In an end-of-the-year miracle to shut out 2024, the often-lauded ONYX moped maker has introduced its return after shutting down operations earlier this yr. The corporate’s return kicks off with the discharge of 100 restricted version electrical mopeds.
ONYX Motorbikes first hit the scene in 2018, with founder and moped-builder Tim Seward launching the corporate to convey his customized designs for electrical mopeds to life. The corporate grew its US manufacturing base and launched a number of fashions, however that progress got here at a value.
After Seward bought the corporate in 2019 to his pal James Khatiblou, who grew to become the brand new CEO, Khatiblou led ONYX via a number of rollercoaster years of each growth and bust. However the firm’s US-based manufacturing proved costly, and bringing on new traders resulted in misgivings and stress that reportedly eroded Khatiblou’s well being, culminating within the 37-year-old’s sudden demise from a pulmonary embolism in late 2023.
A seamless battle ensued between the corporate’s collectors and traders over possession of ONYX’s belongings, resulting in the model successfully closing operations earlier this yr. However that wasn’t going to be the final chapter in ONYX’s story, not less than not if the model’s authentic founder, Tim Seward, had something to say about it. Now, Seward is saying a relaunch for ONYX.
The launch kicked off final week with the itemizing off 100 ONYX RCR LTD bikes, a restricted version model of the model’s iconic electrical moped. “With solely 100 models of the ONYX RCR LTD out there, every bike comes with an upgraded 45ah battery and is uniquely numbered with a holographic authenticity sticker, making it a real collector’s merchandise for many who crave each efficiency and magnificence,” defined the corporate. Commonplace manufacturing RCRs are anticipated to comply with the restricted version bikes this coming Spring.
The US $4,299 ONYX RCR LTD is constructed on a metal chassis with a locking wood battery cowl and a set of each brushed aluminum and holographic black facet panels. Every moped is spec’d with holographic stickers figuring out its uniquely numbered standing as a part of the 100 LTD bikes.
The bike comes with a rear hub motor boasting over 15 kW of peak rated energy and seven.2 kW of nominal energy, or sufficient to blast it as much as 30 mph (48 km/h) in simply 4 seconds and to achieve a high pace of 55+ mph (88+ km/h) in Sport Mode. Two different modes of Eco and Regular have decrease pace limits of 20 mph (32 km/h) and 40 mph (64 km/h), respectively.
The RCR LTD is powered by a 3,240 Wh battery with a Bluetooth-enabled BMS permitting for distant monitoring from the rider’s smartphone.
The battery provides a variety of as much as 120 miles (200 km) in Eco mode, although riders ought to anticipate a mere fraction of that when cruising round at high pace.
And naturally, in true ONYX trend, the RCR LTD nonetheless consists of practical pedals, although pedaling a 150+ lb bike isn’t for the faint of coronary heart. With the Eco mode supposedly limiting the motor’s energy to 750W together with the electronically capped 20 mph pace limiter, the pedals seem to be a Hail Mary to maintain this factor categorised as a Class 2 electrical bicycle in its lowest energy mode. Whether or not or not that flies probably is determined by your native laws, however a lot of ONYX’s advertising refers to “off-road” efficiency, hinting at the truth that that is far exterior the realm of a typical electrical bike. Previous ONYX RCRs have included a VIN plate within the hopes that riders might register and tag their moped as a motorbike, although a number of of the bike’s parts don’t seem to satisfy DOT laws for that class. Suffice it to say that the RCR stays one thing of a line straddler within the two-wheeler world, sustaining traditional moped necessities (specifically a motor and pedals) but present in a regulatory gray space that ebbs and flows relying on every state’s native legal guidelines.
Electrek’s Take
That is definitely thrilling information. I imagine I used to be one of many first to cowl ONYX’s Kickstarter again in 2018, spreading information on the storage startup turned moped producer and serving to propel it to a world stage, and it has been fascinating to observe the corporate develop all through the years.
My first overview of the bike received over a half million views and helped cement for me simply how a lot enjoyable electrical mopeds like these might be.
However watching ONYX’s sluggish tailspin and the tragic demise of the corporate’s CEO, adopted by a yr of authorized battles, has been a heartbreaking course of for any fan of the corporate. So the model’s relaunch is welcome information.
That being mentioned, there are nonetheless unfinished authorized battles swirling within the background as former ONYX collectors proceed to duke it out, and we’re nonetheless ready to listen to how that would affect the model’s future. However fingers are crossed that ONYX will persist with the touchdown and roll again out with a brand new wave of momentum and superior electrical mopeds.
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