Husqvarna Electric Bike Inbound, With A Slight Delay - Adventure Rider

Feb 27, 2025

Previously, this motorcycle had a color scheme similar to the dirt bike in back. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

Last fall, we told you Husqvarna has a new electric motorcycle incoming, called the Pioneer. Now, a few months later, we can tell you it’s still coming, but it’s not called the Pioneer anymore.

Husqvarna had their electric motorcycle on display at the Toronto Motorcycle Show in mid-February—the only electric bike they currently had in the North America, they said. But instead of the blue-and-yellow graphics that it showed in early promo photos, it was covered in tape similar to the stuff seen in prototype testing. So what gives—why camo a bike we’d already seen months ago?

The bike on display had quite visibly been used for testing, with some dust in the nooks and crannies. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

As it turns out, Husqvarna is re-naming the machine as Honda already has a side-by-side called the Pioneer. So, time for new graphics on the battery bike’s side panels after they think up a new name.

Aside from that, it should be the same bike as seen previously. At its first appearance, here’s what we told you:

The bike is powered by a 5.5 kWh li-ion battery with a range of 85 miles (137 kilometers), or about three hours of recreational riding. Top speed is 59 mph (95 km/h). The motor is an 11kW unit that makes the equivalent of 26 horsepower and 27.7 pound-feet of torque. The motor and battery casing serve as load-bearing components of the chassis. The frame itself is made of chrome-moly.

The Pioneer comes with three ride modes to dial in your throttle response to match the terrain and riding conditions. Traction control is also available in any ride mode, with three levels of battery re-gen available as well (functioning similar to engine braking, putting juice back into the battery when you roll off the throttle. To control all these options, there’s a switch cube on the handlebar.

This bike has no clutch or manually-operated gearbox, like most EV motos. The rear brake lever is on the handlebar where the clutch lever usually sits.

The battery in the Pioneer can be quick-swapped within 10 minutes, says Husqvarna, for riders who want to switch out to a fully-charged spare. The battery can be fully recharged in eight hours from a standard 110V household plug using a 660-watt charger, which is included. And because the Pioneer is an all-weather dirt bike, the battery, motor and anything connected are IP67-rated, fully dustproof and waterproof.

Suspension is from WP, with XACT fork in front with air spring. The fork has 9.8 inches (250 mm) of travel and comes with an air pump to adjust the preload. There are also compression and rebound adjustment clickers. In back, there’s 9.4 inches of travel from an XPLOR PDS shock, with low- and high-speed compression/rebound/preload adjustment.

ProTaper bars, ODI grips, Braktec brakes and Michelin tires come standard. Of course, the wheelset is a 21-18 combo.

The new battery system is a big improvement for dealers wrenching on the bike. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

The bike was supposed to be in dealerships in January, but given the re-naming procedure needed, not to mention the ongoing turmoil at KTM AG (Husqvarna is managed by the same corporate body that controls KTM), it is no wonder that we are a bit behind on seeing the machine in the States. With Austrian production lines restarting in March, we expect to see it before too much longer, though. After KTM/Husky moved from a high-voltage system on its battery bikes to a low-voltage system, it is much easier for most dealerships to work on them. Specialized equipment was needed for previous models, which makes them a trickier proposition when it comes time to order them into your dealership, as the expense must be justified. That makes them much more likely to spread throughout the dealership chain, so if you want to see one in person, you’ll probably get your chance this summer.