Review: Engwe’s $900 Eagle isn’t just the best-priced 45mph mini eMoto

Engwe came to us a month ago with the Eagle and asked if we’d like to review it. The eMoto looks and is specced a lot like some of the other 14/12″ mullet mini eMotos that have flooded the market over the past year, which wasn’t immediately enticing. However, the Eagle smashes through that $1000 price point to $899 after coupon code ELECTREKCO (plus some limited-time gifts). We thought it would be useful to see how they did it and what we found might surprise you.

Engwe is a brand we’ve reviewed before and has a track record of building solid value ebikes.

The Eagle builds on the small Tuttio/Yozma 14/12-inch wheel form factor that has become incredibly popular for pre-teens and teens throughout the US. These are obviously off-road bikes and aren’t legal on the road in almost any jurisdiction. The spec sheet will look somewhat familiar:

Note the higher 220nm torque than not just Tuttio and Yozma, but even the higher-end Heybike Villan. That’s going to get you off the line, up the hill, and into a wheelie much better than higher-priced bikes. The 3.2kW motor falls in the midrange between Yozma (2.6kW) and Heybike (4.2kW), but the stated range of 55 miles is higher than both. Obviously, 1.4kWh battery range estimates are highly subjective, and in the real world, going 28mph you’ll get 30-35 miles, give or take, depending on rider weight, terrain, weather, and other factors. We reviewed the red option, but I think the Black and Gray version might be the star here:

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Engwe Eagle differentiators

I wasn’t expecting to love the trade-offs for getting to a sub $900 price point. But they are actually quite remarkable. First of all, there are no keys. Instead, you can remove power from the moto by taking the red kill switch off (an easily replaceable safety feature as well). The seat is removable with a big screw at the bottom, and the battery is secured with a heavy-duty strap. This isn’t going to prevent theft, but it also isn’t going to hinder your experience if you lose your keys.

Also, Engwe forgoes the Fardriver controller that many of these eMotos use and has a custom setup (which very well could be a Fardriver controller on lockdown). While that restricts Bluetooth access to program the controller, it also lets Engwe deliver a strong mix of torque, power, and range that beats other bikes in its class. You can also access the P-settings menu, which allows users to restrict top speed, switch between kilometers and miles, adjust backlighting, and change sleep and other settings.

The 4.7-inch big, waterproof color display is surprisingly one of the best we’ve seen, with large, high contrast readable speed/ride mode (0-3), Battery meter, status and odometer numbers. The left-hand, 5 button thumb controller is also very usable, and both the horn and front headlight are perfectly usable safety features.

I was also pleasantly surprised by how easy the Eagle was to assemble. Engwe made the kickstand and pegs very easy to install, and the rest of the eMoto probably took us about 30 mins to put together. With an ~80% charged battery we were ripping within an hour of the box landing on our doorstep.

Reality mode:

Look, this is a sub-$1000 $900 eMoto so don’t expect a $1000 suspension package on here.

As a 200-lb rider, I bottomed out a few times on the trails and the suspension was probably as baseline as it gets. At 6 feet tall, riding it felt cramped, as a friend tells me on these bikes; I seem a little bit like a circus clown attempting a high-wire act.

However, for my much lighter son, this is actually a pretty incredible ride. No complaints on the hills, though we were hesitant to bring it near significant jumps.

Engwe includes a 3A charger which charges the bike in 5-6 hours, with an optional $99 8A charger that drops charging time to 2-3 hours. That’s great and better than some competitors, but the charging head is proprietary, and it isn’t interchangeable with other electronics, which is a bit frustrating.

Like all of these eMotos, a top speed of 45 mph is attainable only under optimal conditions (like a slight downhill, crouch and tailwind), but hitting 40 on a dirt straightaway is very possible, especially for lighter riders, and I’m sure that with enduro tires 45mph is doable. In reality, you’ll be tooling around mostly in the high 30s, which is still lots of fun and probably a lot safer than going highway speeds.

Speaking of safety, any kid riding an emoto hard should be wearing lots of safety gear and much beefier stuff than is included in the Engwe package. Also, in reality, kids are going to take these on roads whether that’s just around the neighborhood or down the road to get to the dirt track, so they should be fully protected and schooled in safety protocols.

Electrek’s take

I’m still blown away at this package at this price. The Eagle is one of the better 14/12 eMotos out there at any price, and the fact that you can pick up a 45mph electric bike for $899 from a reputable brand from US storefronts is bananas. It bodes will for the future of electric transportation if we can get homologated street bikes out to the masses at these prices.

At $900, I expected a glaring disappointment compared to the other emotos in its class, which are as much as $500 more, but instead found that Engwe managed some nice improvements (torque, display, controls, kill switch) over its competitors with very little in sacrifices (suspension?). If you are 6’+ and 200lbs like me, I’d recommend hitting up a bigger bike like this Qronge.

But 5’9/180lbs and under? Pick up the Engwe Eagle for $899 using code Electrekco at checkout to receive a bunch of gifts (currently pictured below) or at Amazon without gifts by clicking the $100 off box Labor day weekend only.