Crooked custom RGNT: Swedish electric brand celebrate arrival on British shores

Kungsbacka electric motorcycle firm RGNT have marked the arrival of their £13,990 No.1 Scrambler SE and £12,990 No.1 Classic SE in the UK with a special build in partnership with German custom house Crooked Motorcycles.

Called the Crooked E-Type, it’s based around the RGNT Scrambler SE and came together in a tight six-week window before the Bike Shed show, which took place in London’s Tobacco Dock on May 27-28. A road-ready version of the bike will now go into a limited production at the Crooked workshop, near Munich – with preorders available now.

Crooked CEO Dominikus Braun said: “As soon as we ran into RGNT at the Intermot trade show last October, we fell for the classic look and simple design of their bikes. After some talks, we quickly decided we would partner with them for our first EV project.”

The standard No.1 Scrambler SE features a claimed top speed of 75mph and is claimed to be able to travel 91 miles between each three-hour charge. It tips the scales at 163.3kg and has a seat height of just 810mm. They are currently being imported to the UK by the English Electric Motor Co, who are based in Diss, Norfolk.

“We think Dominikus and the team at Crooked have done an outstanding job,” RGNT’s Gideon Schipaanboord said.

The most challenging aspect was stowing away the electrical modules to leave the exposed triangular frame section. The large TFT dash has also been removed in favour of a single analogue dial.

“We redesigned the subframe in CAD to make duplication easier,” Braun added. “We placed the converter unit inside the seat and then CAD-designed a cable duct inside the frame triangle to protect all cables in the best possible way.

“We raised the rear by 3cm and reinforced the chassis with new, more progressive YSS springs, covered with 3D-printed fork covers,” he continued. The black rims now come dressed in dual-purpose Continental TKC 80 tyres, there’s a small LED headlight with Motogadget bar end indicators, and a new LED brake/rear light from Supernova.

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Twisting the grip one way to go faster and closing it to slow down might sound obvious, but Swedish firm RGNT’s ‘One Throttle Drive’ or OTD for short takes that a step further by dialling in regen braking as you shut the throttle.

Don’t panic, though, there is also a conventional lever-operated brake fitted.

The system has a few advantages and it’s not unheard of in cars – Nissan have used a one-pedal ‘e-pedal’ system in the Leaf for years. The idea is that by using regenerative braking to slow down you’re more efficient, which is key in electric vehicles with limited range.

The system works via a hub-mounted motor that drives the firm’s SE and SEL models, which have been developed over the last couple of years, to a maximum speed of 75mph with a range of 87 miles. The rear-hub motor produces peak power of 21kW with an additional 20kW available as Boost in either of the two modes – Power and Range.

Riding modes, battery status and GPS are displayed on what RGNT call a Human Machine Interface (HMI) instrument cluster, which features a thumb-operated joystick for riders to switch between modes and display specific data. The 7in LCD can be controlled via a touchscreen or through the RGNT app.

The non-removable battery is a 9.5KwH Li-ion unit which can be charged from any 110/220v outlet with a full charge taking six hours, or a partial charge from 20% to 80% from around three hours.

The SE is available in either the Classic, café racer styling or a Scrambler version and both are started with keyless ignition. Weighing in at 161kg, the models share the same dimensions with an 810mm seat height.

Prices for the SE models start at €13,495 (approx. £11,750) for the Classic and €14,495 (approx. £12,610) for the Scrambler. The SEL (limited) editions retail for €1000 more than the SE models.­

RGNT in detail

• Fancy finish: Several colour options are available across all model variations and there is a smart-looking handcrafted leather seat to add class.
• New styling: The front of both models is completely updated, with a new triple tree, cockpit, indicators and LED lighting.
• Cluster round: The Human Machine Interface (instrument cluster) is completely redesigned and reprogrammed, offering a range of personalisation options.
• Nicely sprung: Paioli provide the suspension with around 120mm of preload-adjustable travel available front and rear.
• Charge ahead: The battery can’t be removed and weighs around 60kg – if stored for a long time, it can be kept healthy by hooking up to a CTEK charger.