This is the Windone E2, and it lets me explore the city in ways none of my motorcycles can, because I can take it places none of my motorcycles are allowed. Also, it costs less than $1,000.

So we are going to take it on dirt paths and gravel trails, and through the downtown core, to see if something like this can be good fun, or, if at this pricepoint there are just too many compromises made. Let’s find out!

Section 2: Off-Road Riding

Later on in this video, I’ll introduce the E2 to you properly. I’ll give you all the on-paper specifications and let you know how it lives up to those in the real world.

First I want to give you the experience of riding one of these on some dirt and gravel paths. As a motorcyclist stuck in a city of millions of people, there’s virtually no green space I can legally ride my motorcycle unless I ride for at least an hour away from my house. But with the E2, I can make the most of all of the many trails all over the city.

Taking the E2 off-road is also a great way to quick learn just where exactly this bike’s strengths and limitations are.

The combination of 4-inch wide fat tires and the dual suspension system is an absolute winner in a lot of (but not all) conditions. Grass was nothing to the E2, neither was the mud I accidently found myself riding through.

The tires say inflate to max 20 psi, so I only inflated them to 18 psi. For those that don’t know, when you’re not on smooth pavement, you typically want lower PSI to help with traction and to absorb bumps. 

There are parts of the trails I take that have thick gravel, loose thin gravel, dirt, and even sand, and sometimes on my other e-bikes, things can start to feel a little sketchy. On the E2, everything feels stable and planted. 

The suspension absorbs some of the impact, but it also rebounds you a bit, making for a bit of a bouncy ride, however, I haven’t tried dialing in the suspension just yet, so I might be able to absorb some of that. But, I’m pretty sure, that even dialed in, things will still be on the bouncy side, which is okay, I’ll take a plush bouncy ride over jarring, bottoming out suspension any day.

Part of not being thrashed around means you’ll have plenty of confidence on the E2, right up until the trails starts seeing some 3” or 4” tree roots cutting across it. Once you get onto the kind of trail you’d typically only want a good mountain bike on, the E2’s suspension starts to get overwhelmed, and it’s goofy ergonomics don’t help with making it easy to steer. More on the ergonomics later.

If you’re only going to be taking the E2 on well kept paths and trails, you’ll be just fine. You’ll have a machine that makes everything feel confident and fun. Just away from the gnarly stuff.

Section 2: The Real-World Gauntlet – Urban Jungle Ride

Out of the trails and into the city, next up is taking the Windone E2 through the city’s streets, graffiti alleys, and bike lanes. Typically, the rougher the ride gets, the better a fat tire e-bike does, but the opposite is also true, so let’s see how the E2 does here.

Right away, you notice that dual suspension is great compared to your typical bicycle. But we already talked about suspension nough.

Handling in the city is, fantastic by motorcycle standards, of course it’s nimble. It’s small. It’s got a small wheelbase, and it weighs 114 lbs.

But by bicycle standards, 114 lbs is a lot. 20×4 tires have a huge contact patch, and on one hand that does make the bike feel incredibly surefooted, especially on sketchy terrain… but on the other hand, yeah, this is no carbon fiber bicycle. 

The longest ride I took on this bike was about one hour straight. The biggest issue I had with it was the ergonomics. The seat is long, which is great because you can slide forward and backward on it so you aren’t stuck in one position the whole time. 

However it’s pretty sloped forward, and paired with a pretty low handlebar, you get a bit more weight on your hands that I’d like.

A normal person would fix this with a simple bolt on handlebar riser, BUT, honestly I would just swap out the handlebar altogether for one with several inches more rise and more pullback like this Triumph Bonneville handlebar I had on my shelf. I think that will make things a lot more comfortable.

Comfortable from the hips up anyway, because down low, things get awkward. 

I’m only 5’11” on a good day, and my knees come up over my hips and about 3” or 4” above the handlebar. And you might think that means it’s made for short riders, BUT the seat height is 34” which if you’re a motorcyclist, you know is pretty tall for short riders.

So what that really means is, this thing just isn’t made for pedaling, and that’s okay, as long as you’re okay with that, and pedaling on an e-bike isn’t something that value.

Getting going from a stop, the 500W motor makes 750W of peak power and it feels great in the city. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to a kid or a partner looking for some economical means of getting around. 

If you keep it on a lower power level, like power assist 2, the E2 will get you up to speed smoothly, without any abrupt jerkiness when you go on or off the throttle.

Let’s quickly look at the specs, and how well the E2 lives up to it’s promises, and then we can talk about who should or shouldn’t buy one.

Section 3: The Real-World Gauntlet – How did the specs do in the real world?

Does the E2 live up to it’s spec sheet, let’s run through them real quick before we talk about who should or shouldn’t buy one.

