Common Tread

RevZilla launches Circuit Test: Putting e-moto performance claims to the test

Oct 05, 2026

A week doesn’t go by without an e-moto story in the headlines — and for all the wrong reasons.

While outrage over police-fleeing pre-teens reigns supreme on news feeds, it’s important to remember the intended use of electric dirt bikes. Emphasis on the “dirt.”

The e-moto segment isn’t just growing; it’s booming. New manufacturers pop up every other month. Even traditional OEMs are branching into the space. No matter the brand, all claim stunning performance figures — figures that lack real-world context. Purifying those muddy waters not only requires riding the bike, but riding the bike to its full potential.

That’s the sole objective of RevZilla’s latest YouTube series, Circuit Test.

To strip away the misleading spec sheets, the marketing hyperbole, the influencer spin, each e-moto is judged by one metric and one metric only: lap time. It’s simple. There’s one electric dirt bike, one professional rider, one off-road course, and one GPS-tracked and verified stopwatch. It isn’t opinionated. It isn’t biased. It’s pure data.

A close up of the Segway Xaber 300.
Circuit Test is solely concerned with performance, not range. None of the e-motos tested will be assessed for practical range, as each rider’s aggressiveness (or lack thereof) will determine the miles logged on the road. Comoto photo.

Each bike earns its spot on the Circuit Test leaderboard by the time it logs, not by the output listed on its webpage. Whether it produces 440 foot-pounds of torque or 1,000 newton-meters, whether its motor is rated in kilowatts or horsepower, all the listed specs are subordinate to the lap time recorded.

A pro MX rider standing next to the Zero XB and XE.
Similar to tests performed by the Stig on “Top Gear,” Circuit Test pits one pro and one vehicle against one circuit. There are just two fewer wheels and a lot more dirt. Comoto photo.

The purpose is to give people a way to understand modern e-motos, to contextualize the performance landscape in a way that wasn’t previously available. The electric dirt bike category is still in the Wild West stage of its development (a fact that’s only reinforced by the weekly headlines). As long as it helps riders uncross the wires in the e-moto market, Circuit Test will be a success.