The Ryvid Anthem has been one of the most hotly anticipated electric motorcycles of the last year. After first debuting just over a year ago, the company has now announced that the US-built electric motorcycles are ready to begin shipments.
Ryvid shared the news on LinkedIn, saying: “We’re excited to announce that we will begin shipping a small quantity of Anthem’s this week. We are proud to say we were flooded with pre-orders over the last 12 months. We’re thrilled to have achieved so much in just a year, and are excited to put the Anthem out into the world.”
The bike launched at US $7,800, making it one of the most affordable highway-capable electric motorcycles in the US.
It features a top speed of around 75 mph (120 km/h) and a maximum range of 75 miles (120 km). While that’s not going to compete well against the long-range e-motorcycles on the market, it wasn’t meant to. Instead, the Ryvid Anthem is built for urban riders who generally cover commuter distances instead of long-range riding.
But the bike’s claim to fame isn’t just an affordable price tag, but rather an innovative design full of never-before-seen tech.
One of the biggest differences between the Ryvid Anthem and other motorcycles on the market is the aircraft-style chassis that relies on folded metal plates instead of welded tubes. It allows Ryvid to use an assembly method that is comprised almost entirely of mechanical fasteners, reducing assembly time and relying on California-based production.
The design also allows riders to modify the geometry of their bikes at home – something that would normally require swapping out entirely different frames.
In another nod to nonconformity, the bike also includes an actuator that can raise and lower the motorcycle seat by up to 4″ (10 cm), even while riding. That allows multiple riders to get the perfect fit on the same bike, or lets riders drop the seat height while at a traffic light and then raise it back up while riding.
The 4.3 kWh lithium-ion battery pack includes an integrated 3.3kW charger, and the entire unit is removable. To move the heavy battery around, it comes with built-in wheels. The design allows the battery to drop down out of the bike and then be rolled along like a piece of carry-on luggage. To reinstall the battery, it is merely levered back up into place, preventing riders from having to lift the entire weight of the battery.
My first time checking out two Ryvid Anthem prototypes last year
The announcement of deliveries comes amid two other major events in the commuter-level electric motorcycle market. LiveWire recently began making deliveries of its own latest model, the LiveWire S2 Del Mar.
Meanwhile, the SONDORS Metacycle, once hailed as a potential leader for the nascent commuter e-moto market, appears to be sputtering as questions abound regarding the company’s stability.
Ryvid appears to have taken a very different approach to SONDORS, evident right from the company’s launch. When I first spoke to Ryvid founder Dong Tran last year, he explained that the company waited to unveil the Anthem and to begin taking pre-orders until it was quite far along in the design of its bikes, including having multiple prototypes already under testing. The company also ensured it had complete funding for production, ensuring it wouldn’t have to rely on pre-order revenue that could potentially disappear if customers would cancel orders en masse, similar to what happened with the SONDORS Metacycle.
I tested out one of the first Ryvid Anthem electric motorcycle prototypes last year, which you can see in the video below. The design has only gotten better since, so I’ll be excited to try one of the production bikes next month at the Micromobility America conference in San Francisco.
Keyword: Electric motorcycle startup Ryvid begins making first deliveries