The jolly men of Mattighofen have just released information about the long awaited and much heralded enduro-type electric bike, named “Freeride”.

Herei is a planned Supermoto version of the Freeride - I am sure that they plan on adding a front fender. The off-road version will sport the usual knobbies. (Photo: KTM)

News of this bike escaped in 2008, followed by a few sworn-to-secrecy writers (Including myself) who rode a prototype for a few hundred metres in 2009 at the factory. We now have an update from KTM announcing a likely availability date (First half of 2011), power (30hp), and pricing (Circa $13,000Ca).

At 90kg, the bike will weigh the same as the 125 SX and 150 SX two-stroke machines from the same manufacturer, and with 30hp and gobs of electric torque, should provide similar performance and be simpler to ride – just twist and go with no gears and clutch slipping to complicate matters.

KTM is aiming at markets where noise and emission pollution are a real problem, such as near-urban riding parks and trails, and fragile environments – also a key market for Zero Motorcycles’s off-road (And on-road) models already in production. We can also expect some street-legal version of the KTM machine after the off-road version stabilizes.

Simplicity itself: battery at the top, concealed control unit and charger, and a small electric motor and primary drive unit. No wonder they are so light. (Photo: KTM)