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/1483118
RIDE REVIEW I GREENGER X HONDA CRF-E2 ELECTRIC MINI BIKE P88 The biggest difference here, I believe, is that the Greenger CRF-E2 really looks like a Hon- da-built machine. And the Stacyc looks like a Stacyc no matter the color. The KTM group of brands have their own electric minibikes built in-house that are clearly different than licensed models. Honda does not. Yet. All this puts Greenger in a fine position to leverage Honda brand equity as they race to capture parents' attention away from gas- fueled offerings and other e-bikes. Billed as a 50cc equivalent, the Greenger CRF-E2 is a bigger bike than most entry-level 50s with the Honda badge. It sits taller but weighs about the same as the leg- endary CRF50F, with an adjust- able seat height of 24.8 to 25.5 inches. The CRF50F comes in at 21.6 inches. The Greenger has 12- inch wheels versus the CRF50F's 10-inchers, too. We weighed the Greenger at 113 pounds, and Honda claims the CRF50F is 111 ready to ride. The lower seat height is just about too tall for my daughter (48 inches tall with a 20-inch inseam). But we got it to work by hand-cranking as much preload out of the shock as possible. She can grow into this bike for a couple years. Ergonomically, it's a little oversized in comparison to more traditional gas-powered entry- level 50s, as well. Grips, brake controls (front and rear brakes are hand controls), and reach for those brake controls are just at the edge of useable range for my little rider's grippy digits. I shifted the brake controls around as much as possible to get her able to reach properly, and they're just a little too far away and big, still. This is common. Stacycs had this issue since its launch but has released a small-grip accessory to accommodate this problem. Silly, sort of, in that these are, first and foremost, bikes for kids. They shouldn't have adult-sized grips on them. But they do. More comfort and control could be eas- ily engineered here. The rear shock, as mentioned, has adjustable preload on the spring. It also has an adjustable rebound circuit. And the shock seems nicely built with solid clicker detents and a high-quality feel. The fork is non-adjustable. (Left) Ergonomics might be stretched for your little rider, but the bike has a lot of upward growing room. A showroom fit at your Honda dealer is in order before purchase. (Right) At 48" tall, and with a 20" inseam, our seven-year-old test rider was tip-toeing in the lowest setting we could get the Greenger CRF-E2 to sit. We had just enough shock spring preload to keep the shock from bouncing off and the fork tubes slid up to the handlebar. Shorter riders will need to be caught as they stop.