Over the past weekend, I was lucky enough to test-ride an Onyx RCR motorbike. The RCR is an electric bike or moped depending on your point of view. Ebike if I was pulled over, but electric moped if I’m just riding it. The Onyx RCR belongs to Lester of Austin Mopeds in Austin Texas. That might be a bit redundant but just in case you were thinking it was Austin of another state.
The RCR specs and what we tested on it are close. I took to Instagram to see what the moped community wanted to know. If you didn’t see those questions and answers no worries you can visit the Moped Rich Instagram account and they are there or you can keep reading and I’ll cover them here. As with the Moped of the Day post, I’ll cover the appearance and then dive into some of the specs followed by the Q&A from IG.
ONYX RCR MOTORBIKE APPEARANCE
The RCR is influenced by the popular cafe racer style in a moped package. It’s in line with what some of us do with our mopeds, low bars, and top tank conversion. It’s a cross between a top tank and Tomos moped. The frame is tubular like most top tanks and not stamped like a Tomos Targa or Puch Maxi. This for me is a plus, I like tubular frames like the Puch Magnum, Batavus Starflight, Honda Hobbit, and others alike.
The swingarm is similar to the MLM Puch Magnum reinforced swingarm. It has a three-piece crank like most mopeds, though the one on the RCR is bigger and helps when peddling as a bike. The suspension is the same that most of us use when upgrading our mopeds. Black adjustable shocks, these are pretty tall 350mm. EBR hydraulic forks with a brace and hydraulic disc brakes are similar to those from a mini dirt bike.
The seat is a replica of the Tomos Targa LX seat. It’s made of better material and different foam. Mid-rise handlebars with controls and levers similar to all newer Tomos models. The headlight is the same as used by Harley Davidson 4.5-inch LED passing lights. It has two modes, a running mode with a nice ring and a brighter mode for nighttime riding.
UNIQUE
Now for the unique parts that you won’t find on mopeds. The digital LCD dash is one of the bests I’ve seen and not the typical dash in e-bike kits. If you like the Trail Tech Vapor, this is a notch above that. They have a clever design for housing the battery, controller, and electronic wires. It is a brushed aluminum side cover base with a wood battery top cover. The wheels are laced with beefy spokes, and the rim itself is coated black and just as wide as a Tomos Streetmate rear wheel. They are 17-inch wheels with 2.75 moped tires.
ENGINE
The Onyx RCR motorbike has a rear-drive motor laced into a 17-inch rim. This isn’t a rim from a moped, it is more of a reproduced moped wheel. The spokes are better quality than on most spoke moped wheels. The rim itself is also better quality than most mopeds spoke wheels. According to the Onyx website, the hub is a 6000 Watt motor but the output is 5400 Watts. The hub has a rear cable disc brake attached to it. It’s powered by a 72-volt battery together giving it the power needed to reach up to 60 mph.
SPEED
My first impression of the ride, it was fun a zippy. It has a great low end like a kitted Honda Hobbit but quicker. It’s a bit heavier than most mopeds but I would say it compares to that of a Vespa Grande in weight.
So I tested how long it would take to get to 20mph in all 3 modes. I used 20mph as a base because of the top speed in eco mode.
- Eco mode 0-20 was about 6 sec
- Normal mode 0-20 was about 4 sec
- Sport mode 0-20 was about 3 sec 13 sec to 50mph
I’m 5’11” and weight at the time of the ride around 250 lbs. These are the top speeds I got out of each mode with plenty of roads.
- In eco mode top speed was 21mph
- In normal mode top speed was 40mph. It took 10 seconds to get there.
- In sport mode, top speed was 57 full tuck. During speed tests, I ran out of road so I got to 50mph in 13 sec.
RANGE
We road around 33 miles together but Lester continued after for about 45 miles total that day. Those miles were in various modes and speeds as we were testing the bike out. After the 33 miles together the RCR still had a 3rd of battery power left in it. At 45 miles the display indicated the battery was low and needed to be charged. I would be comfortable to say in sport mode all day at the normal city or moped riding speeds it should get about 45 miles before needing a charge.
The full battery charge time is between 3 and 4 hours. When the battery is too low, the bike runs in the lower modes.
