Electrek.co has a first ride review of our new RX1E that we think you will like. The RX1E will be arriving early 2023 and you will save $500 if you put down a deposit on the pre-order.
Adventure Rider Radio did a podcast with Tom Fitzgerald and his friend Patrick Farrell about their 10,000-mile motorcycle ride. Tom, an 80-year-old cowboy ranch hand with a love of motorcycles, chose an RX3 for his adventure. It’s a truly inspirational and entertaining story that we recommend you listen to. There are also some excellent photos in the article. Check it out here 10,000 Miles at 80 – A Cowboy’s Ride — Motorcycle Podcasts Adventure Rider Radio & RAW
Tom put almost 30,000 miles on his RX3, 29,522 to be exact. We think Tom is going to continue his motorcycle adventures but for his next adventure he will be doing it on his brand-new CSC RE3 SG400. That’s right! Tom traded in his RX3 for an RE3, and we can’t wait to see what his next adventure ride is all about.
Thanks for sharing your adventure with all of us. Stay safe Tom and remember to “Enjoy the Ride!”
Arriving early in 2023, the new RX1E follows the legacy of CSC’s other successful electric vehicles: the City Slicker runabout, the efficient Wiz errand-runner, and the gorgeous Monterey scooter, as well as its full lineup of electric bicycles.
The new CSC RX1E is the friendly and efficient way to get into the exciting electric-vehicle market. The electric powertrain means you can turn your back on expensive gasoline, and its twist-and-go operation leaves the hassle of clutch control and gear selections to machines of the past.
TheRX1E’s upright ergonomics provide a comfortable and in-command riding position for the remarkably agile machine, making it ideal for the cut and thrust of navigating city traffic. A low 30.9-inch seat height makes the RX1E easy to manage, and it even has a reverse “gear” for assistance when maneuvering in tight spaces!
Three ride modes are available at the push of a button: Eco, Comfort, and Sport. When you have the need for speed, the liquid-cooled electric motor delivers a robust 61.2 lb-ft of torque at the twist of your wrist to vault the RX1E to 60 mph in less than 9 seconds. Top speed is about 80 mph, and electronic cruise control is a premium feature that is standard equipment.
A quality Bosch ABS system helps keep you safe, even on low-traction surfaces, and a durable belt-drive from renowned OEM supplier Continental provides quiet operation. A centerstand eases maintenance duties, but almost none are needed – there’s no oil to change, no valves to adjust, and no noisy chain to lubricate.
Charging the RX1E is as easy as connecting to a 110-volt power supply. Simply plug in the bike at night, and you’ll always have a fully charged battery in the morning. The 96-volt, 64Ah lithium-ion battery can be charged from empty to 100% in 6 hours. With 6.16 kWh of juice on tap, you can expect 112 miles of range, according to New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) standards.
The RX1E’s adjustable suspension takes the sting out of bumpy, potholed roads. Up front is an inverted fork, while the rear suspension consists of an adjustable monoshock and a trellis swingarm that wouldn’t look out of place on a high-end Italian motorcycle.
Behind the standard windscreen sits an LCD instrument panel that keeps track of speed, range, and the status of the battery and the motor controller. The cockpit includes a USB interface to keep smartphones fully charged along your journeys. The front brake lever is adjustable to suit different hand sizes, and feet are kept comfy by removable rubber inserts on the serrated metal footpegs.
Included with the RX1E are standard saddlebags and a top box providing 72 liters (19 gallons) of storage room for a variety of cargo items, making it ideal for commuting and running errands. Sturdy metal framework around the battery and saddlebags prevent damage in the event of a tip-over.
The RX1E provides a captivating and cost-effective way to join the EV revolution. Abandon expensive maintenance and the oppressive heat that accompanies traditional motorcycle engines – and never again burn a leg on a hot exhaust pipe! The RX1E is the perfect vehicle for urban commuters who can ride for just pennies per mile and leave gas stations in the rearview mirrors.
The RX1E will be available in Spring 2023 in a choice of three colors for $8,495. Pre-orders accompanied by a $500 deposit will receive a discount of $500 from the MSRP. If you are unable to pick up your motorcycle at our California headquarters, it can be shipped to your door for between $350 and $500.
