Pollution. Jet planes, semi-trucks, gridlock traffic. The unmistakable ring-da-da-ding-ding of a two-stroke dirt bike, or the unfettered lope of an American V-twin. In the absence of roaring engines, honking horns, and inattentive drivers surfing the rumble strips, you gain a superpower. Without noise pollution, you can actually hear traction. The tires groan, whimper, and eventually scream defeat as they let go of the pavement. In the dirt, you hear every stick and acorn beneath your wheels with the predictable shuffle of gravel in the loose dirt. The cost of this superpower? Ticking of the derailleur, the metallic cadence of the chain, and a low-pitched electric whine of the SUPER73 twelve-hundred-watt motor.

Thanks to a recommendation from my buddy Matt, SUPER73 reached out to me about potentially test-riding one of their electric bicycles. Longtime readers here obviously know I’m a pre-mixing, two-stroke-obsessed gearhead; however, upon receipt of an e-mail from SUPER73, I was immediately intrigued by the opportunity to experience a machine diametrically different from my typical two-wheeled mode of recreation. They lent me the bike to ride for two weeks and asked me to publish my thoughts in Vicarious Magazine before Christmas. Even after those 900-odd words, I felt I had more to say about their R-Brooklyn, and more about the new opportunities it’s bringing to the market.

Who’s SUPER73?

For those unfamiliar, SUPER73 was founded in 2016 as a start-up company out of Irvine, California. They launched their first electric bike after a successful kickstarted campaign. Thanks to some incredible marketing, they’ve grown dramatically into a full-blown multi-line electric bicycle manufacturer over the last few years.

What’s an E-bike?

The short answer is “electric bicycle”, but that definition gets a little more fuzzy depending on where you live. Here in Ohio, there are classes of electric bicycles and therefore laws about where you can and cannot ride. Locally, these are the definitions:

• Class I – Electric bicycles equipped with fully operable pedals and an electric motor under 750 watts that can only provide pedal assist up to 20 MPH.
  
• Class II – Electric bicycles equipped with fully operable pedals and an electric motor under 750 watts that can provide pedal or throttle assist up to 20 MPH.
  
• Class III – Electric bicycles equipped with fully operable pedals and an electric motor under 750 watts that can only provide pedal assist up to 28 MPH.

In Ohio, Class I & II e-bikes are permitted on bicycle and shared-use paths. Class III bikes are required to have a speedometer, can only be ridden by people 16 and older, require operators to wear a helmet, and are prohibited from shared use paths.

R-Brooklyn Specs

Brawler bicycle looks, the SUPER73 R-Brooklyn is unmistakable with its fat beach tires and bespoke “LZRD” tires. The bike wears dual 20-inch diameter wide-rims (4.5″ front, 5″ wide rear). The bumps up front are soaked up with telescopic forks, with an adjustable coil-over rear shock mounting to a swingarm in the rear. The 750~1200 Watt motor is integrated into the rear hub, mated with a single-speed sprocket set and traditional derailleur. The 960-watt-hour batter sits in front of the big banana seat, and what I assume is intentionally resembling a motorcycle gas tank. The Brooklyn has a bright LED headlight for urban night riding, with a matching brake-light in the rear. Similar to an ATV, there’s a thumb throttle on the right handlebar, with the smart display taking up residence on the left. The smart display can show the rider’s speed, odometer, range, and when paired with the SUPER73 app, can also give distance and direction to the next turn. The Brooklyn, like the rest of the R-series is shipped as a Class II e-bike. However, by logging into the app, riders can unlock level III and unlimited modes after agreeing to a disclaimer. To stop this 80-ish-pound bicycle, the Brooklyn has hydraulic disk brakes front and rear. Note to the motorcyclists, the right-hand lever is rear, not the front brake. Also, when attacking urban traffic, riders have a push button for a horn that rivals the one on my motorcycle.

Riding Experience

Pedaling out of my driveway I was reminded that I’d not ridden a bicycle in countless years. The saying is indeed true, but it’s markedly different than riding a motorcycle. The oddest thing is how 28 miles per hour feels shockingly fast on an 80-pound bicycle. After falling in love with the fat tire traction at full-throttle and aggressive lean angles, I was subsequently struck by the serenity of (near) silence while pedaling through the countryside. While riding along the bikeways, you can hear the tires grip the asphalt, moreover their squeal as they let go at full-tilt. Hooliganism aside, I was still surprised by the ease at which I snuck up on deer. At one point I stopped on the path and had a stare-down with several does on the hillside. It’s a very contrasting experience considering animals are typically already on the run when I see them from the seat of my dirtbike.

Peddling around town, ther ergoes of the R-Brooklyn feel more intended for sitting. The center of the crank is forward enough from the seat and close enough to the bars it takes a bit more effort to stand and keep cadence to climb the hill in my local housing development. Fortunately, the seat is comfortable and in the pursuit of grinding the chicken strips off the tires, my knees can grip the battery (tank) effectively while sitting.

