Test review TS Bravo from Alrendo Motorcycles | thepack.news

Author: Andrew Thijssen – BMS E-Motorrijder | Alrendo Motorcycles is a new Chinese startup based in Wuxi and, as they mentioned themselves, they want to convince the world that electric two-wheelers are even more fun than the fossil motorcycles of their ancestors. The company was founded in 2019 and Alrendo aims to be the first motorcycle brand to offer electric commuter motorcycles and soon also superbikes for a lower price than fossil motorcycles. The TS Bravo is a light motorcycle, which falls under the 11kW class in Europe. In The Netherlands, anyone with a A1 driving license can ride this motorcycle. This is especially interesting for residents of countries such as Belgium, Spain and Greece. Here you can drive on these motorcycles with a B driving license according to the ‘European Third Driving License Directive’.

Equipment

The TS Bravo is equipped with a liquid-cooled brushless electric motor, mounted in front of the swingarm pivot point. This motor has a peak power of 20 kW and a nominal power of 11 kW. This power is delivered directly to the rear wheel via a 2 5mm “Gates” 88T belt without the need for a gearbox. Special and unprecedented for an A1 motorcycle is the torque of no less than 117 Nm. The controller is integrated in the liquid cooling system, which improves the durability of this element. This demo model still contains a 16.7 kWh battery (check the update below this article !), but all subsequent series have a 17.4 kWh battery equipped with efficient Farasis cells. The specified range is:

419 km @ 50 km/h (city)
250 km @ 80 km/h
150 km @ 120 km/h.

Charging is possible via a 230 V socket, which takes about 6 hours and is mainly intended for nightly charging. You can also charge the TS Bravo at a multi-phase charging station with 3.8 kW, which shortens the charging time to 3.7 hours.

The Alrendo TS Bravo has a weight of 245 kg, a tubular frame ensures the stability and rigidity of the motorcycle. The front fork is a 41 mm UPSD model with adjustable suspension. At the rear you will find a simple and adjustable monoshock. With the latter, only the spring preload is adjustable. The 17-inch wheels feature a 120mm front tire and a wide 180mm rear tire. You brake with two brake levers on the handlebars. Twin 300mm discs with two radially mounted 4-piston calipers in-house in the front wheel and a single 240mm disc at the rear bring the TS Bravo to a halt. Of course, these brakes are equipped with ABS. Furthermore, the Alrendo is equipped with LED lighting and LED flashing lights. The user interface is visible on a 7-inch TFT screen with which you can read all the necessary information at a glance. A speedometer, odometer, battery charge, regeneration, flashing indicator and a USB port. The Alrendo TS Bravo has 3 driving modes, ECO, City and Sport. To park the motorcycle, there is also a reverse and walking pace forward mode on board. We drove 750 km in a week with the Alrendo TS Bravo.

On the road

At first sight, you didn’t expect to be dealing with an 11 kW /A1 motorcycle. The engine has the dimensions of a 750 cc cruiser. The motorcycle is constructed as conventionally as possible, complete with tank and fuel cap. The charging plug is located under this fuel cap. The Alrendo is clearly made for a wide audience and commuters. The modern, beautifully shaped LED headlight in combination with the flared tank and the cruiser steering wheel gives the bike a muscular look. The finish of the motorcycle is neat except for a brake cable that just touches the front fender and the ground spoiler that has not been colour sprayed on the inside.

The driving position on the motorcycle is upright, which is mainly due to the high handlebars. The footrests are fairly forward, which results in a “cruiser seat position”. The saddle is quite thin but has a pleasant, not too hard seat. You switch the engine to “contact” via a conventional ignition lock. The necessary information appears on the screen.

You activate the engine via a start button as we know on the left handlebar. There are 3 driving modes that you can set via a slider on the right handlebar. Do not expect a speed monster with the 11 kW (15 hp) on board. The Eco mode is intended for city use, the top speed is a maximum of 60 km/h. The Alrendo also comes off very quietly. Enough power to ride in the city with a lot of traffic. Contrary to what the name suggests, the City stand is intended for secondary roads. The top speed is then a maximum of 105 km/h. In sport mode, you have full power at your disposal and you can reach 135 km/h. More than adequate in current traffic.

The advantage of the electric drive is that you can ride easily at top power without the feeling of overloading the engine. The torque of 117 Nm ensures that you can drive surprisingly smoothly and overtake at the applicable speed standards. The view in the high-positioned mirrors is good and of course vibration-free. The simple but good quality buttons on the steering wheel are logical to operate. The display of the direction indicator may be clearer in daylight. In the evening the light beam of the LED headlight is moderate.