RX1E Specifications
Motor: Liquid-cooled permanent-magnet Peak Power: 24 hp (18kW) Torque: 61.2 lb-ft (83Nm) Battery: Lithium-ion 96-volt, 64Ah Battery Capacity: 6.16 kWh Charger: 110-volt Input Current: 15A Range: 112 miles based on New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) Frame: Tubular steel Rake & Trail: 27°, 74mm Wheelbase: 55.5 inches (1400mm) Front Suspension: 37mm inverted telescopic fork, 4.7 inches travel, adjustable for rebound damping Rear Suspension: Monoshock, 4.3 inches travel, adjustable spring preload and rebound damping Front Brake: Two-piston caliper, 265mm disc Rear Brake: Single-piston caliper, 240mm disc Wheels: 17-inch aluminum Tires: 100/80-17 front; 120/80-17 rear Length: 82.2 inches (2090mm) Width: 34.0 inches (865mm) Height: 47.4 inches (1205mm) Seat Height: 30.9 inches (780mm) Ground Clearance: 6.0 inches (150mm) Curb Weight: 436.5 pounds (198kg); 469 lb with luggage and crash bars Max Load: 331 lb (150kg) Top Speed: 75+ mph Colors: Honolulu Blue Metallic, Crimson Red Metallic, Silver Moon Metallic Price: $8,495 (plus $410 dealer prep, documentation, and road-testing fees) Availability: Spring 2023
Note: The mileage refers to continuous riding on a flat road with a fully charged battery and average sized rider. In practical use range depends on a number of factors including the weight of the rider, added gear, terrain, tire pressure, temperature, wind speed, and other factors.
One of our main goals at CSC Motorcycles is to empower our owners to work on and maintain their motorcycles. Today we added a tech video on how to remove the battery on the CSC Monterey electric scooter. We’ve had a lot of requests for this video because the sleek design of the Monterey doesn’t make it immediately obvious where the panel is for removing the battery.
You can view the here:
We’ve also added the Service Manual for the SG400 Cafe Racer. This service manual is over 100 pages and packed with tons of information about your motorcycle. This service manual also includes many tips on troubleshooting your SG400. You can find all of our Owner’s & Service Manuals on our website. Check out our SG400 service manual by clicking here.
We’ve also added a contact form and e-mail for reaching our motorcycle technicians for help. We’re currently experiencing very high call volume and using this form or e-mail will help us help you faster.
Micah Toll at ebikeschool.com put a great video on his YouTube how to ride a mid-drive electric bike. This video explains some of the differences between riding a hub motor and mid-drive electric bike. It also gives a lot of great riding tips to get the most fun, performance and longest lifespan out of your mid-drive electric bicycle. We also like that it features our CSC E-Bikes FT1000MD.
Trevor at Trerackscity Moto posted a new video of his TT250 adventures. We recommend watching it because it is a great 4K video of him exploring the amazing City Of Rocks in Idaho. We’ve been enjoying watching Trevor’s videos for awhile and they just keep getting better!
Dennis reached out to us with some great photos and a story about his experience owning our RX3 Adventure motorcycles. We love reading customers’ stories and looking at pictures and videos of the ways our customers are enjoying their motorcycles. If you own a CSC motorcycle please share your experiences with us. Send your stories to info@cscmotorcycles.com
Just thought I’d talk a little about my RX3s (I have two). I just rode a 300-mile adventure ride put on by Sierra Nevada Adventures out of Folsom, CA. It consisted of about 100 miles of dirt and 200 miles of back roads through the Sierra foothills. I’ll attach some pictures. There were 3 Ducati 950 Multistradas. 5 or more KTMs all near liter bikes, Two Triumph Tigers. The brand new Husqvarna Norden 901. I believe all these bikes have over 100 horsepower. Now, these were all very experienced riders. My 24 HP little RX3 kept up and never held them up, and we were flying through the paved stuff. The little guy was spinning between 7000 and 9000 RPM.
When we stopped for lunch they asked, “So, that’s only a 450?”
“No, it’s a 250.”
“WHAT? No way.”
Anyway, we all know it’s not a KTM or Ducati or Triumph, or Husqvarna, but I did stay with them. When we got back to Folsom we were standing around hydrating and talking, I looked over and there was one of the guys taking pictures of my bike. He said now where can you get one of these? Anyway just thought you might find that interesting.
Dennis
Thanks a lot for your story and all the photos Dennis. We look forward to hearing more from you in the future!
One of the many nice things about riding electric bicycles in the US is the freedom to choose from an amazingly wide selection of e-bikes, including some very high power options. I feel for my European cousins who are stuck with their 250W motors, but not as much as I feel the awesome seat-of-the-pants acceleration that I get on the CSC FT1000MD, with its 1,000W mid-drive electric motor.
