Coventry firm Maeving launch more powerful RM1S capable of hitting 65mph

Meet the Maeving RM1S: the new faster, more powerful version of the Coventry firm’s battery powered RM1 city bike, first revealed in 2021.  

Capable of a claimed 65mph, the latest S electric model is differentiated from the standard 45mph RM1 thanks to its upgraded 9.4bhp rear hub motor, promising a further peak output of 14.1bhp.

Considerably more than the original model’s 5.9bhp peak, deliveries of the new £7495 S will begin as of March 2024 – offering customers that need to hop onto the occasional faster A and B road a little more defence against the faster vehicles around them.

Alongside the fresh motor, the 2023 machine also gets a pair of 2.6kWh removable batteries claiming a 30% increase in capacity over the more sedate RM1. Charge times sit at 80% in 3.5 hours, or a full charge in 4.5 hours – with both units able to be plugged into an external power bank at home.

Alternatively, the batteries can be charged on the motorcycle by plugging a cable directly into the bike itself.

“The RM1S is the bike we have been asked over and over to build by those riders who want a zero-emissions motorcycle that looks like an RM1 but is capable of highway speeds,” Co-founder Will Stirrup said. “We’ve worked extremely hard to ensure that everything that has made the RM1 so popular with our customers is carried over to the new RM1S, whilst delivering the greater performance that will mean it can be used in a much wider variety of use cases.”

Tipping the scales at 130kg with the batteries in place, the RM1S is designed to ride and feel just like the original machine. As such, the distinctive retro boardtracker looks remain, alongside the signature 19in spoked wheels.

The steel cradle frame has been gently altered – as have the non-adjustable front and preload-adjustable rear suspension settings, however fellow Co-founder Seb Inglis-Jones tells us that it should feel the same as before to sit on and ride – only with a sprightlier turn of pace.

Providing a little extra stopping power is a 300mm front disc (up from 240mm) which works in tandem with a three-piston single caliper. For more, go to maeving.com

Maeving RM1S explored:

• Experienced team Maevings are designed and built in Coventry by a team of predominantly former Triumph engineers
• Two wheels for all Despite the increase in power, the RM1S requires just a CBT certificate to be ridden
• Stripe club The three-striped livery seen here is one of four special paint schemes available for the new machine
• Expensive taste At £7495, the RM1S is £2193 more expensive than our favourite combustion learner, the Yamaha R125
• Dealers arrive Maeving have begun appointing dealers in the UK, with the first to arrive being Completely Motorbikes in Gloucester