Revolve’s stylish 60 mph electric cafe racer takes a few turns
Beyond the well-known aesthetics of a cafe racer, which include features like lowered handlebars for a sportier riding position, the spirit of a cafe racer is fast, nimble, and inexpensive, which the Revolve Electric Café Racer has managed to embody.
While it may not be the fastest electric motorcycle – not by a long shot – it does strike a unique balance between style, speed, and price. For those unfamiliar with the cafe racer story, in the early 1950s to 1960s, young riders in England desired more excitement, speed, and style. However, since there wasn’t a market offering fast bikes at a low cost, the youth of the 1950s had to be resourceful. They modified bikes like Nortons and Triumphs to make them as fast as possible in the most affordable way, then used these bikes to race from cafe to cafe, hence the name cafe racer. Fast forward to today, those of us seeking fast and relatively inexpensive electric motorcycles find ourselves in a similar situation, searching diligently for low cost, decent speed, and a touch of style.
While the electric cafe racer is not a speed demon by any means, it does offer an aggressive riding position, weighs only 240 pounds, and can sustain a top speed of 60 mph, all for a price tag of $6,500. Besides a few special features – such as Bluetooth battery, regenerative braking, temperature sensors, and a reverse feature (which is not likely to be needed frequently due to its low weight) – the electric cafe racer strongly reminds me of the older classic cafe racers. It prioritizes speed, cost, and style over having the most expensive parts. The 72v 50 ah battery, combined with the 5000W/15000W peak motor, provides a range of up to 70 miles and makes for an overall fun ride in sport mode.
With its low seating and forward-leaning riding position, paired with decent-sized tires, the ride feels fast, even without exceeding the speed limit of around 60 mph. There’s something inherently enjoyable about riding lightweight motorcycles; they instill confidence when maneuvering, allowing for fun, intentional rear wheel skids, and quick weaving around obstacles. Although you won’t be able to outrun cars on this bike, light motorcycles like the Revolve Electric Café Racer offer a unique sense of forgiving playfulness.
While aspects such as suspension, brake system, and pegs may not be as high-quality as those seen on higher-end bikes, they still contribute to a comfortable and safe ride. I found the regenerative braking on the bike to be strong enough to stop about 70 percent of the time. It also proves especially useful when braking during sharp turns since applying rear brakes on such a lightweight bike can cause the rear wheel to lock up and skid faster than one might like in a turn. As for the riding stance, the bike sits quite low to the ground, making it effortless to maneuver and lean into curves. In my opinion, the bike’s easy handling and stability at speeds of 60 mph make it quite enjoyable to race around town without the worry of accidentally applying too much throttle.
Although the electric cafe racer looks the part of a street-legal motorcycle, it is still very much in a legal gray area with its Chinese VIN. The bike includes many of the parts required to officially become a street-legal bike in the United States, and while there are many people who have successfully registered this bike using the VIN that the bike comes with, those are usually cases where the local DMV doesn’t check as much as they should and simply issues a plate with the VIN. I certainly wouldn’t count on being able to get this bike registered by just any DMV, but for those willing to try their luck, it just might work.
Regarding the turn signals, they consist of minimal-profile bullet-style lights, similar to those seen on classic cafe racers. Overall, there are plenty of details on this bike that give it a strikingly similar appearance to old-style cafe racers, such as rear drum brakes, rear dual spring shocks, small fenders, and an analog-styled speedometer.
The only minor changes I would suggest for this bike are the ability to raise the kickstand slightly higher, allowing for greater clearance when leaning on curves, and perhaps adding bar end mirrors. However, mods like bar end mirrors may cause legal issues depending on your location and are more of a personal aesthetic preference. Although the bike is named the Revolve Electric Café Racer, it certainly bares more than a passing resemblance to the Chinese Denzel.
Electrek’s Take
The Resolve Electric Café Racer’s strongest attribute lies in its faithfulness to the original cafe racer look. If you’re seeking a classic-looking motorcycle to enjoy around town or as a steppingstone from electric bicycles to more powerful motorcycles, the electric cafe racer is a great option. However, if you’re looking for a motorcycle capable of commuting with ease on highways, the top speed of 60 mph might be a stretch. One thing to note is that while the bike looks like a classic cafe racer, it does not come with the high-end finishes and parts commonly seen on modern custom cafe racers, where a single directional light can cost up to $100. Overall the bike prioritizes decent high speed and a relatively affordable price for a motorcycle.
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On today’s fleet-focused episode of Quick Charge, we talk about a hot topic in today’s trucking industry called, “the messy middle,” explore some of the ways legacy truck brands are working to reduce fuel consumption and increase freight efficiency. PLUS: we’ve got ReVolt Motors’ CEO and founder Gus Gardner on-hand to tell us why he thinks his solution is better.
You know, for some people.
We’ve also got a look at the Kenworth Supertruck 2 concept truck, revisit the Revoy hybrid tandem trailer, and even plug a great article by CCJ’s Jeff Seger, who is asking some great questions over there. All this and more – enjoy!
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If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
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Thanks to Trump’s repeated executive order attacks on US clean energy policy, nearly $8 billion in investments and 16 new large-scale factories and other projects were cancelled, closed, or downsized in Q1 2025.