That massive motor, officially referred to as the Bafang M620 or more infamously known as the Bafang Ultra, is one of the most powerful and highest torque e-bike mid-drive motors on the market.
While e-bike engineering outfits around the world are working hard while trying to top it, that motor remains the cream of the crop for high-powered e-bikes.
And it is expertly employed on the CSC FT1,000MD, a fat tire e-bike developed by a motorcycle company to blur the line between high power electric mountain bikes and light electric dirt bikes or trail bikes.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s an electric bicycle for sure (even if the purists out there would argue differently.) The torque-sensing pedal assist makes for a fun, high-response ride should you decide to pedal it. Or the throttle will open up true motorbike feelings if you just want to go full bore, getting in some truly balls-to-the-wall fun.
I definitely got some serious fun riding in, as you can see in my video review below! But keep reading after the video for the rest of my detailed review.
CSC FT1000MD e-bike video review
CSC FT1000MD tech specs
Motor: 1,000W continuous Bafang M620 mid-drive
Top speed: Claimed 45 km/h (28 mph) with pedal assist or 32 km/h (20 mph) with throttle only, measured at 54 km/h (34 mph) when unlocked
Battery: 48V 16 Ah (768) with Samsung 35E cells
Frame: 6061 aluminum
Suspension: Front suspension fork with preload and damping adjustment, plus lockout
Brakes: Tektro hydraulic disc brakes with 180 mm rotors
Weight: 34 kg (75 lb)
Max load: 120 kg (264 lb)
Extras: Removable battery semi-integrated in frame, color LCD display with speedometer, battery gauge, PAS level indicator, odometer, tripmeter, light status indicator, front and rear LED lights, five speed settings, thumb throttle, USB charging port, kickstand
Lots of power, only when you need it
The beautiful thing about the FT1000MD is that despite being such a high-powered electric bike, the power is manageable. You can dial it up or roll it back to fit your riding style.
When I’m just enjoying a local field or park, moderate power is plenty. That’s especially true when I’m using pedal assist and heading out for a fun, fitness-ish leisurely ride. I enjoy have the power and torque, but I’m not going nuts with it most of the time. Occasionally, when I really want to have some fun, I’ll unleash the kraken to experience the over 1,000W of continuous power that the bike can supply.
On a flat road, that power level can push the CSC FT1000MD up to 34 mph (54 km/h). I know because I did it. But just as often though, I’ll use the power for off-roading and preventing my fat tires from getting bogged down in sand and loose soil.
The answer isn’t always “more power.” But sometimes it is.
The FT1000MD isn’t just a powerful e-bike though. It’s also well made and designed to last. The company CSC Ebikes may know their way around electric bikes, but that’s because they come from CSC Motorcycles, and thus have decades of experience in two-wheelers. That knowledge gets applied to its e-bikes as well, resulting in quality parts like a suspension fork that isn’t just ornamental like we see on a bunch of quasi off-road e-bikes, but rather actually soaks up the off-road bumps nicely.
Quality hardware and e-bike equipment designed to match the power of such a motor is also a key part of the equation. Even bike parts like the hydraulic disc brakes are designed for the extra power that a massive motor like this can create – stopping from 30 mph is a much more daunting prospect than stopping from 20 mph. There’s a lot more energy that needs to be scrubbed off. It’s the whole velocity squared thing; physics isn’t kind to higher speeds. Fortunately, the FT1000MD has the brakes to do it.
That being said, the bicycle side of the components do have one area that you’ll still want to keep watch over. The pedal drivetrain is always the weak link when it comes to such high power motors, whether on the CSC FT1000MD or any other mid-drive e-bike. While CSC did opt for a slightly higher end Shimano 8-speed Altus derailleur than we see on many budget-level electric bikes, it’s certainly not the highest end of the Shimano spectrum. Shifting under high power is a no-no, unless you want to eventually strip teeth off your gears or break a chain. Keeping the bike in high gear 100% of the time should also be avoided. Many riders will just leave a mid-drive e-bike in top gear because that’s the “fast gear”, without realizing how much wear it puts on the drivetrain due to the extra torque.
Unlike a car or motorcycle, which generally can’t be started in top gear and thus requires shifting through the gear range like a normal person, electric motors have full torque right at startup and thus can simply power their way to full speed in their highest gear. But I’ve seen plenty of people wear through that gear by using this motor on other bikes, so let this serve as a warning to you. Make sure you’re shifting properly with a heavy duty motor like this.