Most entry level e-bikes make 250W to 750W of power, the E2 puts out 750 Watts, so Even on the biggest baddest hill in my city, on battery power only it still got me up the hill at almost 10 miles per hour, so I’m happy really with that.

Windone claims a top speed of up to 28 miles per hour with pedal assist, but, I could never pedal this thing comfortably enough to get it that fast.

They also claim a top speed around 20 mph on throttle alone, and I absolutely agree.

The range is claimed at 46 miles if you’re pedaling – but when your knees come up over the handlebar, who’s pedaling this thing for 46 miles?

They also claim a 30 mile range on just the battery alone. Keep in mind things like temperature and hills can greatly impact your range, but I rode in 73 degrees (23 celcius) and I did a 20 mile trip and still had about half the battery left. So 30 miles seems totally realistic.

The battery is easy to remove and re-install either for security for ease of bringing it in with you to charge. Some motorcycle people might not know this, but removing the battery from some e-bikes can be a real pain in the butt.

Speaking of charging, you’ll get a full charge in about six hours.

The exposed frame makes it easy to lock the bike up to something, but if you live in a city like mine I wouldn’t leave it unattended for a long time.

They fenders are pretty small, but they did put this panel under the seat which also helps protect from getting spray. 

Speaking of wetness, everyone’s favorite topic, the battery is rated IPX5, meaning it’s protected from low pressure water streams at any angle, but the E2 itself is only rated IPX4, meaning it is protected from splashing water, so no using a hose to clean it.

The owners manual actually says not to ride this bike in the rain. Now, personally, I did ride it through the rain, because I’m either brave or an idiot, or both, and it was fine, but it’s not something I would recommend

The Shimano 7 speed was perfect, all 7 times I used it, because again, you won’t be pedaling this thing so the shifter is pretty much useless.

The dual disk brakes gave confidence and were consistent, but within the first 5 miles of use they developed a loud squeak under hard braking. I need to learn about bicycle brakes to figure out what my next steps are to fix that.

The brakes also activate a rear brake light which is a nice touch for safety and for other cyclists around you.

The dash has a lot of information, like battery life, speed, trip meters, etc, and it uses different colors to make everything easy to see at a quick glance.

Alright, let’s wrap this up on who should or shouldn’t get this e-bike.

Section 4: Who should or shouldn’t get this bike

Lastly, I’m going to rhyme off some things that will make this either a buy, or a don’t buy, and you can figure out where you stand.

1) Because about an hour or so of assembly is required, if you’ve been watching lots of my videos and you’re handy with the tools, this is probably a buy. If you’re like my ex-girlfriend, who when I opened her tool case, all she had was one Philips screw driver inside of it, it might be a don’t buy.

Speaking of my channel, maybe consider hitting subscribe, or at the very least, help me keep on making content that helps others by hitting the like button please.

2) If you’re looking for a fat tire e-bike that you can take on access roads, secondary access roads, or white or green difficulty trails, buy. If you want one for blue or black diamond difficult trails, don’t buy.

3) If you want an e-bike with suspension that’ll leave you more bouncing than thrashing, buy. If you want pro suspension for serious riding, don’t.

4) If you want an e-bike that will give you confidence going through wood trails and outdoor spaces you can’t enjoy your motorcycle on at a leisurely pace, buy. If what you actually want is an electric dirt bike for gnarly paths and jumps, don’t. 

5) If you want an inner city commuter that can soak up the road’s imperfections, buy. But if you also want cargo capacity for food deliveries, don’t.

6) If you want a bike that can just get you anywhere in your city, buy. But if you want to be healthier and have a bike that encourages you to pedal, don’t.

7) If you don’t need more than 28 miles of range, buy. If that’s not enough, don’t.

8) If you want something to take out on dry days, to feel good about exploring the places you normally wouldn’t, buy. If you need to be able to count on it rain or shine, don’t.

9) if you want something that is just as happy on road as it is on gravel and dirt paths, buy. But if what you really want is a top notch off-road bike or a top notch on-road bike, don’t… but just remember, top notch e-bike will cost you a lot more than $930.

So would I buy one? If my budget was $1,000 this checks a lot of boxes for me. I’m a motorcyclist in a city where, even if I had a dirt bike, my nearest trail is over an hour drive each way. But with the E2, I can be on wooded trails just 10 minutes from my house. That’s a win.

Yes, it’s not perfect, but are any of the issues major deal breakers? For the people this bike is aimed at, probably not. It’s a full suspension 750W e-bike for just over $900. 

The E2 is versatile enough you could use it on light trails or as an urban commuter. That’s a lot of smiles for your dollar!

What do you think about the Windone E2? Where would you enjoy riding one, or is there maybe someone else in your household it would be perfect for? Let me know in the comments!

I’m Adrian, thanks so much for watching. Ride safe, but have fun!