Electric Dirt Bike Performance Upgrades: Fact vs Fiction

Controllers, batteries, motors, suspension, wheels, brakes, gearing, there is no shortage of ways to upgrade an electric dirt bike.

But which upgrades actually make a difference?

One of the biggest misconceptions around e-moto performance is that upgrading automatically means chasing more power. While more power can completely transform a bike, it isn't always the upgrade that will make it faster, easier or more enjoyable to ride.

Depending on your bike and how you ride, better suspension, different gearing or even a change in tyres can make a bigger real-world difference than adding another 10kW.

At Shock Moto, we work with electric dirt bikes ranging from relatively stock trail bikes through to heavily modified performance builds. And there are a few myths around upgrades that come up again and again.

So let's separate some fact from fiction.

Does an aftermarket controller automatically give you more power?

FICTION - or at least, not quite.

A performance controller is one of the most popular electric dirt bike upgrades, and for good reason.

A quality aftermarket controller can improve throttle response, power delivery, tuning options, regenerative braking and the amount of power the bike is capable of delivering.

But the controller is only one part of the system.

Your battery has to be capable of supplying the requested current, and your motor has to be able to handle the resulting power and heat.

Put a high-performance controller on a bike with a battery that can only safely supply a certain amount of power and the battery remains the limiting factor.

That doesn't make the controller upgrade pointless. Even on a relatively stock setup, improved throttle control, adjustability and tuning can make a noticeable difference to how the bike rides.

But don't assume fitting the biggest controller available instantly gives you the power number written on the box.

Does more kW mean a higher top speed?

FICTION.

Peak power and top speed are related, but they aren't the same thing.

An electric dirt bike's top speed is affected by a combination of:

• battery voltage
• motor RPM
• controller settings
• gearing
• wheel and tyre size
• rider weight
• terrain and wind resistance

Adding more available power may make the bike accelerate significantly harder without producing the huge top-speed increase you expected.

Gearing is a good example. A larger rear sprocket can give you noticeably stronger acceleration and low-speed response, but generally at the expense of top speed. Go the other way and you can potentially gain speed while sacrificing some of that low-end punch.

Is a bigger battery only about getting more range?

FICTION.

Range is certainly one reason to upgrade a battery, but performance batteries can change far more than how far you can ride.

Three things matter in particular:

Voltage - influences the electrical system's performance potential and motor speed.

Capacity - usually measured in Ah or Wh, this determines how much energy the battery stores and therefore contributes heavily to range.

Discharge capability -  determines how much current the battery can safely deliver when the controller asks for it.

That last point becomes particularly important on higher-powered builds.

A controller capable of delivering serious power isn't much use if the battery can't supply it.

Of course, there is another side to fitting a bigger battery: weight. More battery isn't automatically better if it adds significant weight to a bike where lightweight handling is one of its biggest strengths.

If you're looking at a complete power upgrade rather than one individual component, our Electric Dirt Bike Performance Builds guide explains how the controller, motor and battery need to work together.

Do you need to upgrade the motor when increasing power?

NOT NECESSARILY.

Motor upgrades get a lot of attention because the numbers can be impressive, but the stock motor isn't always the first limitation you'll encounter.

Many factory motors can handle considerably more than their standard power level when paired with an appropriate controller and battery.

Where an upgraded motor starts to make sense is when you're asking for higher sustained power, generating excessive heat, or building a bike beyond what the factory motor was designed to handle.

There is little point fitting a motor capable of enormous power if the battery and controller aren't capable of feeding it.

For riders moving into serious high-power territory, we stock performance options such as the Ventus Beast Motor, alongside matched controller and battery options.

Is suspension really a performance upgrade?

FACT. Absolutely.

Suspension is probably one of the most overlooked performance upgrades on electric dirt bikes.

Power gets the attention because it's easy to measure. But having 20, 30 or even 40kW available doesn't help much if the bike can't stay composed over rough ground.

