Are electric motorcycles cool? There’s no burbling, throaty sound coming from the exhaust. You can’t spin a triple cylinder engine up over 10,000 rpm and hear the glorious howl reverberate off the hillsides. An electric moto can’t do these things that we all think are cool about motorcycles. Electric bikes seem utilitarian. Their lack of sound and vibration makes them appear less rough-and-tumble than their internal combustion counterparts. Despite that handicap, the 2025 Maeving RM1S is cool—really cool. So cool, in fact, that I realized after my time with the bike that my built-in bias against electric motorcycles was uncool.

First off, the Maeving RM1S looks fantastic. It is a retro café-racer/bobber mash-up motorcycle that is one of the most unique bikes around, regardless of propulsion type. The paint jobs on the Maeving motorcycles are all fantastic, making the bikes look so stylish. The leather solo bobber seat is the ideal shade of brown.

From the round speedometer set right in the middle of the cockpit to the handlebars flowing out to matching round bar-end mirrors, the Maevings are lookers. There are glorious, spoked wheels and a swooping rear carbon-fiber fender that ends in a round taillight, with small turn signals elegantly poking out on each side. The battery compartment looks more like an engine than a power block. All of the wiring, components, and mechanics have clean lines and a minimalist aesthetic.

Maeving is an English motorcycle company based in Coventry—the birthplace of Triumph—and they were clearly inspired by the iconic British brand and its modern classic line of motorcycles. It is that same attention to detail, coupled with unnecessary yet ultimately vital design elements such as faux carburetors and air-cooling fins on fuel-injected and liquid-cooled engines. Maeving has pulled the same visual excellence with its RM1S.

With the Maeving, everyone will notice your ride, even without an engine or exhaust noise. As a result, all of the people staring at you are doing so to admire your motorcycle. If people gawking at you bothers you in any way, then look straight ahead at stop lights.

Motorcycle coolness does come at a cost. The Maeving retails for five dollars short of $10k, which is a reasonable entry point for a motorcycle. However, you will need to spend another grand to upgrade your helmet and riding gear in order to look satisfactorily hip enough to ride a Maeving.

Coolness aside, the Maeving RM1S is a motorcycle, and it is designed for transport. I spent a week riding the Maeving in all my usual San Francisco Bay Area riding situations—weekend pleasure rides, weekday commutes, errand-running. I did all of these activities with the Maeving, but the entire time I rode it, I wanted to find a way to compare it to other motorcycles.

To effectively evaluate the RM1S, I needed to understand the mechanics of electric motorcycles. What are the types of motors and batteries and capacities, and how do they compare to gasoline-engine motorcycles? If you already know all of this, please feel free to skip ahead. If not, I’ll try and keep the explanation brief.

The Maeving RM1S is powered by a hub-mounted, direct-drive, brushless motor. The hub drive is unusual for electric bicycles, but rare on electric motorcycles. The power output of electric motors is measured in kilowatts (kW), and the basic formula for converting kW to horsepower is 1 kW ≈ 1.34 hp.

The motor is powered by an electric battery, and battery capacity for EVs is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). The size of the battery pack directly affects the motorcycle’s range and performance.

The Maeving RM1S has a continuous power output of 7.2 kW (nearly 10 horsepower) and a peak output of 11.1 kW (almost 15 horsepower). Those numbers make the Maeving the equivalent of a 125cc bike, though with much more torque. Thankfully, the RM1S only weighs 311 pounds with both batteries installed.

I say thankfully because the Maeving is not a rocket. However, the RM1S never claims to be anything other than what it is designed to be—a cool-looking, urban-focused, practical way to get around town. Once you understand the intention of the Maeving, then you can appreciate how it performs.

With the motorcycle’s power output, there are trade-offs when it comes to its capabilities. I am six-foot-one and weigh 195 pounds, outside of the holiday season. That makes me a large rider for the Maeving, and it showed throughout my time with the bike. For my size, the motor is underpowered, just as a 125cc motorcycle would struggle under me.

There are three power outputs: Sport, Ride, and Eco. You would use Eco only in an emergency, or if your ride home was downhill the entire way. Ride is the default mode, and it is suitable for flat surfaces and slight uphill climbs. Ride mode did not instill a ton of confidence that I could accelerate quickly from a stop, which isn’t great for an urban-focused bike that has to deal with lead-footed Tesla drivers.

The RM1S worked best for me in Sport mode. I could fly off the line at intersections and effortlessly climb the hills around my house. I was able to get the RM1S up to 70 mph in Sport mode, making limited freeway riding possible. However, riding the Maeving hard in Sport mode takes a significant toll on the range.

One of the best features of the motor, however, is its lack of engine noise. While most of us like a hearty note from our motorcycles, there are moments when engine and exhaust sounds are not necessary.

In fact, riding the RM1S up to the top of Mt. Tamalpais near my home was made infinitely better by the silence. Winding up the mountain under the oak trees and past the high fields of grass made the trip to the top much more pleasant and serene. No sound was the best sound.

