Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1447191
QUICKSPIN I 2022 GasGas MC-E 5 P88 the maintenance this bike will likely ever need other than some new grips, tires eventually, and, I don't know, maybe brake pads in three years? My kid is a ways off from going race pace. I see little additional investment needed. So, if a $5000 purchase can last four years for one kid without me cleaning a carburetor or replac- ing a piston or cleaning a single air filter, I'm feeling a little better already. As a motorcyclist, I appreci- ate the real components on this bike, as well. The brakes are good, the footpegs are real, the frame and swingarm are substan- tial and the fasteners are familiar and high-quality. I see this lasting a long time. Plus, look at the thing! The GasGas kids' bikes are simply awesome looking. Red frames, red everything, yes! One area that could use some refinement for the beginner crowd is the suspension. It's bi- ased to the higher-performance end of the user spectrum, for sure. And without lowering the components, the bike tends to sit raked out in the front, almost refusing to move through the fork stroke. We kept dropping air pressure in the fork to get some movement but having a setup with the bias shifted down to- ward the recreational end of the spectrum would help this thing handle a lot better. It's made for jumping right now, and I suspect a lot of these bikes are going to be used in fields and back yards and empty lots and trails where rocks and off-road-style obstacles are more common than a Loretta's rhythm section. A strong market this bike sort of misses is the trail-bike world. Soft suspension, soft seats, simple riding fun. That's not in the GasGas MC-E 5's DNA, but I bet it's coming soon from somewhere. I know the KTM Group has plans for more competition- focused bikes in this class. Be on the lookout for "65" and "85"-class models soon, and then "125's?" But, again, I don't think we'll see anything closer to the trail-bike category from the Austrians. As my daughter ripped around a few days on the GasGas MC-E 5, I started to realize she may never ride a gas-powered dirt bike. The pace of development in this segment is right on cue with her age. She could ride this MC-E 5 for years. And by then, can you imagine what the electric youth motorcycle market will look like? Certainly, the KTM family of brands won't be the only ones here. But they certain- ly have a great head-start in the space with this little weapon. CN SPECIFICATIONS MOTOR 48 V - BLDC motor with outer rotor, 6000 rpm RATED OUTPUT 2 kW / 3200 rpm MAX. POWER 5 kW / 3900 rpm TORQUE 13.8 Nm TRACTION BATTERY Lithium-Ion KTM PowerPack BATTERY CAPACITY 21 Ah RATED VOLTAGE 48 V CHARGER LINE VOLTAGE 80-240 V/50-60 Hz FRAME DESIGN Central-tube frame with double-cradle STEERING HEAD ANGLE 66 ° FRONT SUSPENSION XACT 35 WP Upside-Down fork, Ø 35mm REAR SUSPENSION XACT WP monoshock FRONT-WHEEL TRAVEL 8.1 in. REAR-WHEEL TRAVEL 7.3 in. SEAT HEIGHT 26.2 in. CHARGING INPUT Quick charging 5 A @ 230 V (AC) CHARGING POWER 900 W CHARGING TIME 100 %70 min. CHARGING TIME 80 %45 min. ENGINE COOLING Air FRONT BRAKE Disc, 160mm REAR BRAKE Disc, 160mm CHAIN 1/2 x 3/16" 2022 GASGAS MC-E 5 ($5099)