The electric motorcycle market is ripe with entry-level commuters that barely threaten our favorite gas-powered motorcycles. Dive a little deeper, however, and you’ll come across names like Energica and Zero who dominate the premium electric motorcycle space with products that, dare we say, can match up with full-size ICE offerings. As you’d expect, there’s still plenty of cynicism around this, and EV fans (as well as bikemakers) are doing all sorts of things to prove the point. The latest instance comes from the popular MotoAmerica Super Hooligan championship where a race-ready Energica Eva Ribelle showed its mettle against Harley-Davidson and Indian.

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Energica Eva Ribelle RS Breaches Top 10 In MotoAmerica

The Energica race bike ran under the Tytler’s Cycle Racing team, piloted by Stefano Mesa. This marked the first full-time all-electric effort in the Super Hooligan series, which usually comprises the Harley-Davidson Pan America, Indian FTR 1200, KTM 890 Duke, and BMW R NineT. And where did he finish with his EV? Well, the #137 breached the top 10 in both races (held at the prestigious Daytona Speedway) finishing as high as sixth. The result shows the EV is nowhere near ‘slow’, even though it might not scream like its twin-cylinder, gas-guzzling contemporaries.

Pure pace aside, we believe Mesa must’ve faced a few challenges in the races. The first and obvious one is range. Even though a six-lap race is considerably less than the Eva’s claimed 261-mile number, it involves full throttle for the most part and top speeds of over 150mph when you account for the banking. As a result, Energica claims a puny 25-mile range on the track, post which the performance decreases only to make Mesa’s life more difficult. Similarly, another challenge would be the battery-motor temperature, as EVs tend to limit performance when overheating. These challenges aren’t too prominent in ICE engines, thanks to the immense knowledge available.

 2022 Energica Eva Ribelle RS doing a wheelie
Energica
2022 Energica Eva Ribelle RS doing a wheelie

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All other aspects are on par with its ICE rivals, though. The Energica race bike rolls on top-shelf Ohlins FGRT208 forks and Ohlins S46 monoshock, paired with Marchesini forged aluminum wheels. Meanwhile, Brembo supplies the M4 32/26 billet caliper and Z04 sintered brake pads for utmost stopping power.

Energica Eva Ribelle RS - Price And Performance

Did this performance convince you to get the Ribelle RS? Well, all you need is $28,000 to do that. For the money, you’ll get 171 ponies and 164 pound-feet, good enough to propel you to 60mph in just 2.6 seconds. This is topped by a 21.5kWh battery pack with 261 miles of range in the city and half of this with spirited riding. As for underpinnings, the RS rolls on Marzocchi upside-down forks, a Bitubo monoshock, Pirelli Rosso III rubber, and Brembo brakes at both ends.