skinny. Slinging a leg over the 34.3 inch high seat
(1.6 inches lower than the off-road bikes) delivers a
comfortable, mega-controllable riding stance that
doesn't seem excessively high, and with reason-
ably low footpegs, the E-SM's stance should suit
most statures, giving a sense of confidence to be-
ginner riders to whom E-power is well suited, and
there is no clutch or gearshift to worry about. To
obtain forward motion, you must first flick on the
kill switch on the right handlebar. Next, turn the
ignition key, which is mounted to the right of the
headlight, and then wait while the system boots
up, as monitored via the battery interface module
located behind the headstock. This module basi-
cally acts as an information center. This has a row
of LEDs around the central display, which light
up when you press the kill switch. If all the green
ones are lit, the battery is fully charged, then as
the charge diminishes those lights do too, until the
yellow one illuminates with 20 percent charge re-
maining, and the red at 10 percent. There's also a
diagnostic function in case there are any problems
with the power supply. This helps you to locate the
problem, whether it's with the controller or the bat-
VOL. 52 ISSUE 1 JANUARY 6, 2015 P71
Alan Cathcart tests KTM's new Freeride E-SM in the real world.
