In 2023 Sur-Ron launched the Ultra Bee X, which was the first, affordable, middleweight electric off-roader, along with the  road-legal 'T' variant. That said, the T should not be considered as an alternative to a road bike, as they can only be insured for social, domestic and pleasure purposes.

The 2023 Ultra Bee remains an outstanding bike, with its excellent combination of chassis, suspension, brakes, motor and battery. Weighing 85kg, its 20hp motor makes it more than quick enough for entertaining off-road riding, with chassis components to match its power and size. In the absence of any competition, the Ultra Bee had the middle-weight category sewn-up throughout 2023 and 2024, and with a price premium of around £2,000 compared to lightweight models like the Sur-Ron LBX and Talaria Sting R, it represented great value for people wanting more performance and a significantly upgraded chassis.

Competition?

Inevitably, competition was going to arrive in the middleweight sector, and despite Talaria hinting that they'd bring their 'Dragon' to market during 2024, it failed to materialise. The rumours were that they'd decided to launch a bike that could not only take-on the Ultra Bee, but could also take the fight to the standard Stark Varg, so they went back to the drawing board. The 60hp Stark Varg now starts at £9,200, however, with its 948mm seat height, 60hp motor, 6.5kWh battery, KYB suspension and Brembo brakes, it's no middleweight and it sits in a class of its own, mainly appealing to experienced motocross and enduro riders.

Instead of the Dragon, Talaria launched the Sting Pro in 2024, with power to match the Ultra Bee, a bigger battery and upgrades to the brakes and suspension. The Sting Pro instantly became the top choice in the lightweight sector, and offers outstanding value at £4,300.

In November 2024, Zero Motorcycles showed their hand at EICMA and Motorcycle Live, with their XB and XE off-road models. At the time, the XE looked like it would have the edge over the Ultra Bee due to superior power, battery, suspension, electronics, a superior wheel combination and a punchy price of £5,410. The XE is due to launch in July (2025), but Sur-Ron's 2025 version of the Ultra Bee has moved the goalposts, with power upgrades to the motor and battery, which, on paper, give it the edge over the Zero. Superiority doesn't hinge purely on power; it's how all the parts work together that defines a bike's greatness. So in Zero's favour, they run a proper, 21/18 wheel and tyre combo, plus KKE suspension, and they offer a more polished electronics package.

Warranty, Support and Parts

The other important point to mention is support and warranty, where Zero is in a class of its own. Firstly, Zero offers a two-year parts and labour warranty (Sur-Ron and Talaria offer 12 months parts only on off-road models), which means that the bike can be fixed by any Zero dealer, without cost or quibble.

Secondly, unlike warranties from Sur-Ron and Talaria, it is fully transferable to a subsequent owner. Thirdly, Zero has dedicated field support to provide training and assistance to their dealers across the UK and Ireland. Lastly, Zero operates a massive, centralised parts operation in the Netherlands, which generally delivers parts within two working days. Customers rarely ask about support when buying a bike, but they can often be disappointed when something goes wrong. That's unlikely to be the case with Zero, as they work directly with their dealers, rather than using local distributors.

Enter the Dragon

Finally, Talaria unveiled their Komodo (an Island in Indonesia best known for very large, toxic, carnivorous reptiles known as Komodo Dragons.) The Komodo has a stunning spec, with a massive 32kW of peak power (43hp), which will make it the quickest middleweight electric bike on the market when it launches at around the same time as the Zero.

Initially, Komodo will only be offered as an off-road bike, with a road-legal possibly arriving in around September 2025. Again, just because a bike can be road registered doesn't imply that it can be insured for road use, so always seek insurance quotes before committing to purchasing a bike that you want to use on public roads and green lanes.

At the time of writing, the price of the Komodo has not been confirmed, but we expect it to compete with the Ultra Bee, so it should be in the region of £6,000 for the off-road version.

Conclusion

This July (2025) you'll be able to choose between at least three, excellent, middleweight electric off-road motorcycles, two of which will be road-legal. We'll be fascinated to see how these models compare in the real world, and which environment(s) each one excels in. Zero appears to have the most competitively priced bike, with 21/18 wheels, pretty decent suspension and more than enough power.

Sur-Ron has the lightest bike in the group, weighing-in around 15kg under the EX or Komodo, and with a very useful 27hp, it will be the bike to beat. Komodo's massive horsepower advantage will make it very hard to ignore, so ultimately, it will come down to which bike offers the best balance of power, ability, comfort and styling. We look forward to reviewing all three bikes together, so we will report back, with photos and video footage during July.

In the meantime, we have compiled a side-by-side spec table, which makes it easy to compare the three bikes. Ultra Bee, XE and Komodo are all excellent middleweight off-road bikes which may be hard to choose between. Bear in mind that as all three bikes have roughly the same battery capacity, more power generally means less riding time, and grip rather than outright power ultimately determines speed.