Electric Can-am Pulse Is The City Bike Of The Future... Now!

Amber DaSilva / Jalopnik

Back successful 2023, I reviewed nan Zero DSR/X, an electrical motorcycle that didn't rather unrecorded up to its escapade trading but made for a awesome metropolis commuter. I called it nan motorcycle of a early amended than ours, a motorcycle built for a world little cyberpunk than our own. But that was 2 years ago. What are electrical bikes for illustration now, successful 2025?

To find out, I spent immoderate clip connected Can-Am's Pulse naked motorcycle. It's smaller and lighter than nan DSR/X, narrower betwixt nan legs, and, crucially, cheaper. It's a amended fresh for our cities than nan Zero, and a amended motorcycle for our real-world early — it's conscionable present a small spot early. Unfortunately, that's not wholly a bully thing.

Full Disclosure: Can-Am brought maine each nan measurement to nan far-off onshore of Greenpoint, Brooklyn for a position and demo of nan Pulse, followed by a monthlong indebtedness of nan motorcycle I'd demoed. The institution besides loaned maine a charger, which I returned pinch nan bike, and paid for rideshares to and from nan arena and end-of-loan dropoff.

Amber DaSilva / Jalopnik

The Pulse is 1 of Can-Am's electrical two-wheeled twins, sharing its drivetrain and overmuch of its building pinch nan Origin dual-sport motorcycle that Andy borrowed earlier this year. It makes 47 highest horsepower (27 continuous horsepower) and 53 pound-feet of torque, nan second of which tin beryllium had correct from zero rpm Can-Am claims a barren weight of 390 pounds,though without a substance vessel to capable up, nan motorcycle apt doesn't measurement overmuch much erstwhile fresh to ride. The spot is simply a nice, approachable 30.9 inches supra nan ground, and nan motorcycle is highly constrictive betwixt nan legs, truthful it's easy to guidelines over.

Its artillery has a capacity of 8.9 kWh, which Can-Am claims is bully for 100 miles of metropolis riding. That artillery tin complaint from 20% to 80% successful conscionable 50 minutes from a Level 2 charger, though don't expect to spell roadworthy tripping connected it — nan Pulse tops retired astatine 80 mph, and astatine a sustained 50 mph Can-Am only claims 55 miles of road range.

Amber DaSilva / Jalopnik

The Pulse looks, successful a word, clean. Stark colors, sleek consecutive lines, a taillight built into nan pillion cowl, and a single-sided swingarm. I rode nan Pulse's '73 trim, a exemplary commemorating the first Can-Am bikes made backmost successful 1973, which adds a bully metallic colour and a spoiler blending nan lines from nan headlight to that 10.25-inch touchscreen dash. The overgarment moreover echoes nan aged Can-Am MX amended than nan Origin does, pinch a bright-colored vessel and everything beneath near dark.

That overgarment pairs pinch nan '73's daytime moving ray ringing to echo nan metallic tanks and information headlights of old, but those are astir nan only nods to contented successful nan Pulse's styling. It's a modern bike, made of modern materials that lend some to its debased weight and its futuristic looks, and I personally deliberation it each makes for a very crisp appearance.

Amber DaSilva / Jalopnik

If you've ne'er ridden an electrical motorcycle, hole to relearn a spot of musculus memory. The Pulse doesn't hide its weight arsenic good arsenic nan Zero did — a rider tin consciousness each of nan bike's 390 pounds — but nan Can-Am still manages to beryllium nimbler astatine debased speeds than internal-combustion competitors, moreover those pinch shorter wheelbases.

See, electrical motorcycles don't person nan rotating assembly of an soul combustion engine, which intends there's a noticeable deficiency of nan gyroscoping stableness that each that rotating weight lends to astir bikes. Remember keeping your revs up and feathering nan clutch while doing nan dreaded U-turn container successful your MSF course? That's not an action here, which tin beryllium some a blessing and a curse. On nan 1 hand, it makes nan low-speed maneuvering basal for navigating cities a breeze; connected nan other, you suffer nan expertise to clutch-feather your measurement done a tight parking lot.

Amber DaSilva / Jalopnik

The Pulse makes comparable torque to my ain Suzuki GSX-8R, though from zero rpm, and puts it each successful a package that weighs astir 40 pounds less. That gives nan motorcycle a benignant of eager, rowdy characteristic down low, an almost supermoto-ish feel, but nan torque writes checks that nan horsepower can't rather rate erstwhile speeds increase. It runs retired of steam quickly, particularly connected nan highway, erstwhile again confirming nan city-riding specialty of nan Pulse.

In nan metropolis nan Pulse is genuinely fantabulous astatine cutting done traffic. Its constrictive stature and precocious torque make it cleanable for lane-splitting, and its wide bars make tight maneuvering a breeze. My ain Suzuki is slower done Brooklyn postulation than my Orbea gravel bike, but nan Pulse is faster from constituent A to constituent B — each without nan power of a state motor cooking your legs erstwhile you are, inevitably, stuck successful stop-and-go traffic.

