As well, I can only imagine it would be helpful to have a quiet electric bike around easily spooked animals, rather than a noisy gas engine.ĭaymak is using a Kickstarter program for pre-orders of the Beast, which you can do at steep discount (as little as $999 for the Beast Standard). He also sees an interest from landowners or farmers who need to get around the property efficiently. Instead, Chow says the Beast is targeted for people who live and work in rural areas where paved roads are at a premium.

Target Audienceĭue to the nature of the Beast (sorry, I couldn’t resist), it’s really not intended for your average city commuter, but you can find plenty of other electric bikes/scooters for that. The adjustable inverted fork you see on this prototype will only be found on the Beast Ultimate.īoth the Beast Standard and Beast Deluxe will come with a steel frame and a non-adjustable suspension, while the Beast Deluxe benefits from an aluminum frame and adjustable dampers. The Beast Ultimate comes with a 60V/20AH lithium battery and the 500W brushless motor, which supposedly translates into a 30-mile range. The Beast Deluxe features a 60V/12AH lithium battery and a 500W brushless motor, yielding a claimed 21.7-mile range. The Beast Standard is powered by a 48-volt/12-amp/hour lead-acid battery and a 250-watt (or 500W) brushless motor that supplies a purported 15.5-mile range. Three-Headed Beastĭaymak plans to offer the Beast in three different configurations – Beast Standard ($1,299), Beast Deluxe ($2,299) and Beast Ultimate ($3,499). The seat also feels too low for my tallish (6′ 1″) frame, but Chow says the production seat will be higher. Moving the pegs a bit farther back is also a possibility. Chow tells us they are working making the battery pack wider and shorter, so the seat and pedals can be moved forward.

You can stand up on the pedals, but they feel a little too far rearward behind the battery pack. The pegs are too far forward – almost a cruiser-like stance – to use for standing up. My biggest gripe was that it was not very comfortable to stand, which I prefer to do off-road. The suspension and balloon-like tires soaked up much of the trail chop, but the slow speeds may have had something to do with that. Off-road, the Beast feels remarkably stable. Daymak says it is addressing both of those concerns before the Beast reaches production. We found the seat to be a little low and the pedals a bit too far rearward for comfortable stand-up riding. Due to the length and weight of the Beast (121-165 pounds, Daymak claims), turning around in tight spaces can be a bit of a chore compared to a bicycle, but the ride is generally comfortable – even with the large 7-inch tires on 10-inch rims. While the top speed will leave most motorcyclists wanting, the Beast travels at a good cycling pace. Applying the throttle is very motorcycle-like with a twist of the right grip, while its brakes are applied with handlebar-mounted levers. Ride Impressionsīefore we took the Beast off-road, we played around on some paved roads near Daymak HQ. On one of the prototype models we noticed that some of the solar panels were cracked. Chow told us the production solar panels will be covered in ¼-inch tempered glass, which should make more durable, and the panels are mostly protected by the bike’s lower frame rail, but it’s another reason to keep the Beast’s off-road adventures tame. With solar panels on the outside of the battery, the Beast charges itself (though very slowly) without having to plug it in. However, I found it a little reluctant to climb anything other than modest hills, so its off-road capabilities are quite limited. You won’t be clearing any doubles at your local track, but for rolling across loose gravel or undulating grassy landscapes, the Beast feels capable. The beefy tires and long wheelbase offer a surprisingly sure-footed stance while riding off-road. While it can legally be ridden on surface streets (at least in most places), the Beast is intended to be used in gentle off-road environments. It looks stripped down to the bare essentials and features wide, knobby tires and a fully exposed front fork.

The Beast strikes an altogether different pose. Personally, I owned a Trek bicycle outfitted with an electric motor and battery pack, which I used for commuting to the office for three years.

The Beast just looks different than other electric bikes, which tend to resemble scooters. Designed for very mild off-road use, the Daymak Beast electric bike is being crowd-funded on Kickstarter.

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