A parent’s guide to the Greenger CRF-E2 electric motorcycle.
Words and Photography By Jesse Ziegler
My seven-year-old daughter, a capable bicycle and motorcycle rider with more e-bike experience than I will ever have, is less interested in dirt bikes’ performance specs and ergonomic dimensions than I am, that’s for sure. She likes electric bikes for the standard advantages of little noise, no heat and simple operation. The fact we can talk to each other while she rides is a real benefit. And, I’ve mentioned this before, it’s likely her generation of motorcyclists rides only electric machines. So, I understand the interest in this and other entry-level e-machines.
But, really, kids’ bike reviews like this aren’t for kids, are they? They’re for parents! So, here’s my parent’s guide to the Greenger CRF-E2 electric motorcycle, a Honda Official Licensed Product.
First, this bike is not manufactured by Honda. It has the wing. It has the “CRF.” And it is only for sale in Honda dealers. But that’s about as close to being a Honda-built product as it gets. The branding is bold from Honda’s perspective (official logos and trademarks are everywhere). It’s so well Honda-branded that anyone who doesn’t read the fine print will assume this is made alongside the rest of the Honda CRF family of gas-powered dirt bikes in a Honda factory somewhere.
If you’re new to licensing deals, they work like this. A company (Greenger, in this case) builds a product, and a brand (Honda) allows them to slap their logos and trademarks all over it for a cut of the sales profit. Simple enough, in theory, but when it comes to building a motorcycle with the Honda name and logos on it, there must be more scrutiny, right?
Other manufacturers do this same thing with the Stacyc line of electric balance bikes. There are KTM Stacycs, Harley-Davidson Stacycs (H-D owns Stacyc), GasGas and Husqvarna Stacycs, and even Stacyc Stacycs. All of which are available at the respective motorcycle dealerships.
The biggest difference here, I believe, is that the Greenger CRF-E2 really looks like a Honda-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 legendary CRF50F, with an adjustable 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 easily 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.
The brakes feel great and stopped her, and me, just fine (Parents have been stealing their kids’ bikes forever, cut me some slack!)
The Greenger is powered by a 48V BLDC motor rated at 1 kw output, max power of 2.5 kw and 5.5 Nm of torque. It has a two-stage power management system that lets the bike be used by true beginners in Stage 1 and more rambunctious kids and bigger “kids” in Stage 2. The fuel tank is an easily swappable 20 Ah lithium-ion battery with a handy charge indicator.
Greenger claims the CRF-E2 will roost around for two hours in ideal conditions with a full charge. We put that to the test with a rain-prepped backyard turn track and some hefty “kids” (okay, it was me) trying to knock down fast lap times. Under a much more significant load than normal and at about 100 pounds over the labeled weight limit, the bike ran for about 30-45 minutes on the fast stage nearly wide open, before throwing an error code that the battery voltage was low. My daughter couldn’t wear the battery out on her own before she was too tired/distracted. Two hours for a mildly motivated seven-year-old seems about right.
Charging with the included 110V wall charger will take about four hours to get up to 100 percent.
On paper and in the backyard and empty lots of towns we poached, the Greenger CRF-E2 is a pretty sweet ride. It goes well! But it isn’t trying to be a full-on racer. This is just what kids need to get ready to start a lifetime of riding. But it’s not up to the kids; it’s up to the parents. And there’s only one thing we truly care about. Okay, two things.
One, we care about how much things cost. And two, we care how much time we’ll have to spend working on/fixing things.
In my time with the Greenger CRF-E2, I don’t foresee a lot of maintenance time. I adjusted the bars and levers and suspension a few times getting it to fit my kid, and while I’m not overly impressed with the fastener quality and tolerances on things like bar mounts and brake-reservoir bar clamps, I don’t think any of those things will break or wear out. I’m sold on that aspect.
I do have a minor issue with the price. This baby lists for $2950 plus dealership charges and freight for another $300 before taxes. We’re going to be pushing $3500 in a hurry here. You can pick up a brand-new CRF50F gas-powered machine that will likely run for 25 years on one oil change for $1699 plus the same $300 and tax. That’s a $1300 difference on the same branded machines with similar performance specs. For a kid’s recreational bike, that’s significant.
But since this isn’t an actual Honda-built product, it sort of slides in between two comparable Honda models. It’s almost a CRF110F in dimension. Just a little smaller and lighter all around, and its price is nearly the same. So, the comparison game isn’t cut-and-dry here, but as a parent, I know I’m doing it!
For my kids, I don’t know that we ever want to go back to gas-powered motorcycles. Electric bikes are way more convenient and easier, most of the time. Heck, we can even poach local empty lots easier! But money rules households more than convenience at times. We will likely see more entry-level electric bikes from Honda and other manufacturers. That will drive down these prices into a more competitive-to-gas range. But for now, almost all entry-level electric motorcycles are $3000-$5000.
It’s easy to spend money on kids. It’s fun, even. And if you’re looking for an electric motorcycle to do that, the Greenger CRF-E2 is a pretty good one so far. CN
Greenger X Honda CRF-E2 Specifications
| MSRP: | $2950 |
| Electric Motor: | 48V- BLDC motor with inner rotor |
| Rated Output: | 1 KW / 2000 rpm |
| Max Power: | 2.5 KW |
| Torque: | Rate:5.5 Nm; Max:25 Nm |
| Max Motor Speed: | 4000 rpm |
| Final Drive: | 1:7.1 |
| Drive Mode: | Stage 1, Stage 2 |
| Cooling System: | Air-cooled |
| Powerpack: | Swappable lithium-Ion battery, L*W*H:145*91*270mm, Weight:5.9kg (13 lbs.) |
| Capacity/Energy: | 20 Ah/960 Wh |
| Charging Time 100%: | Standard: 4 hours, Quick Charge: 2.5 hours |
| Charging Time 80%: | Standard: 3.2 hours, Quick Charge: 2 hours |
| Run Time: | 2 hours in ideal conditions with full charge |
| Charger Line Voltage: | 90-264V/50-60 Hz |
| Charging Input: | 1.3A@230V (AC) |
| Charging Power: | 290 W |
| Frame: | Aluminum twin-spar with double-cradle |
| Handlebar: | Tapered aluminum ϕ22mm |
| Front Suspension: | Hydraulic conventional telescopic fork ϕ33mm, Length 600mm (24.25 in.) |
| Rear Suspension: | DNM rebound/preload adjustable, Length 230mm (9 in.) |
| Suspension Travel Front/Rear: | 100mm (3.9 in.)/97mm (3.8 in.) |
| Front Brake: | Hydraulic caliper w/ 190mm petal-style rotor; right-hand-lever actuated |
| Rear Brake: | Hydraulic caliper w/ 190mm petal-style rotor; left-hand-lever actuated |
| Front /Rear Rims: | 12×1.6 spoke aluminum rim |
| Front /Rear Tires: | 60/100-12 Kenda Millville K771 knobby |
| Chain: | 428H |
| Steering Head Angle: | 25° |
| Triple Clamp Offset: | 25° |
| Trail: | 1.3 in. |
| Wheelbase: | 38 in. |
| Handlebar Height: | 33.8 in. |
| Ground Clearance: | 7.8 in. |
| Seat Height: | Adjustable 24.8 in. / 25.5 in. |
| Overall length: | 55 in. |
| Overall Width: | 27.1 in. |
| Overall Height: | 36.2 in. |
| Max Load: | 99 lbs. |
| Weight: | 106 lbs. |
Click here to read the Greenger X Honda CRF-E2 Electric Mini Bike Review in the Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine.
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November 06, 2022 at 02:00AM
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