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The earliest versions of motorcycles were suspension-free, heavy little bikes with a small amount of horsepower, essentially powerless brakes — and capable of delivering an insane amount of fun. A similar comparison applies to classic automobiles: vintage models are hard to turn, hard to get going and hard to stop…and, again, a ton of fun once you learn how to drive them correctly.
If you’re reading this thinking “I clicked into this article to read a review on an cool-looking e-bike, not to brush up on the charm of old motorcycles” — trust me, I have a point. While Super73’s new Adventure Series is fun, it’s akin to those old dirt bikes and muscle cars: it’s got a long way to go, and a lot of innovation to do. It’s the starting point of its class; maybe in a couple generations, my grandchildren will be riding its progeny, marveling at how I ever sat on one of the originals without the bells and whistles of their future modernity.
Although there are definite improvements to be made when it comes to this bike, it’s exhilarating being at the beginning of something; although its power and performance leave a bit to be desired, it’s still a fun little machine. I’ve been riding one for the past two weeks, and here are my takeaways.
The Super73 Adventure Series, at a Glance
SUPER73
- Top Speed | Classes 1/2/3/Off-Road: 20+ MPH*
- Range | 30-50 miles*
- Charge Time | 6-7 hrs
- Battery | 615W/H (48v 12.8ah)
- Motor | 750w nominal / 1200w peak
- Throttle | Thumb Throttle
- Gearing & Rear Derailleur | 8-speed
- Frame | Aluminum
- Suspension (if applicable) | Front Only / Rear Rigid
- Brakes | Hydraulic
- Tires | GRZLY / 4.5″ Front / 5″ Rear
- Inner Tubes | 20″ x 4.5/5″
- Weight: 74 pounds
*30+ miles of range at 20mph under Class-2 throttle-only operation; 50+ miles of range using Class-1 pedal assist mode
Super73’s Z Adventure Bike is built on the ZX frame (Super73’s base model), with a few upgrades that customers have asked for over the years: a front suspension, a front fender, an integrated headlight and an elongated seat.
These are all welcome additions to the basic bike design, and contribute to its adventure-ready positioning. Other upgrades include the rugged GRZLY tires, which feature custom Super73 lightning bolt tread and can handle much more rugged terrain than competing e-bikes that you’ll often see on the trails.
What’s Good About Super73’s Z Adventure Series
The Z Adventure Series’ features are stylish, as well as useful
Super73 dropped off the Corsetti colorway at my home for this review, and I immediately took a liking to the bike — they say first impressions are everything, and the Z Adventure makes the case for the importance of aesthetics. The steel blue with yellow, orange and red racing stripes made me want to go fast, but I had to charge first. (A full charge takes about 6-7 hours in my experience, so plan ahead).
The faux-leather seat has been elongated for this model to accommodate two riders, and the rugged, bronze-rimmed tires are built with endurance in mind. I’d seen these bikes ripping around on the streets of my city; in fact, they’re favored by the under-16 set for their ability to get you where you want to go, no license required.
The Super 73 Z Adventure is intuitively designed
I didn’t have a problem getting the Z Adventure going, once it was charged — setup is as simple as any other e-bike I’ve tested. Once the battery was full, I switched the battery on with the little power switch, located next to the battery under the seat. It does take a minute for the screen next to the left handlebar grip to light up, but it’s not a long enough wait to be bothersome.
Once the bike is fired up, I went into the app and made sure I had take the speed restrictions off — I wanted to go fast, after all. (You can also use the app for real-time over-the-air updates, bike adjustments and mapping.) Once all that was out of the way, it was time to ride.
The Z Adventure Series has the option to choose between the throttle or pedal-assist; what you choose depends mostly on what you’re doing and what you’re in the mood for. Wanna tool around the block without breaking a sweat? Hit that throttle. Want to ride over to your favorite dinner spot and burn some calories in preparation? Pedal assist can get you where you want to go quickly, while making you work for it a bit.
The Z Adventure Series doesn’t come with a textbook-sized manual, because it doesn’t need it: it’s designed to be simple, easy to start and easy to ride.
What’s Not Ideal about the Z Adventure Series Electric Bike
The bike doesn’t maintain steady power
Go to Super73’s Adventure Series page on its website, and you’ll see a group of fit, adventurous riders tearing through varied terrain on what looks like rugged, lightweight electric bikes that really barely qualify as a bike at all, and are more akin to a stripped-down, electrified motorcycle. The looped video shows the riders taking on single track, wheelie-ing through dried up canals, gliding over rutted-out roads and keeping up with Broncos, off-road Sprinter vans and overlanding trucks in the wild.
I live on five acres of land in Southern California, and inspired by Super73’s marketing materials and assurances that this bike could handle what I threw at it, I tried riding my tester bike over my rutted-out fields, which mimicked the terrain I saw their riders taking on with ease.
Going downhill was fun, as long as I stood up. (No suspension in the back of the bike makes for a very bumpy ride). Going uphill was mostly fine…after I resigned myself to the disappointing reality that the Adventure Series Bike really doesn’t like hills unless they’re paved. Riding in rutted-out dirt, I found that the bike lost all speed; it was torquey in the beginning of the ascent but then tapped out about halfway up a gentle slope, and kept turning off every time I hit a bump. When I paused after the temporary shut-off and power resumed, by then I was half way up the hill and had lost what little momentum the bike had started with.
On our paved driveway, which runs a quarter of a mile up a moderately steep slope, the bike started off moderately strong again…only to lose most of its power about midway up the hill, forcing me to ride at a snail’s pace until the driveway flattened out. This is fine if you’re putting around the yard or gently cruising on your errands, but if you have a need for speed, it’s a disappointing ride to the top.
The bike is hard to travel with
Thanks to its fat tires, heavy weight and size, the Adventure Series bike isn’t the type of ride you can just throw on your bike rack. Unlike other e-bikes that mimic the dimensions of a standard bike, and therefore fit with relative ease on most bike racks, the Super73 is too bulky and heavy for that.
If you plan on riding it from your house to your destination and back, that’s a non-issue: ride on! But, if you want to take it camping, to a friend’s or if you need to take it to a shop for maintenance, you’d better have a truck bed or motorcycle hitch rack that can accommodate it.
You should take note about the serviceability of the Z Adventure Series
Super73 only offers warranty-related repair work at this time. If you want any other work done on your bike, you’ll have to take it to an authorized dealer (these are only located in California) or a bike shop near you who can help you make necessary adjustments and repairs.
The Super73 Z Adventure Series: The Verdict
This is a fun electric bike — and for less than $3,000, you can feel like you’re almost riding a motorcycle. But that ‘almost’ is what prevents me from fully endorsing the Z Adventure Series e-bike. it’s not quite a standard e-bike, and definitely not a motorcycle, and its straddling of that line left me wondering where and when I should ride it.
I didn’t feel comfortable taking it on trails where cyclists would be riding, and without the suspension or power of a true dirtbike, there’s no way I’d take it out to the desert for a weekend. I had a blast riding mine around my five acres, but I’m fully aware of the fact that most people don’t have that kind of land at their disposal.
To make the most of this bike, you’ll need the following: a garage or shed to store it in, a heavy duty hitch rack capable of hauling it, a vehicle to install said hitch on and space to ride the bike where you won’t piss traditional cyclists off or wish you could keep up with the real motorcycles ripping past you. If you have all that, I say get one.
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