Power delivery from the rear hub motor rolls on smooth and consistently. Performance motorcycle people may be disappointed that the SUPER73 doesn’t surge from a stop, however, folks need to remember this machine serves two masters. The Brooklyn is bridging the gap between efficient commuter and urban assault bike. Dumping buckets of torque into the motor drains the battery with a quickness, so the throttle controller feeds it in smoothly to maximize range. Similarly, SUPER73 obviously expects the rider to take advantage of the pedal assist or throtte. The single-speed drivetrain is geared for prime comfort between 15-20 mph; without power it takes some effort to get going from a stop, and depending on what level of assistance you’ve selected, you may find yourself peddling frantically if you get beyond the “boosted” speed.

Smashing the throttle and “going” is obviously the best part about riding the Brooklyn, but the dual-disk brake setup means that stopping is an uneventful affair. That’s of course assuming you don’t get a fist full of front brake, in which case you will find yourself lifting the rear wheel from the ground. The brakes SUPER73 have put on this bicycle are some of the best brakes I’ve experienced anywhere. I’ve never found myself so eager to pull “stoppies” at every opportunity.

As a child of the 80s, full suspension is also a welcome addition. Skipping over small logs in the local park trails and jumping curbs at full throttle puts a smile on your face. Similarly, riding the bike off-road is a lot of fun, but similar to comments about power delivery, there’s only so much suspension travel to work with. The springy bits keep the ride comfortable but remind you that the Brooklyn is a city bike, not an enduro competitor. Similarly, hardcore off-road bicyclists may bemoan the SUPER73’s weight, but after dragging my 250-pound dirtbike through the mud, I found lifting the Brooklyn over the big logs at my local trails an easy task.

Like anything electric these days, I’m sure most people are immediately curious about the range. SUPER73 advertises up to 75 miles on a full charge and I believe that to be very accurate. I rode the Brooklyn from my place in south Dayton, all the way downtown to the river and back while using pedal assist on levels 1 through 3, and the occasional burst of throttle to climb out of the valley. After 46 miles of mixed-use, the smart display told me I had 9 miles left on the battery. Using only level 1 pedal assist, 75 miles on mostly level terrain would be very achievable.

While I know my way around town pretty well, the SUPER73 app added to the convenience of riding almost anywhere. Like my motorcycles, I mounted my phone on the handlebar for easy navigation downtown. However, if I decided to leave my phone in my pocket, the SUPER73 app sends directions to the smart display which shows the rider their distance and direction to the next turn. Beyond navigation, the app can also be used to change settings on the bike, check the charge status, and toggle the headlight.

The SUPER73 R-Brooklyn, despite its stunning good looks, is still a competent commuter. While not a traditional stunt bike, bland utilitarian e-bike, nor hardcore off-road machine, it finds itself adept to dabble in each segment. All in all, I found the bike most enjoyable winding up and down the twisty hillside bicycle paths with the throttle pinned, or just exploring the wooded outskirts of the city. Moreover, I can reiterate enough, there’s something about the Brooklyn’s looks and performance that beg the rider to embrace their inner hooligan.

Commentary

As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. One may not share my affinity for this BMX-supermoto electrified love child, but after seeing the fleet of urban e-bike rentals downtown, SUPER73 has aesthetics on lock. Big LED headlight, the tank-like battery pack, copious “73” branding, and lock-on moto-style grips, SUPER73 has minded the details while forging its own niche and imagery.

At some point, I’d like to get the chance to ride a SUPER73 with the 10-speed cassette option. While I find it unlikely I’d surpass the 75-mile range available, I’d like to see if I could stretch the full-wide-open range a little further with perhaps more pedal power. With that, like any motorcyclist, I’d like to see the rear hub motor get a little more poke. Word on the street is that the mothership launches a 2300-watt firmware upgrade, so I’m curious to see how that affects the power delivery. Also, I don’t know if this is in the pipeline, but I’d like to see a regenerative feature to the hub motor. Again, the existing range is likely plenty for the target audience, but in this space, I think it’s wise to keep pushing boundaries.

Potential on the Horizon

The electric bicycle market is very much still in its infancy. While I’m unquestionably old-school, I very much see the future that SUPER73 is paving the way for. As noise and emission regulations get tighter, it’s getting harder and hard to ride and race around the globe. As a city dweller, even riding at a designated off-road club, it’s becoming more difficult to avoid running afoul with the neighbors. Fewer and fewer kids grow up riding motorcycles, and more and more folks are less and less noise tolerant. SUPER73’s R-series bikes all carry the same legal rights as bicycles while being simultaneously prime for urban competition. SUPER73 bikes competed in oval track races at the Red Bull Moto Beach Classic in 2022; that’s the same event where they held Straight Rythm. The R-Brooklyn in today’s form would be a blast at an urban bike park, racing on a cart-style track, and even stunt competitions. Long-term, I’m hopeful that SUPER73’s success leads to a full-on off-road model. Something we can race on local single track, without pissing off the neighbors.

SUPER73 has built more than an electric bicycle. It’s more than a bicycle, and it’s not a motorcycle. The R-Brooklyn and its stablemates are in a new category of brand-new two-wheel recreation that we’re just starting to understand. They have their own flavor of customers, and we’re just getting a taste of what these kinds of machines can do.