The R mode on the left handlebar is the “reverse gear”, on the right handlebar you will find a “crawl position”. These are useful when maneuvering the motorcycle in difficult circumstances. As soon as you open the “throttle”, the TS Bravo quietly gets out of the starting blocks and pulls very constantly, but especially very quietly to the top of the set mode. Because the motor and belt drive are very quiet (especially on a flat road surface) you have to pay extra attention to cyclists and pedestrians. The Alrendo TS Bravo steers very easily and lightly due to the low placed weight. The brakes are good but you mainly use the regenerative brake system. The front brake could engage a little more directly, this probably has to do with the few kilometers driven. Despite its long wheelbase, the turning circle of the Alrendo TS Bravo is nice and short, which in turn benefits city use. There is some storage space on board under the detachable duo seat. But that’s no longer to store some paperwork.

Range

The Alrendo TS Bravo is basically made for driving in and around the city and commuting, but you can also use it outside the city. Preferably you drive over 80 km/h roads, but driving on the highway is also possible. We haven’t tried the city-only range, but it will come very close to the stated values given our other range tests.

A journey of 131 kilometers, of which 60 km of highway driving along with the traffic on the left lane at an outside temperature of 10″C, resulted in battery residual capacity of 11% = 30 km on arrival).
A ride of 145 km, of which 130 km highway at an outside temp 7 ‘C and the +/- applicable max speed of 100 km/h resulted in a battery residual capacity of 8% battery on arrival (= 22 km.)
A journey of 160 km at an outside temperature of 7’C on only B roads resulted in a battery residual capacity of 10% (= 25 km) on arrival.

At summer temperatures you can easily add 25-30 km to this.

From the “red area” 20% battery status, the Alrendo slowly but surely goes into a “limb mode”. This means that gradually less and less power is supplied. At 10% the max speed is about 65-70 km/h. This way you can always get a charging point.

Charging

You can charge the Alrendo TS Bravo at any socket, but you must bring a Shucko type 2 cable with you. The same applies to the Type2 charging station cable. There is no storage space for it, so you will have to bring a backpack if you want to go further afield. Alrendo is working on an optional accessory set.

Conclusion

The Alrendo TS Bravo breaks with the prejudice that electric motorcycles look dull or futuristic. The bike looks good and is well assembled together. The motorcycle has excellent brakes and is easy to handle. Despite being an A1 motorcycle, the TS Bravo surprises in different ways. Dimensions, weight, pulling power are directly related to an excellent rideability. Especially on the highway. This makes the TS Bravo a lot more mature than an 11 kW ICE version. A normal charging cord for the socket would have been more convenient, including any storage space at the location of the tank where the charging plug is now. The charging speed is not suitable for long journeys (or you have to make longer stops).

With the TS Bravo, the young Chinese company Alrendo Motorcycles is entering the fast-growing market for clean urban and regional transport. The city and the periphery is therefore the working area of this tough-looking motorcycle. That does not alter the fact that you can also use it outside the metropolitan area. You should see this Alrendo TS Bravo as a comfortable driving adult means of transport with practical performance that will take you everywhere now and in the future. The A1 power in combination with the considerable torque gives the motorcycle a surprising flexibility and thus suddenly puts the A1 driving license in a completely different spotlight.

Editor’s note

Guy Salens | THE PACK: “I had the chance to do a few km with this version of the TS Bravo (both on the highway and small roads). I was pleasantly surprised by the ‘souplesse’ and the silence of this pretty large-sized motorcycle. Despite the weight of 245 kg and the upright sitting position, it was a lot of fun taking turns on the little roads … Only the standard factory setting related to the rear suspension was set too soft, in my opinion. The front brake got better with more rides. As Andrew mentioned before, this is going to be an all round motorcycle and will certainly be appreciated by the commuters thanks to a competitive price.”

Important update

After this 1st version with 16.6 kWh battery, the Alrendo TS Bravo has got an update with a 17.4 kWh battery and 3.8 kW charger including charging cable to Shucko socket for € 11,200 (excl. delivery costs). An entry-level version with a 10 kWh battery and 3.2 kW charger is now also available to order. The expected maximum range in city traffic (@50 km) is over 130 km. This version has a starting price of € 8,799 excl. delivery costs.

Gert-Jan Rongen (Electric Motorbikes) and Andrew Thijssen (BMS E-Motorrijder)