If you know anything about NIU, you know the company’s reputation for reliability and value is unmatched. But while their electric kick scooters sat at or near the top of our Best Of lists for several years, we didn’t see a lot of innovation from the company until recently.
However, in the last year, a few NIU e-scooter, ebike, and e-moto releases have changed the game. And as of yesterday, they’ve dropped the price a full $1,000 on one of their most innovative releases, the NIU XQi3 electric motorcycle.
The NIU XQi3 price drop comes while the company releases a firmware update increasing power output by 28% and boost mode power output by 36%.
NIU claims these improvements will give the XQi3 an upgraded top speed of 50 mph, up from its (tested) 47 mph max. They also claim the bike will hit its top speed over 2 seconds faster.
But wait, there’s a LOT more to this news, as GlobeNewswire reports. NIU’s updates make the XQi3 one of the most versatile, as well as accessible, electric motorcycles on the market today.
“Customers with the street-legal version can choose to update at their own discretion depending on their state’s legality requirement. Customers also have the ability to toggle back and forth between the updated version and standard to enjoy the benefits of the update while they’re off-road and also meet legal requirements when riding on street.”
The best of both worlds for under $4K? Sounds almost impossible to beat. Check out the XQi3 Wild and Street, now retailing for $3,999 instead of $4,999, with the following over-the-air update available:
Max Power Increase: From 8 kW to 10.6 kW
Continuous Power Output: Increased by 28%
Boost Mode Power Output: Increased by 36%
Top Speed Increase: From 47 mph to 50 mph
Acceleration Improvement: Reaching 47 mph over 2 seconds faster
Last year, NIU really blew us away with the release of the XQi3, an e-motorcycle built for the dirt or the street, depending on the model, or your mood. Unlike many electric dirt bikes, the XQi3 is street legal, if you get the speed-limited Street version. Our resident dirt bike expert Hammy rode the dirt-enabled Wild edition through the Southern California hills and pronounced the NIU XQi3 a ton of fun, with lots of power and speed.
Electric motorcycles are becoming increasingly popular, especially among dirt riders. While long ranges might have to wait for solid state battery technology to trickle down to e-motos, bikes like the XQi3 are perfect for their purpose-built design as all-arounders that can handle a day on the trails and week of short commutes/errands around town.
Learn more about the NIU XQi3 here and at the link below.