The Husqvarna Pioneer Is Here

Want a street-legal electric dirtbike? Husqvarna hears your cries, and offers you the new Pioneer.

It looks an awful lot like the KTM Freeride E, with a fresh coat of paint. But the crew at Husk-A-Varna says uses an electric motor that was designed in-house by their own engineers. Whatever the story, the Husky PR says the 11 kW motor can pump out the electro-equivalent of 26 hp and 27.7 lb-ft of torque, hitting max speed of 95 km/h. Not a lot for the street, but plenty for the trails, which is probably why Husqvarna says this is a dirt bike, primarily, despite its DOT legality.

The 5.5 kWh lithium-ion battery is supposed to take the bike as far as 137 kilometers, although that sounds very optimistic. At least you can switch the battery out in 10 minutes, Husqvarna says. The IP67-rated motor and battery provide rigidity to the chassis as load-bearing components, with the main frame sections made of chrome-moly steel. And that battery recharges from a standard wall socket with the included 660-watt charger, going from 0 to 100 percent in eight hours.

The Pioneer has no clutch; it’s a twist-and-go bike with a rear brake lever in the place of the clutch lever. Traction control be turned on or off in any of the three ride modes, and the rider can also adjust the level of battery regeneration. When you back off the throttle, the re-gen function recharges the battery, giving the same impression as engine braking.

WP provides an XACT fork (with air spring) and PDS rear shock (with low-speed and high-speed adjustment for compression and rebound, and with preload adjustment, same as the fork). ProTaper handlebars are standard, with Michelin dirt tires and Braktek brakes. The Husqvarna Pioneer weighs 112 kg. We expect to see it in dealerships in Canada this winter.