Next, the suspension is not adequate for someone of my size. The fork is non-adjustable, and the rear shocks allow only spring preload adjustment.

The stock suspension on the Maeving RM1S is rough going most of the time, and I often bottom out the rear suspension on potholes. The front end also gets wobbly when ridden into turns at speed. Fortunately, Maeving offers an upgraded suspension package. I highly recommend it if your height and weight are like mine.

The brakes on the Maeving are great. The single-disc brakes stop the bike with ease, and I was never wanting for more bite from them. The rear brake on the RM1S engages both the front and rear brakes, which I found to be one of the bike’s best features. Using my right foot easily engaged both brakes, and it is my go-to braking method. The rear brake also gives my feet something to do, as there is no gear shifting on the Maeving.

The RM1S heavily relies on its good brakes because there isn’t any engine braking available. Unlike most EVs, which use regenerative braking, the Maeving coasts freely and doesn’t slow at all without using the front and rear brakes. That may not be an issue for many riders, as Maeving designed it to make the experience more bicycle-like and appealing to those unfamiliar with how a motorcycle works. As a motorcycle rider, it was initially difficult for me. I use engine braking routinely on my ICE motorcycle, so the lack of it made for a few uncomfortable moments until I got used to it.

The Maeving RM1S is designed for urban living, and the battery range reflects that. The company claims a full charge will power the RM1S for 90 miles in Ride mode and 52 miles in Sport mode. With me riding it, these range numbers are reasonable.

Using Sport mode primarily and riding on hills, the battery’s range really suffered. My riding took the battery down to 34 percent after 34 miles. I never let the battery drop below 30 percent for fear of not being able to get home. Range anxiety is real and needs to be planned for in advance. The longer you use EVs, the less that feeling of dread overcomes you as the battery capacity disappears, unless you don’t know where you’re going to get your next charge.

Maeving has made charging the RM1S a breeze. There are two batteries elegantly hidden behind a simple single door. They can be left in their compartment full-time and charged by plugging the bike into a wall outlet—ideal for people with garages. If you don’t have a garage, or if electrical outlets are not readily available near your parking space, the batteries can be removed and placed on a charging platform, an easy solution for the apartment dweller who has to leave their moto out on the street. The Maeving’s batteries are fully charged in six hours using standard electrical outlets.

For storage, the Maeving has a 10-liter cargo pocket where the gas tank is supposed to be, which isn’t much space for errand running. This is especially true when I use the cargo pocket to carry the battery charger, leaving no space for anything else in the compartment. Maeving sells side bags for the RM1S that mount on either side of the front end of the chassis. Side bags are a must-have accessory for making errand-running and commuting much more practical.

The Maeving RM1S comes with a three-year battery warranty. Maeving offers mobile maintenance that comes to you for servicing, as there is no dealer network. You buy the Maeving online, and it is delivered to you. Expect the battery to drop to 60 percent of its capacity after 500 full charge-discharge cycles. If you don’t wait until the battery is almost flat, the battery will reward you with a longer useful life.

The Maeving RM1S is a handsome and fun motorcycle that aims to deliver a specific value proposition. It is a motorbike designed for urban riding fun, commuting, errand-running, and looking good in front of a coffee shop. If you need what the RM1S promises and delivers, then you will have a great time with a great bike.

Photography by Alex Cobb

2025 Maeving RM1S Specs

MOTOR

• Type: Brushless DB hub motor
• Maximum power: 15 horsepower
• Maximum torque: 192 lb-ft
• Estimated top speed: 70 mph
• Cooling: Air
• Transmission: Clutchless single-speed
• Final drive: Direct

BATTERY

• Type: Dual battery pack w/ Design LG M50LT cells
• Battery voltage: 51.66 volts
• Maximum capacity: 2.73 kWh per battery

CHARGE TIMES

• 0 to 100%: 6.5 hours
• 20 to 100%: 4 hours
• 20 to 80%: 2.75 hours

ESTIMATED RANGES (WMTC)

• Eco mode: Up to 90 miles (limited to 45 mph)
• Sport mode: Up to 52 miles
• Combined: Up to 80 miles 

CHASSIS

• Frame: Chromoly cradle
• Front suspension; travel: Non-adjustable 37mm fork; 4.3 inches
• Rear suspension; travel: Spring-preload adjustable shocks; 3.1 inches
• Wheels: Wire-spoked; 19 x 2.15
• Tires: Dunlop K70; 3.25-19
• Front brake: 300mm disc w/ 3-piston floating caliper
• Rear brake: 240mm disc w/ single-piston floating caliper
• Linked braking bias f/r: 40/60

DIMENSIONS and CAPACITIES

• Wheelbase: 54.9 inches
• Rake: 26 degrees
• Trail: 3.9 inches
• Seat height: 30.9 inches
• Curb weight: 311 pounds

2025 Maeving RM1S Price: from $9995 MSRP