THOUGHTS
For moped meetup rides, the Onyx RCR motorbike would do well I believe. At a moped rally, it would depend on the length of the rides and if you will have access to electricity for charging. Some rallies are urban camping and may not have electricity so you would need to be creative on how to charge it. The normal mode would be my go-to for a moped rally. The moped gets to 40mph fast and that is the sweet spot for most moped builds. The “Blazers” go above that but 40 is good to keep up with a pack of mopeds. If you do run out of juice during a ride you might have the option to ride in “chase”. I would hope or recommend you be in charge of securing the moped.
Comment below if I didn’t cover something you are curious about or reach out on any of the social media accounts. A video will be up shortly on the Moped Rich YouTube channel of the ride and walk around.
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How was stoping distance, if from 40mph or when you had it at 57mph! Thx
I did not measure the stopping distance, but I did test the disk brakes to see if “slammed” would the bike flip. I’m a heavy guy and It did not feel like locking up the brakes wanted to lift the rear wheel. I would guess that from 40 to 0 would be around 10ft. It didn’t feel long to stop. If you’ve ridden a moped before with drum brakes, the disk stop more aggressively in a good way. There is an issue with the front caliper not covering the entire surface area of the disk brake. I’m not sure if ONYX has resolved this yet. The downside is that the brake shoes will begin to wear unevenly and if it did cover more of the disk, it would brake better.
What are the dimensions of these bike length × width × height?
I’m not sure, the height can change depending on the suspension. Length is similar to a bicycle.
how tall is the bike in inches?
Hello Spencer,
It measures about 32 inches to the top of the seat. That height can be adjusted buy changing the rear shocks.
Any idea how much lower it can go? I’ve never had a bike before. Pretty short legs
With the right shocks, I would say it could go 2 inches lower. It would need to be measured for sure so the rear wheel doesn’t rub while riding.
What is the maximum weight limit?
I’m not sure, but I weight 250 and the springs did not compress too much with me on it.
There is a short option too, which cuts it down by about 2 inches.
Can it go taller?
The Onyx is based on a Puch Magnum frame, you could change the front end for that of a dirt bike, and add taller shocks in the rear.
Is it long lasting? Are the part made to last long? Can it be ridden in the rain?
Hey Matheus,
The bike isn’t that old so I cannot speak for the longevity of the batteries or motor. For the rest of the bike, I feel confident saying those parts should hold up over time. It is built similar to vintage mopeds, and those are still around. The manufacturer says the bike can be ridden in the rain. Hope this helps, thanks for reading.
Have you ever heard of the e-grin ? It s a stupidly large smile that people get the first time they try an e-bike and experience the thrill of a silent, electrically powered motorbike.
I am familiar with it, I’ve seen that grin on many who first ride mopeds too. I just posted a new video of my first time riding the onyx, too bad you couldn’t see my face but you could hear my excitement.
Thanks for the review! I have one quick question: can it accommodate a passenger? The manufacturer says so but the seat seems small
The seat is small for two riders. A few changes would need to be, swapping for a longer seat and adding rear pegs. Depending on the added weight, the rear suspension may need to be changed as well.
What are the specs on the seat
Its a replica of the Tomos Targa LX seat. Seat height can be adjusted by changing the rear shock lengths.
Hi, Thanks for the very detailed review. Something I see very little mention of regards actually pedaling the RCR. In a dead battery scenario, how rideable is it?
It is heavy due to the battery mostly so pedaling it isn’t the same or as easy as a bicycle. With that in mind, I wouldn’t recommend running it until the battery is empty.
Do you have to register it in the state of Texas as a moped? It seems to have a bit of a gray area, between ebike and moped.
There is a gray area for sure. As of now, to ride it on the street legally, you would need to keep it at or below 20 mph to meet the e-bike standards. In my experience of riding mopeds in Houston for years, you would need to have the onyx registered as a motorcycle to go above 30 mph. If you would like to max out the top speed then I would definitely say it would need to be registered as a motorcycle and you would need a motorcycle license as well.
Then you could do what I believe most to do, and that is to just ride and enjoy it until an officer stops to “correct” you. If you do buy one, let them know this article helped you out. Thanks
I am 6’5. Do you think I could ride it as is, or would I have to tweak the shocks as you stated? Thanks for the review.
You could ride it as is, and know that if it gets too uncomfortable you can change the height easily.
I’ll let you know here soon. I’m 6’6″ and ordered one back in October. Should be taking delivery in Feb. On my test ride it was snug but comfortable enough to pull the trigger.
Hi Joe! I’m 6’7”. Assuming your new Onyx RCR arrived, I’d love to hear your impressions!