Another thing I really enjoy about the FT1000MD is that it includes a lot of nice-to-have components that you don’t find on other e-bikes. The adjustable stem lets you raise and lower the handlebars to find the perfect fitment and ride orientation for you, and the bright Buchel headlight is more than a glorified keychain light to warn drivers of your presence. The color display looks great and is easy to read at a glance, even in bright light.
Even the battery is larger than we typically see, coming in at 48V and 16Ah. Depending on how you ride the CSC FT1000MD and how much power you have on tap, the range from one charge will vary from “pretty darn far” to “almost nothing”. Such is life with a high power e-bike. But as long as you aren’t unreasonable with your demands, 25 miles (32 km) on throttle should be a good minimum, and 50 miles (80 km) is possible with conservative pedal assist.
Anyone intending to toss the bike up on a car rack or into a truck should note that it isn’t lightweight, tipping the scales at 75 lb (34 kg). You can remove 9 lb (4 kg) of that just by taking the battery off. With a massive motor and large battery, you didn’t expect it to be a featherweight though, did you?
Outfitting the bike with massive 4″ fat tires didn’t do the weight any favors either, though it certainly helps the FT1000MD cover just about any terrain. With that much air volume, the damn thing almost floats.
What’s it going to cost me?
The CSC FT1000MD is obviously not going to be a cheap bike. And the $3,295 price tag confirms it. I always look out for my readers when I can though, and so you can take an extra $200 off the price with the discount code ELECTREK.
While it certainly sounds high to outsiders, the $3,295 price is about par for the course when it comes to Bafang M620-powered e-bikes. Many e-bikes with this drivetrain cost even more. It’s a specialty motor that requires powerful batteries and high enough quality parts to keep the bike safe at these performance levels.
I’ve ridden plenty of M620 e-bikes that cost more. And so while I’m sure seeing a $3k price tag will shock anyone new to the e-bike industry, this is just the going rate for something on the highest end of the power scale.
Obviously this is not an e-bike for everyone. CSC has some great 750W fat tire e-bikes that will take you to a comfortable 28 mph (45 km/h) and use more economical hub motors, bringing them in at $1,500 less.
But if you want a crazy powerful mid-drive motor with built-in torque sensor, larger batteries, better parts and the most extreme performance you can get, this is CSC’s top of the line offering.
It requires a responsible rider, not just one with deep pockets. This much power can be dangerous to the rider or others around them if not used responsibly.
But if you can handle it, the CSC FT1000MD can deliver it. And then some.
While riding in the Gobi Desert in China we decided to trade in our RX3 Adventure motorcycles for some camels. We rode through the desert and made our way to some caves to check them out. There is some beautiful tourism photography in this post. Below is Joe Berks Full post from July 13 2016 that he did while he was in China.
There are two things I know about Dun Huang: It is a treasure unknown to nearly all Americans, and I will return to this magical city with my wife to share the excitement someday soon. The Zongshen folks are running an adventure ride for us that is absolutely fabulous.
I’m just going to post a short blog today, folks. It’s late and we’re tired, mostly because of the incredible day we just experienced. It started with another super Chinese breakfast, followed by a short ride to the Lake of the Crescent Moon out here in the Gobi Desert. While we were there, we went for a camel ride. I’m not kidding. A real camel ride…in the Gobi Desert! After that, it was yet another super Chinese lunch, and then we visited the Mo Gao caves. That’s a location with a thousand grottos previously used by ancient Buddhist monks. Whoa! Can you say Indiana Jones?
Our camels. No kidding. They were awesome!
A view from the cockpit. Me. On a camel. In the Gobi Desert. Woohoo!
A pretty girl in the Gobi Desert.
“Gobi” Gresh interviewing Shemp, his ride for the morning.
The Lake of the Crescent Moon, in the Gobi Desert. Did I mention we are in the Gobi Desert?
Lu and Furem comparing photos.
At the Mo Gao One Thousand Grottos park.
A photo I wasn’t supposed to take of a giant Buddha in one of the grottos. Folks, this place has got to be on your bucket list. I got here on my RX3 motorcycle!
Another unauthorized Nikon shot at ISO 5000!
And yet another illicit photo. The place was something right out of an Indiana Jones movie!
We only rode a little over a hundred kilometers today and tonight we’re staying in a city called Guazhou. That’s it for now, folks. Gresh and I are having a great time with our new friends, and I’m calling it a night!
If you’re interested in seeing more of our great travels you can check out all of the books Joe berk has written while riding CSC Motorcycles in China, Baja, The United Stated States, and South America by clicking the link here.
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