The $7.9 billion in investments withdrawn since January are more than three times the total investments cancelled over the previous 30 months, according to nonpartisan policy group E2’s latest Clean Economy Works monthly update.
However, companies continue to invest in the US renewable sector. Businesses in March announced 10 projects worth more than $1.6 billion for new solar, EV, and grid and transmission equipment factories across six states. That includes Tesla’s plan to invest $200 million in a battery factory near Houston that’s expected to create at least 1,500 new jobs. Combined, the projects are expected to create at least 5,000 new permanent jobs if completed.
Michael Timberlake of E2 said, “Clean energy companies still want to invest in America, but uncertainty over Trump administration policies and the future of critical clean energy tax credits are taking a clear toll. If this self-inflicted and unnecessary market uncertainty continues, we’ll almost certainly see more projects paused, more construction halted, and more job opportunities disappear.”
March’s 10 new projects bring the overall number of major clean energy projects tracked by E2 to 390 across 42 states and Puerto Rico. Companies have said they plan to invest more than $133 billion in these projects and hire 122,000 permanent workers.
Since Congress passed federal clean energy tax credits in August 2022, 34 clean energy projects have been cancelled, downsized, or shut down altogether, wiping out more than 15,000 jobs and scrapping $10 billion in planned investment, according to E2 and Atlas Public Policy.
However, in just the first three months of 2025, after Trump started rolling back clean energy policies, 13 projects were scrapped or scaled back, totaling more than $5 billion. That includes Bosch pulling the plug on its $200 million hydrogen fuel cell plant in South Carolina and Freyr Battery canceling its $2.5 billion battery factory in Georgia.
Republican-led districts have reaped the biggest rewards from Biden’s clean energy tax credits, but they’re also taking the biggest hits under Trump. So far, more than $6 billion in projects and over 10,000 jobs have been wiped out in GOP districts alone.
And the stakes are high. Through March, Republican districts have claimed 62% of all clean energy project announcements, 71% of the jobs, and a staggering 83% of the total investment.
A full map and list of announcements can be seen on E2’s website here. E2 says it will incorporate cancellation data in the coming weeks.
Read more: FREYR kills plans to build a $2.6 billion battery factory in Georgia
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Tesla has reportedly delayed the launch of its new “affordable EV,” which is believed to be a stripped-down Model Y, in the United States.
Last year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk made a pivotal decision that altered the automaker’s direction for the next few years.
The CEO canceled Tesla’s plan to build a cheaper new “$25,000 vehicle” on its next-generation “unboxed” vehicle platform to focus solely on the Robotaxi, utilizing the latest technology, and instead, Tesla plans to build more affordable EVs, though more expensive than previously announced, on its existing Model Y platform.
Musk has believed that Tesla is on the verge of solving self-driving technology for the last few years, and because of that, he believes that a $25,000 EV wouldn’t make sense, as self-driving ride-hailing fleets would take over the lower end of the car market.
However, he has been consistently wrong about Tesla solving self-driving, which he first said would happen in 2019.
In the meantime, Tesla’s sales have been decreasing and the automaker had to throttle down production at all its manufacturing facilities.
That’s why, instead of building new, more affordable EVs on new production lines, Musk decided to greenlight new vehicles built on the same production lines as Model 3 and Model Y – increasing the utilization rate of its existing manufacturing lines.
Those vehicles have been described as “stripped-down Model Ys” with fewer features and cheaper materials, which Tesla said would launch in “the first half of 2025.”
Reuters is now reporting that Tesla is seeing a delay of “at least months” in launching the first new “lower-cost Model Y” in the US:
Tesla has promised affordable vehicles beginning in the first half of the year, offering a potential boost to flagging sales. Global production of the lower-cost Model Y, internally codenamed E41, is expected to begin in the United States, the sources said, but it would be at least months later than Tesla’s public plan, they added, offering a range of revised targets from the third quarter to early next year.
Along with the delay, the report also claims that Tesla aims to produce 250,000 units of the new model in the US by 2026. This would match Tesla’s currently reduced production capacity at Gigafactory Texas and Fremont factory.
The report follows other recent reports coming from China that also claimed Tesla’s new “affordable EVs” are “stripped-down Model Ys.”
The Chinese report references the new version of the Model 3 that Tesla launched in Mexico last year. It’s a regular Model 3, but Tesla removed some features, like the second-row screen, ambient lighting strip, and it uses fabric interior material rather than Tesla’s usual vegan leather.
The new Reuters report also said that Tesla planned to follow the stripped-down Model Y with a similar Model 3.
In China, the new vehicle was expected to come in the second half of 2025, and Tesla was waiting to see the impact of the updated Model Y, which launched earlier this year.
Electrek’s Take
These reports lend weight to what we have been saying for a year now: Tesla’s “more affordable EVs” will essentially be stripped-down versions of the Model Y and Model 3.
While they will enable Tesla to utilize its currently underutilized factories more efficiently, they will also cannibalize its existing Model 3 and Y lineup and significantly reduce its already dwindling gross margins.
I think Musk will sell the move as being good in the long term because it will allow Tesla to deploy more vehicles, which will later generate more revenue through the purchase of the “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) package.
However, that has been his argument for years, and it has yet to pan out as FSD still requires driver supervision and likely will for years to come, resulting in an extremely low take-rate for the $8,000 package.
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