2023 · Electric Off-Road · Buyer's Guide
Orange Dirt Bike Gone Quiet
The Freeride E-XC is KTM's electric trail bike, built around a compact, narrow chassis and a liquid-cooled motor making 24 hp and 31 lb-ft. Power runs through a single-speed drivetrain and a chain, so there's no clutch and nothing to shift. Three ride modes and traction control let you dial the delivery from a soft trainer up to a genuinely spirited setting. WP XPLOR suspension carries the brand's real off-road pedigree, with 9.8 inches of travel up front and 10.2 at the rear. This is orange attack with the exhaust note deleted.
On the trail it rides light and eager, happiest in tight, technical terrain where 24 hp feels like plenty and the instant drive works in your favor. Top speed sits at 50 mph, and the battery keeps this bike honest about its job: short, sharp, skills-focused sessions rather than all-day mileage. It's genuinely low on upkeep, and it opens up noise-sensitive land you'd never get to ride on a gas bike. The honest caveat is electrical reliability. Some owners have fought random error codes that cut the motor, and the 12V battery can drain and leave you stranded at boot-up.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 24 hp (18 kW) |
|---|---|
| Torque | 31 lb-ft (42 Nm) |
| Engine | Electric |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 1-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Front tire | 80/100-21 |
| Rear tire | 120/90-18 |
| Ground clearance | 13.4 in (340 mm) |
| Front travel | 9.8 in (250 mm) |
| Rear travel | 10.2 in (260 mm) |
| Seat height | 35.8 in (910 mm) |
| Top speed | 50 mph (80 km/h) |
Equipment check
Safety
Swing a leg over and the first thing you register is the height. At 35.8 inches the seat is tall, and the bike is reed-thin between your knees, so it vanishes underneath you once you're moving. Thumb it live and there's almost nothing to hear, just a faint electric whir and the tires working the dirt. No engine heat, no vibration buzzing up through the pegs and bars, none of the mechanical clatter you brace for on a dirt bike. Your hands stay fresh, your feet feel every input, and the whole machine reads terrain like a mountain bike with muscle. Pick your way through rocks and roots and it sits composed and planted, the WP legs soaking up hits without kicking back at you. At a real trail pace it feels featherweight and obedient, the kind of bike you steer with your body as much as the bars.
Over the years I've kept a running tally of what Freeride E-XC owners tell me, in the pits, in long back-and-forth emails, and in the messages that land in my inbox after someone's first season on one. Pull it all together and a steady picture forms. Riders love how this bike behaves in the dirt, and they've mostly made their peace with what the battery asks of them.
The praise clusters around how the bike moves. Riders consistently call it nimble and easy to place on tight trails, quick to change direction even when the pace drops. Many bring up the near-total quiet too, valuing a machine that lets them ride in sound-sensitive areas while still hearing the ground working under them. Owners who've stacked up thousands of miles report it holding together with far less fuss than a gas bike, and newer riders single out the softest of the three power modes for making the whole thing approachable rather than intimidating.
The gripes are narrower, and both come back to charge and mass. The one riders raise most is range. Push hard and the pack can run flat in as little as 40 minutes, leaving 20 to 30 miles on a charge, so anyone planning a full day out talks about carrying a second battery. A smaller group notes the 245-pound weight, which reads heavier than the bike's size suggests the moment you're lifting or pushing it rather than riding.
Random error codes (24/45) causing motor shutdown
Some owners report persistent error codes 24 (overheating) and 45 (motor control) that shut down the motor randomly, even when the bike is cool. Dealers have struggled to diagnose; suspected faulty temperature sensors or main computer.
12V battery drain and boot-up issues
The 12V auxiliary battery can drain quickly, causing boot-up failures and requiring a jump-start or replacement.
Where this KTM Freeride E-XC pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Freeride E-XC is actually built for.
For picking apart technical Moab lines and desert rock, the light chassis and instant drive are a real gift. Just go in knowing the range ties you to day rides, not the multi-day routes.
Made for Bar M / Kane Creek · Imperial Sand Dunes · Johnson Valley OHV Area
This is squarely your bike. Near-silent, low on upkeep, and happy on private tracks and public land, it hands you real off-road bite without the noise or the fuss.
Made for Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area · Johnson Valley OHV Area · Moab
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2014–2020
The Dirt Bike Nobody Hears Coming
Compare to the previous model →