KYMCO RevoNEX: made in Italy
By Ben Purvis
KYMCO has confirmed that the upcoming RevoNEX electric bike will be manufactured in Italy - not Taiwan.
The move is recognition of the fact that the bike is targeting European sales rather than the mass market in Asia, suggesting that its price could be significantly higher than the firm's usual price range.
The RevoNEX first appeared at the 2019 EICMA show in Milan as a follow-on to the full-faired SuperNEX concept bike that was shown at the same event 12 months earlier. At the time the company surprised the world by promising that the RevoNEX would reach showrooms in 2021.
Speaking at the company's 2021 new model unveiling, where the firm also showed its F9 electric scooter for the first time, KYMCO chairman Ke Sheng-Feng said: "RevoNEX has attracted global attention since its release. We continue to use the latest technology and innovation to create RevoNEX as the new generation electric motorcycle that consumers desire most. Therefore, I am very happy to announce that the mass production RevoNEX will come for the first time from a planned production base in Europe, making RevoNEX the first new-generation large electric model to be marketed globally under the Taiwanese brand 'Made in Italy' by KYMCO."
Although the fact that the European production base is still 'planned' rather than up and running suggests the RevoNEX won't be ready for sale until late 2021, and there have already been indications that the showroom version of the bike will be virtually unchanged from the original EICMA show model. The near-production model shown as part of KYMCO's 2021 presentation swapped the original concept's white and blue colour scheme for a black, grey and yellow paint job, but there were also subtle tweaks that suggest it's closer to the showroom.
The original version's Brembo calipers, for instance, have been changed for KYMCO-branded stoppers, and there are detail changes to elements including the black plastic cover where the radiator would sit on a conventional bike and to the licence plate bracket.
Technically, the RevoNEX's specs are expected to match those announced back in 2019. That means we can expect a 3.9s 0-62 mph time and a 127 mph top speed that can be hit in just 11.8 seconds. Although electric, KYMCO has been at pains to make the RevoNEX as appealing as possible to riders accustomed to petrol power. As such, there's a six-speed transmission and a hand-operated clutch, even though neither item is strictly necessary on electric bikes.
The idea is to introduce a level of rider interaction that typical battery-powered bikes lose. KYMCO is also set on adding a system that amplifies and modifies the sound of the electric motor - not mimicking a petrol engine as such, but adding character to the electric motor and giving the rider an aural indication of revs, helping to encourage the use of the gearbox.
The conventional transmission also means KYMCO has opted for a chain final drive rather than the belt drive that's more common on electric bikes.
Key numbers including power, weight and range have yet to be announced, but the RevoNEX's performance figures put it close to the Zero SR/F, suggesting there's something in the region of 110 hp on tap. More details are expected later in 2021 as the bike nears production.
