Engwe Mapfour N1 Pro E-bike Review: The New ‘premium’

Europe has an electrical motorcycle problem. Direct-to-consumer e-bikes from inexpensive Chinese brands for illustration Engwe and countless others tin beryllium easy purchased online contempt openly flouting EU restrictions. They characteristic throttles and powerful motors that tin beryllium easy unlocked to acold transcend nan 25km/h (16mph) ineligible velocity limit — nary pedaling required.

Here successful Amsterdam, inexpensive Super73-knockoffs ridden astatine almost doubly nan ineligible velocity personification made nan city’s renowned bicycle lanes progressively chaotic and dangerous. Across nan Netherlands, complete 10,000 of these electrical “fat bikes” were seized successful 2024.

Engwe’s caller Mapfour lineup is nan company’s effort astatine going legit by expanding from souped-up electrical fat bikes and foldables into “premium commuter” e-bikes. And because they’re nan first e-bikes that Engwe has designed exclusively for European roads, nan institution swears they can’t beryllium unlocked for overmuch speed.

I’ve been riding nan caller Mapfour N1 Pro exemplary for nan past less weeks. It lists for €1,899 (almost $2,000), aliases €1,799 during nan first motorboat — a worth that brings heightened expectations.

The N1 Pro is slathered successful premium capabilities for illustration GPS/GSM hunt for which immoderate motorcycle makers title subscriptions. The monocoque model and fork are made from c fibre supplied by Toray — “the aforesaid high-quality c fibre arsenic Trek and Specialized,” claims Engwe. There’s moreover turn-by-turn navigation built into nan full-featured app, a ample colorful show integrated into nan handlebars, and a built-in mechanical fastener successful nan rear instrumentality hub that automatically engages erstwhile nan motorcycle is turned disconnected and stationary.

My reappraisal motorcycle was missing a fender bolt, occasionally flashed a different correction code, and nan solar-powered rear ray won’t move on. Still, it’s apt nan highest worth electrical motorcycle Engwe has ever made.

I personification tons of acquisition pinch assembling direct-to-consumer e-bikes and nan N1 Pro was caller to thrust successful astir an hour, which is typical. Even pinch a carbon-fiber model it weighs 20.1kg (44lbs) afloat assembled according to my scale, which is dense for an e-bike — conscionable not Veloretti-heavy.

In nan instrumentality you’ll find a basal toolset that includes everything needed for assembly and instructions written successful stellar English dissimilar immoderate erstwhile Engwe tutorials I’ve read. I had to harvester nan pedals, beforehand wheel, kickstand, handlebar, and fenders, and nutrient retired a replacement fender bolt from immoderate spare bicycle parts I had lying around. I past went to group nan saddle to my tallness only to observe that I was excessively gangly for nan N1 Pro.

The saddle stem has a marked accusation connection that stops bully earlier nan tallness needed for my 6 ft (183cm) frame, contempt being sold successful nan Netherlands wherever I’m considered a short king. Nevertheless, exceeding nan connection by astir 2.5cm (one inch) hasn’t made nan saddle consciousness insecure, moreover erstwhile riding complete unsmooth cobblestones. Engwe claims nan N1 Pro supports riders from 165–190cm, and is considering offering nan action for a longer saddle stem astatine checkout based upon my feedback.

The N1 Pro’s geometry puts nan rider into what’s fundamentally a upland motorcycle stance: a mean guardant bladed pinch hands dispersed wide retired successful beforehand of nan body. That wrist and assemblage position mixed pinch a alternatively stiff saddle are not cleanable for riding agelong distances, peculiarly successful cognition pinch a backpack that’ll put moreover overmuch weight connected nan hands and derrière. I do for illustration that fun, sporty posture complete short distances, but if you’re looking for a overmuch relaxed thrust past Engwe has nan upright €1,399 MapFour N1 Air disposable successful immoderate step-over and step-through frames.

The 250W mid-drive Ananda centrifugal connected nan N1 Pro is astir silent nether nan din of roadworthy noise, and nan integrated torque sensor provides an intuitive pedal-assist astatine each speeds. It produces up to 80Nm of torque that lets maine easy commencement from a dormant extremity successful 4th cogwheel (of seven) connected level roads, but testing connected a elevation pinch a gradient of astir 15 percent required a commencement from first gear. Typically, I only needed to displacement to a precocious cogwheel erstwhile I wanted to usage my limb powerfulness to propel nan motorcycle astatine speeds supra nan 25km/h centrifugal cutoff.

Despite claiming a scope of up to 100km from its humble 360Wh battery, my first proceedings performed complete a less weeks yielded conscionable 23km disconnected a afloat title successful near-freezing conditions. I usually rode successful powerfulness mounting 3 of 5 connected mostly level roads. The 2nd proceedings performed connected a azygous warmer clip improved nan scope to 27km pinch 28 percent title remaining — aliases an estimated 36km if I had clip to tally nan artillery barren for a beneath mean 10Wh consumed per kilometer travelled. The motorcycle artillery seems to suffer from idle artillery drain of astir 1-2 percent per clip erstwhile parked incorrect my house.

Worrisome for a “premium” e-bike: connected 2 occasions I saw an “09” correction relationship flash connected nan show which Engwe is still diagnosing. Once, while starting nan motorcycle aft it had been sitting extracurricular successful nan rainfall for a less hours. Another clip aft riding location connected a rain-soaked thoroughfare while switching betwixt nan N1 Pro’s regular and high-beam lights. In nan first case, a elemental reboot cleared it and I was tin to thrust distant fine, but nan different clip required riding location nether my ain powerfulness earlier it inexplicably cleared nan adjacent morning.

Other observations:

There was a clip erstwhile premium e-bikes had database prices astir €2,000 / $2,000. Those days are arsenic gone arsenic nan free task superior propping up e-bike startups, pushing premium prices up to a starting worth personification to €3,000 / $3,000. The €1,899 (about $1,960) Engwe N1 Pro is truthful priced astir right. It’s not a bad e-bike, but it’s too not awesome contempt checking disconnected tons of features connected a trading sheet.

Just remember, servicing a direct-to-consumer e-bike tin beryllium a problem arsenic it requires nan caller readiness of spare parts and nan knowledge to move them. As pinch immoderate electrical motorcycle exposed to nan elements and regular roadworthy use, nan N1 Pro’s centrifugal and immoderate proprietary electronics for illustration nan controller, display, battery, lights, buttons, and integrated fastener will yet petition servicing. So you’d amended beryllium connected very bully position pinch your conception motorcycle shop aliases beryllium useful pinch a wrench and oscilloscope to forestall your mail-order e-bike from quickly turning into e-waste.

Photography by Thomas Ricker / The Verge