the reason for the SM’s emergence.

In true supermoto fashion, it’s essentially the same machine as the dirt-based offerings in the lineup, retaining the same 200mm of suspension travel and 210mm front disc brake set up, but with wheels swapped for a more tarmac friendly 17-inch pair of hoops.

Seat height is a reasonable accessible (for a supermoto) 830mm, with a ready to ride weight of just 78kg, and sticking with the theme of unintimidating numbers, top speed is limited to just 28mph to comply with AM class restrictions.

Power output from its brushless electric motor is a learner friendly 5.4bhp (increasing to 14bhp for the non-homologated version) and its removable 43AH battery can be harged to full in just four hours when hooked up to a fast charger.

Range is quoted at a mere 50 miles, which isn’t exactly going to trouble many petrol powered bikes, but should be adequate for short stints around mostly urban environments – which is exactly what it’s designed to do.

The SM is also equipped with an energy regeneration function to pull some juice back into the battery under deceleration and features a surprising three riding modes – Turtle Mode, Rabbit Mode, and Rocket Mode.

‘Turtle’ optimises battery life and dulls power delivery, ‘Rabbit’ occupies the middle ground between performance and range optimisation and ‘Rocket’ forgoes ideas of efficiency and prioritises performance.

Pricing is so far unconfirmed, although retailers are accepting pre-orders now with a £500 deposit.

– Identity crisis Rieju say the E-Tango combines the agility and versatility of an e-Bike with the power and performance of a conventional motorcycle

– Choose your charger Charging can be carried out with battery in situ or, for added security and convenience for those without an outside power outlet

– Electric security Rieju have opted to implement an Electronic Security Key. A Magnetic device which, in addition to acting as