Electric Dual Sport Motorcycles: Complete Buyer’s Guide

Best Electric Dual Sport Motorcycles By Price Range

The market for so-called dual sport motorcycles has exploded across the last couple of decades, and now includes bikes tailored for just about every demographic, locale, and consumer profile. The name typically points to small, nimble, and lightweight off-road machines that have been fitted with just enough equipment to pass the Department of Transportation’s requirements, a headlight, taillight, mirrors, and turn signals.

Segment growth has seen the dual sport name plastered across just about every size of motorcycle out there, from compact urban commuters to full-size adventure tourers. After two decades of battery and drivetrain advancement, some of the best dual sport motorcycles are now electric. The best electric off-roaders can genuinely replace a small gas dual sport for many riders. 

The LAND Moto District Scrambler lives in this category. A District built with a dual sport mindset gives you a lightweight and robust laser-welded steel motorcycle chassis, superb suspension, excellent brakes, street legal equipment, and a modular swappable Core battery system, allowing you to choose the appropriate size for your commute and weekend loops. The District puts emphasis on blending affordability with real world range and daily usability rather than chasing the biggest spec numbers.

Best Electric Dual Sport Bikes By Price Range

Dutch electric motorcycle brand Zero has a line of high-end dual sports in its DS, DSR, and DSR/X models. All three are based on the same chassis, battery, and motor architecture, coming in with different power and price points. This line starts at an eye-watering $15,999 and balloons up to $22,995. Do you get what you pay for with the Zero DS? The company claims up to 179 miles of range in the city for its most expensive and heaviest (545 lbs) model. You’ll have to decide for yourself if 100 horsepower and a 112 mph top speed is worth over three times what it costs to buy a LAND Moto District. 

Spanish motorcycle makers Stark are the newcomers on the electric motorcycle scene, and the company’s advanced Varg EX model is probably the most pure example of an electric dirt bike for the street since the defunct Alta Motors Redshift. Unfortunately it also comes with a steep price tag, with the 60-horsepower 264-pound dirtbike starting at $12,990.  

Seen against this landscape, the District platform sits in an intentional sweet spot. It is more affordable and lighter than the large adventure electrics, more capable off pavement than anything in its price range, and configurable in a way that the rest of these fixed-spec models are not. With as few as 198 pounds to lug around, the LAND Moto District Scrambler will get you down the trail without breaking your back, or your piggy bank. Based on the competition in the electric off-road space, you’d be forgiven for thinking the base price of just $6,995 is too good to be true. 

 

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Off-road VS Street Capabilities Compared

Every electric dual sport claims to be good both on and off road, but they do not all approach that balance the same way.

A bike like the Zero DS leans into a classic dual sport formula. It has the seat height, suspension travel, and 19/17 style wheel setup you expect from a traditional gasoline-powered dual sport, but with an electric powertrain. This is a bike with plenty of ground clearance, and suspension that can handle most trails, but it’s certainly too heavy to be considered a true Dual Sport. Its standard Pirelli Scorpion Trail II tires are no match for anything off the beaten path, either. You’ll get touring comfort from the DS line, but the tradeoff is found in the bike’s size and weight; it is hardly a flickable city bike, and not nearly as nimble when the road fades into dirt.

The Stark Varg, on the other hand, goes too far in the other direction. This is a bike that has all the suspension travel and ground clearance you would need to traverse some of the toughest trails and riding environments, but at the expense of comfort and daily rideability. The Stark is much too tall for even the average height rider to comfortably commute on, and its gnarly dirt tires will rattle your teeth out on the street. 

The LAND Moto District Scrambler is designed to sit between those worlds. Built on the same platform as the District Street, it wears a street/dirt compromise tire, a stance tuned for standing on the pegs, and components chosen with gravel and light trail use in mind. It is not trying to be a 500-pound adventure tourer, and it is not an uncomfortable trail toy. Instead, it is a street-legal electric motorcycle that feels natural in traffic on your commute and confident on fire roads and forest service routes in your free time.

• LAND District Scrambler VS Zero DS: simpler, lighter, more nimble on the trails, less expensive

• LAND District Scrambler VS Stark Varg EX: simpler, more approachable, easier on the street, and less expensive

 

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Battery Range For Trail Riding And Mixed Use

Range is where spec sheets can be the most confusing. Electric dual sport bikes quote impressive numbers, but those figures are usually based on gentle urban cycles or constant low speeds. What matters more is how a bike behaves in the real riding you plan to do: commuting, back roads, and trail loops.

Premium pricepoint machines like the Zero DSR/X use large battery packs and aerodynamic bodywork to quote some of the longest ranges on the market with its massive optional 21 kWh battery pack. Those numbers are impressive, but they come with ever higher price tags and more mass to manage when you leave pavement.

At over 240 pounds, the Stark Varg is significantly lighter than a Zero, but still a decent amount heavier than the LAND Moto District Scrambler. That weight, in addition to the bike’s high-output electric motor and aggressive riding style encourages riders to run the battery down quite quickly. Stark does not quote range in miles, but says that a seasoned rider on a high-speed trail can run the battery flat in as short as 37 minutes. 

As a mid-sized electric dual sport, the LAND District takes a different approach. Rather than relying on a huge battery, the bike strikes a practical balance between pack size, weight, and cost. In real mixed riding that includes stop and go commuting, 35 to 60 mile evening loops, and half-day trail sessions, that balance often matters more than maximum quoted range. The District’s modular Core system lets a rider start with the capacity they need for regular daily use, then step up to a larger pack if their riding life expands.

For trail and dual sport use, the way to think about battery range is simple:

• Look at your typical loop distance, not your fantasy trip. Many riders do 20 to 50 miles door to door on a mixed pavement and dirt ride.

• Factor in elevation and surface. Steep climbs and deep gravel pull more energy than smooth tarmac.

• Determine whether you can charge at your base camp, garage, or work between rides.

Our Take

A District built with a dual sport focus is ideal for the average rider’s trip pattern. You can charge at home overnight, ride your loop directly from your driveway or garage, and come back with enough margin that range anxiety never really sets in. If you’re looking for an affordable and exciting package to hit the trails, try a LAND Moto on for size. It just might be the perfect fit. 

And don’t forget, if you’re going to take your bike on trails, tread lightly and follow the proper off-highway vehicle regulations. Visit LAND to learn more about the District Scrambler.