Motowatt is a French manufacturer of utility electric vehicles, and the new Motowatt W1X is their first attempt at creating an electric motorcycle.
One might expect it to be “just another 125cc equivalent,” but we would be mistaken. While its electric motors are capable of producing a maximum of 25 kW, which is equivalent to 34 hp, to comply with A1 license restrictions, it is more likely that its nominal power is 11 kW (15 hp).
But the most striking feature of the W1X is the fact that both motors operate on a single wheel each. Having an electric motor in the front and another in the back is a common way in the automotive world to achieve all-wheel drive, and this was Motowatt’s goal with the W1X, which is effectively a two-wheel drive motorcycle. As such, the bike uses a single-sided swingarm and an offset shock absorber both in the rear and front, instead of a fork in the latter case.
However, it is unlikely that the W1X will challenge anything from the Bimota Tesi range when it comes to appearance. The two axial motors result in wheels with a strange appearance, the weight of the battery is (as is usually the case) hard to ignore, and despite being presented as a “neo-retro” (yes, another one), it is difficult to understand where the retro quality comes from.
Not all specifications of the W1X are currently available – the motorcycle has just been announced, but deliveries are scheduled for January 2025, and pre-orders will open starting from March 2024 – but Motowatt claims that the range is 130 km on a single charge, while charging from 20% to 80% takes 5.5 hours.