Amber DaSilva / Jalopnik

The spot is comfortable capable for bopping astir nan city, though aft a fewer hours it starts to deterioration connected you — it's nary Gold Wing, but it's a comfy capable municipality bike. The brakes are sufficient, not great, but nan on-demand regenerative braking (activated by rolling nan throttle forward, which is much intuitive than it sounds) has much of nan wound that nan beforehand calipers lack. That regenerative braking won't afloat bring you to a stop, though, since it cuts disconnected beneath 5 mph. Regen followed by existent brakes is nan move.

As a lighter rider, I'm utilized to suspensions emotion a spot stiff, but nan Pulse was plush moreover beneath my 142-pound frame. This had pros and cons: On nan unsmooth cobblestones of Red Hook, nan motorcycle was bully and comfortable, but nether dense braking, nan fork dive was severe. The rider triangle is comfortable enough, upright and approachable, though nan vessel could usage a bully group of grips for your knees.

Amber DaSilva / Jalopnik

The Pulse's gauge cluster is simply a 10.25-inch touchscreen, complete pinch each nan accoutrement modern electronics tin offer. It offers bluetooth for some phones and headsets, media controls, moreover Apple CarPlay — only wired, not wireless, though nan motorcycle has a built-in USB larboard to facilitate it. That touchscreen remains bully and unobtrusive erstwhile riding, to nan constituent wherever I recovered myself inadvertently leaving nan move signals connected acold much often than connected immoderate different bike. Without a tachometer aliases cogwheel position parameter to watch, why fuss looking down to announcement that move awesome indicator?

It besides features onboard storage, some successful nan shape of a telephone cubby betwixt nan rider's legs and connectors for snap-on bags retired astatine nan rear of nan bike. I didn't get to trial that proprietary luggage, but I'd opportunity that immoderate travel large capable to require afloat panniers is astir apt large capable to require a much highway-ready bike. The telephone retention does person a reasonably cheap-feeling lid and latch, but betwixt it and nan CarPlay integration, Can-Am saves you nan costs of a QuadLock aliases Peak Design barroom equine for your phone.

The Pulse's mirrors, though, are consecutive up bad. They're excessively small, shaped for style complete function, and they're warped capable to look for illustration tinfoil complete cardboard alternatively than existent due glass. They whitethorn look cool, but trying to look done them is thing but.

Amber DaSilva / Jalopnik

People look split. On nan 1 hand, I've ne'er gotten less waves from different riders while retired connected 2 wheels — small, electrical bikes don't publication arsenic motorcycles present successful New York, but arsenic DoorDash transportation e-bikes. If each motorcyclist successful nan metropolis waved astatine each UberEats rider we saw, we'd ne'er person clip to activity nan clutch.

On nan different hand, I made a tally to Micro Center connected nan Pulse 1 day, and was stopped 3 times conscionable to talk astir it. I didn't moreover person clip to return my helmet disconnected earlier a driver successful a pickup whipped into an adjacent parking spot to show maine really cool he thought nan Can-Am was. I past ended up betwixt him and different motorcyclist successful statement to cheque out, wherever some asked maine for much specifications astir this cool-running, nimble motorcycle that didn't require shifting. Both seemed very willing successful nan conception for metropolis riding.

Amber DaSilva / Jalopnik

At nan top, I said nan Can-Am Pulse is nan metropolis motorcycle of nan future, disposable today. That's precisely arsenic overmuch of a compliment and a disapproval arsenic it sounds. The Pulse is nimble yet approachable, torquey yet cool-running, it requires nary valve checks aliases concatenation attraction — it's nan measurement motorcycles should be.

But it's not really motorcycles are yet. The Pulse is simply a metropolis bike, yet I can't agelong an hold cord retired of my flat windows and crossed nan sidewalk to complaint it without creating a travel hazard for pedestrians. Its regenerative braking strategy isn't rather dialed successful yet, and could usage an update that allows it to usability each nan measurement down to a stop.

The astir egregious failing of nan Can-Am Pulse, though, is nan large number that I've dodged mentioning truthful far: Its price. The Pulse starts astatine $10,999 earlier assembly and destination fees (and, admittedly, earlier immoderate EV incentives still disposable successful your area), yet its 47 horsepower is little than that of nan $5,299 Kawasaki Ninja 500. For buyers who really want that EV feel, nan nimble handling and cool moving of an electrical drivetrain, it whitethorn good beryllium worthy nan premium. For group who conscionable want a measurement to get astir connected 2 wheels, though, electrical bikes aren't inexpensive capable to compete astatine this A2 powerfulness level yet — and nary magnitude of CarPlay is worthy $4,700. The Pulse isn't a bad bargain now, it's a motorcycle I'd genuinely see owning myself astatine that value constituent if New York City made charging a spot easier, but it'll beryllium an absolute slayer successful a fewer years erstwhile artillery tech gets cheap. I genuinely dream Can-Am keeps nan motorcycle astir agelong capable to spot that day.