Kawasaki’s Ninja E-1 is in no way a high-performance bike, with around 12 hp and a top speed of 65 mph. However, it is affordable and easy to ride.
Electric cars, no matter what the future has in store for them here in the United States, are much more common now than they were a decade ago. Public charging stations are ubiquitous in big cities, and the roads in most American urban centers are lined with people driving EVs to and from work. But while EV cars are common, there are relatively few electric motorcycle manufacturers offering products in the U.S.
Whether it’s the inherent efficiency of most motorcycles, the high cost of electrification, or a motorcycle’s limited range when you’ve got such a small space for batteries, electrification hasn’t quite caught on in the world of motorcycles the same way it has with cars. Thankfully, even without a wave of popularity to ride on, there are still some electric motorcycles that are worth a closer look, such as the all-electric Kawasaki Ninja E-1.
At a standstill, the E-1 looks a lot like its gasoline-powered Ninja siblings (specifically the ZX-4R), with aggressive sportbike styling and full fairings. Instead of gasoline, the E-1 is powered by two lithium-ion battery packs and a single motor (powering the rear wheel, of course). According to Kawasaki’s specs, the E-1 produces 5.0 kW of power regularly, but maximum power output rises to 9.0 kW, or about 12 hp.