Better suspension can improve:

• front and rear wheel traction
• braking stability
• control through rough terrain
• cornering confidence
• resistance to bottoming
• rider comfort
• the ability to actually use the power you already have

It also needs to suit the rider. Rider weight, terrain and riding style all affect what spring rate and suspension setup will work best.

For some riders, upgrading the forks and rear shock will transform their bike more than increasing its power.

Our RFloXa suspension range includes performance forks and rear shocks for a growing range of electric dirt bikes and e-motos.

Will changing the gearing make my bike faster?

IT DEPENDS WHAT YOU MEAN BY FASTER.

Gearing is one of the simplest ways to change the character of an electric dirt bike.

Generally, increasing the size of the rear sprocket gives you more torque at the wheel and stronger acceleration, while reducing potential top speed.

A smaller rear sprocket generally moves things in the opposite direction.

Neither is necessarily better.

For tight trails and technical riding, stronger low-speed response may be far more useful than another few kilometres per hour at the top end. For riders spending more time on open terrain, the opposite might be true.

And unlike adding more electrical power, changing gearing can alter how the bike feels without asking the battery, controller or motor to produce substantially more power.

Are bigger wheels better?

FICTION. They're different.

Wheel conversions can dramatically change how an electric dirt bike handles.

Larger wheels can improve rollover through rough terrain and make the bike feel more like a conventional dirt bike. Smaller wheel combinations can make a bike more agile and change the way it puts power to the ground.

Changing wheel diameter can also affect:

• seat height
• geometry
• effective gearing
• acceleration
• ground clearance
• tyre choice

That's why setups such as 16/19, 18/21 and supermoto conversions exist - they're designed for different styles of riding.

If I add more power, do I need better brakes?

THE MORE PERFORMANCE YOU ADD, THE MORE IMPORTANT THE REST OF THE BIKE BECOMES.

It's easy to spend thousands increasing power while leaving everything responsible for controlling that power completely stock.

Brakes, tyres, drivetrain components and suspension all become more important as speed and power increase.

That doesn't necessarily mean every modified bike needs a complete aftermarket braking system. Good pads, correctly functioning brakes and appropriate rotors may be enough for some builds.

But braking should absolutely form part of the conversation when you're substantially increasing a bike's performance.

The same applies to tyres, chains, sprockets and other drivetrain components.

You can browse our wider range of electric dirt bike parts and upgrades if you're looking at the supporting components around a performance build.

Building a genuinely better bike isn't just about making it accelerate harder.

Do I need to upgrade everything at once?

FICTION.

In most cases, we'd actually recommend the opposite.

Ride the bike first.

Work out what you want it to do better.

If you're constantly bottoming the suspension, adding another 10kW probably isn't going to solve your problem.

If you love how the bike handles but want stronger acceleration, then power delivery or gearing might be where your money is better spent.

If you're happy with the performance but can't get enough riding time from a charge, then the battery may be the obvious upgrade.

There is no universal upgrade path because there is no universal rider.

So, what should I upgrade first?

The easiest way to decide is to stop thinking about individual parts and start with what you want to change about the bike.

Build the Bike You Actually Want to Ride

There is no shortage of impressive performance parts available for today's electric dirt bikes.

The trick isn't fitting as many of them as possible.

It's choosing upgrades that work together and actually improve the bike for you.

A trail rider may get far more value from suspension and gearing than a huge power build. Another rider may already have the chassis exactly where they want it and be ready for a controller and battery upgrade.

That's why we prefer looking at the complete bike rather than simply recommending the biggest number on the spec sheet.

Shock Moto supplies performance upgrades for a wide range of electric dirt bikes and e-motos, including controllers, batteries, motors, suspension, wheels, brakes and drivetrain components.

We also offer installation, setup and performance upgrade work through our Wellington workshop.

If you're planning multiple power upgrades, take a look at our Electric Dirt Bike Performance Builds page for more information on matching controllers, batteries and motors.

Or browse our electric dirt bike parts and performance upgrades online.

Not sure what your bike actually needs? Get in touch with Shock Moto and tell us what bike you have, how you ride it and what you want it to do better. We'll help work out where your money is likely to make the biggest difference.