Kymco SuperNEX: Despite the styling revisions, Kymco has yet to pin down a release date for this futuristic electric sportbike. Electric motorcycles pics are here to stay. However, if you’re into the more performance-oriented side of motorcycling, the options for sporty electric two-wheelers are few and far between.
Most electric two-wheelers in Europe and Asia, with utility and practicality in mind, are probably not yet available to the market. Kymco, a Taiwanese motorcycle manufacturer best known for its scooters, debuted the SuperNEX prototype at EICMA in 2018.
First demonstrated intentions to target the performance-oriented electric motorcycle segment. Now, almost four years later, the SuperNEX has yet to reach production. In fact, the project has been quiet for a long time.
So much, so that hopes of the bike ever becoming a reality have vanished. Fortunately, at EICMA 2022, Kymco showed off some design updates to the SuperNEX concept—but yes, it’s still a concept. While we all eagerly await the release of the production version of the SuperNEX, Kymco continues to tease us with the bike’s exciting specs.
Perhaps the coolest thing about the SuperNEX is that it has the same six-speed transmission as a gasoline-powered motorbike. It also has an artificial engine sound piped through the speakers in an attempt to mimic the traditional motorcycle experience.
Of course, these features—manual transmission and engine sound—don’t necessarily improve performance. But offers a more “exciting riding experience”. Stylistically speaking, the SuperNEX is modern-futuristic. The bike showcased at EICMA has this unique honeycomb design.
It can easily trigger a trypophobia attack. The bike has an alien insectoid look, underlined by a black fairing with blue accents. Ergonomics-wise, it’s similar to other Supersports with low and aggressive clip-on bars and aggressive, rear-set foot pegs. Performance-wise, we’re looking at an electric motor that can propel the sportbike from zero to 62 miles per hour in just 2.9 seconds. This bike can reach a top speed of 250 kilometers per hour or 155 miles per hour.
Completing the punch electric motor is an integrated electronics package known as FEP or Full Engagement Performance. This suite includes feature discharge such as wheelie control, traction control, and cornering ABS.
The bike also gets four riding modes and, as mentioned, a multi-frequency acoustic generator that mimics the sound of traditional internal combustion engines. Unfortunately, amid all the updates to the SuperNEX, Kymco has yet to announce when the bike will actually go into production.
On paper, the bike looks ready to launch anytime now. However, like most new electric two-wheelers, real-world performance sometimes defies what the spec sheet proposes, so hopefully, the Kymco SuperNEX will hit the road sooner rather than later.
