What it is
The Spiro Ekon is a fully electric commuter motorcycle. Spiro is not a new name: the company already operates in several other African countries, including Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, Togo and Benin. In Nigeria it is available in Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger and Abuja among other states, with more planned.
Power comes from a removable 3.3 kWh battery pack. On a full charge the bike is rated for over 100 kilometres, depending on the ride mode you use.
Honest range note
- The 100 kilometre figure is what you can expect in Eco mode with gentle riding in good conditions.
- In ordinary daily use, about 80 kilometres on a charge is the more common result. Plan around that number.
What it is like to ride
It rides like a normal motorcycle, with one obvious difference: there is no clutch lever, because there are no gears to change. The front and rear brakes are where you expect them. The seating position is upright and relaxed, closer to a naked bike than a sports bike, so you are not leaning on your wrists in traffic.
The battery sits low in the frame, which keeps the bike balanced, and it is light enough that filtering between cars is easy. The suspension soaks up broken road surfaces better than you would expect at this price.
Two things change the daily experience more than the specification suggests. The bike is close to silent, and there is no engine heat coming off the sides. In slow Lagos traffic under the sun, that matters.
The practical details
- Storage where the fuel tank would be, with a USB port inside for charging your phone.
- A TFT display showing battery level, speed and which of the three ride modes you are in: Eco, Normal or Sport.
- LED headlamps, which are not a given on commuter bikes.
- A crash cage fitted as standard to protect the bike and rider in a drop.
- Carrying capacity of roughly 200 to 300 kilograms, so it works for deliveries and loads as well as a single rider.
- Drum brakes front and rear, not discs.
Where the savings come from
There is no petrol to buy, and there is far less to service. An electric bike has no engine oil, no oil filter and none of the routine jobs that come with a petrol engine. Miee puts the maintenance saving at about 40 percent compared with a petrol bike, before you count the fuel.
How much you personally save depends on how far you ride and what you are riding or driving now. If you currently sit in a car in traffic every day, the difference is large.
Security and business use
The bike comes with a tracker and geofencing. You can see where it is at any time, set the area it is allowed to operate in and shut it off remotely if it leaves that area. That is useful against theft, and it is the feature that makes the bike workable for anyone running riders commercially.
Who it suits
It suits daily commuters, students, people running errands across the city, and delivery or dispatch businesses that want lower running costs. It is less suited to anyone who regularly covers long distances in a day without a chance to charge or swap the battery.
Would you switch from a car or a petrol bike to something like this? Watch the full ride and tell us in the comments on the video.