This post was created in conjunction with our sister site, GritShift. Specializing in electric dirt bikes from Sur Ron, Segway, Talaria, and more, GritShift’s in-house R&D team designs and builds quality components in addition to stocking riding gear and complete e-bikes for the electric future. Check it out at GritShift.com.
At first glance of the Rungu, one might become confused about what they see.
This is entirely natural, but it should also lead to some intrigue. After all, there are two front wheels on this electric bike. While you might not think a design like this would excel off-road, we have news for you. The Rungu three-wheeled e-bike doesn’t just maneuver off-road, but it is a champion off-road.
Let’s take a closer look at the Rungu design, why the company chose to use two wheels in the front and what the specs are on this unusual piece of machinery.
Designing the Rungu
That extra tire comes in handy, especially on tough terrain. Peter Godlewski, the creator of Rungu, focused heavily on making an electric dirt bike out of bicycle parts. The goal was to create something just as capable as an ATV that was still as approachable and lightweight as a bicycle.
Why Two Wheels?
The main question that comes from most people that see this bike is: Why does the Rungu have two wheels in the front?
The Rungu’s two front wheels make it easier to maintain control on snow, ice, mud and soft sand. When you ride a two-wheeler on these soft or slick surfaces, all of the turning force on the front tire gets directed onto a narrow tread strip. Because there are fewer surfaces to grip, the tire begins to skid.
If your response isn’t quick enough, that skidding leads to a washout, low-side or over the handlebar crash in your future. But not on a Rungu.
The Rungu is not alone in its strangeness
This puts it directly in the category of “specialty off-road vehicles” designed to go where few other vehicles can. There’s little to no reason you will ever see a Rungu electric dirt bike at your local off-road trails, unless you live somewhere like Moab or the deserts of the American West, or someone is just out having a good time. It’s overkill for most situations, and that is another reason to love it.
The Rungu is designed for extreme terrain. It follows in the footsteps of legendary cult classic dirt bikes like the Rokon, a two-wheel-drive dirt bike that has been in production for longer than many dirt bikers have been alive.
Similarly, the Rokon looks pretty pointless at first glance. But you should see the crazy places their owners take them. Combined with their immense durability, their utility is the main reason these often trade hands for way more than you would expect. We’re talking thousands and thousands of dollars for what is essentially a slow, chunky, limited-use dirt bike.
But people love the Rokon just the same, and so, too, the Rungu.
Why Put Two Wheels in the Front?
The next thought is, why weren’t the dual wheels put in the back like on a trike?
Rungu utilizes the principles of Ackerman Steering to keep the turning circle center of all three wheels the same. When turning a Rungu, there is always one tire on the inside of that circle.
This allows you to utilize the entire tire surface for additional traction during a turn. Instead of washing out, you dig in.
All this talk of three wheels should remind our more mature readers of a time when Honda and others decided to sell the most dangerous vehicle ever created, the three-wheel dirt bike.
In record time, these machines earned a nasty reputation among parents that was worse than video games, guns, and teenage promiscuity put together. If you had one of these, your parents either gave absolutely no ****s or they had no idea of the carnage that could unfold if you did something wrong.
Or if you did nothing wrong. Or if you rode too fast, too slow, or it was partly cloudy on a Tuesday. In other words, any time, without any warning, you could be on your face.
The Rungu avoids all this by keeping two wheels up front, where the forces go when you’re riding.
It’s physics, plain and simple.
Shouldn’t the Wheels be Further Apart?
By having the wheels close together, it’s easier to bank into a turn.
If you have never been involved in an ATV rollover, you are one of the few. The rest know firsthand how a high center of gravity, narrow stances and weight of a typical ATV cause the machine to tip and roll because the rider can’t lean enough into the turn. Many riders are killed or injured as a result.
With the narrower front-wheel design of the Rungu e-bike, you can lean it just like you would your motorcycle. This keeps you on the back and helps you stay flat through a turn.
But, How Does it Perform Off-Road?
I know you are looking for some proof showing how this Rungu actually works off-road. Here is one of the many YouTube videos proving that yes, it does actually work.
The great thing about these e-bikes is that you can opt to pedal or not pedal. If you feel like getting some exercise one day, go for it. Otherwise, let the electric motor do its job.
Here’s one more promotional video from Rungu. You can see how well it handles the off-road trails in Utah, even making quick work of a slick rock incline.
Rungu Three-Wheeled e-Bike Specs
Now it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty. Let’s see what this electric dirt bike boasts about. There are multiple models available, but for the sake of this article, let’s just look at the specs of the most basic model: the 2022 Rungu Dualie Standard according to eBike Generation:
Price: $4,999.00 – $5,981.00 depending on options
Range on pavement w/ pedal assist: 136 miles at 10 mph and no wind
Range off-road w/ pedal assist: 20 miles at 10 mph
Range off-road, throttle only: 18 miles at 10 mph
Max climbing grade: 49%
Top speed off-road: 24 mph
Weight: 86 pounds
Max supported weight: 325 pounds
Max towing weight: 300 pounds
Power: Bafang 1120w motor with 52V 15Ah removable battery, 203 ft-lbs of torque
Some other models are also worth considering. For example, the Rungu MDV HC+ achieves climbs up to 40%+ grade hills. It can also trek through 9” of snow plus it tows up to 300 pounds.
The Rungu MDV Overland, on the other hand, contains two 780 Wh batteries. That allows this beast to travel 34 miles with just the throttle alone. And infinite miles under pedal power, of course.
The company’s top of the line Rubicon Trail Edition is dubbed the ultimate “off-road adventurer.” It offers the same capability as the Overland, but also comes with APF liners in the three wheels, a 12V DC outlet with an air compressor, a skid plate plus a waterproof pannier bag with spares, tools and a first aid kit.
If you want to create a bike with the equipment you desire, the company gives that option as well. Just choose the SC, which means Super Custom. You can spec the Rungu any way you wish.
Who Needs a Rungu?
There’s more to the Rungu than meets the eye. This bike is fun and capable, but it’s more than just an off-road toy. Just think of the 300 pound towing capacity. Hunters could easily pull their trailer with a dead deer on the back with a bicycle.
Park rangers might also find this e-bike useful. It can get into many places their ATVs wouldn’t reach. Furthermore, any cyclist that wants to go off-road in soft sand and fresh snow will find that the Rungu offers the ability to go where a typical bike cannot.
The trouble is, the price is high.
For the Dualie Rugged model, which at the time of writing is one of the best choices for off-road, you are looking at spending over $7,000. Part of the reason that the price is so high is that the bike is made in the United States. You aren’t looking at a Chinese-built machine. In fact, much of it is hand-built which requires time and precision.
Wait, is the Rungu really a dirt bike?
This is Dirt Legal after all, and the name of the article clearly calls this thing a dirt bike.
That puts it squarely in the ranks of KTM, Honda, and all the other things we usually call by that name.
Does the Rungu really fit the bill, then?
We like the addition of pedal power, considering if you ever run out of e-juice you can simply gain speed the old-fashioned way, though it does seem a little Victorian to pedal around on a piece of technology so modern and expensive.
Certainly the speeds you’ll be attaining will be Victorian as well, far reduced from those of a racing bicycle because of the weight of the electric powertrain onboard.
Still, with that long list of impressive specs and the winning combination of low weight, high power, and great suspension travel, we would not be surprised to see a Rungu keeping up with a modern gas-powered dirt bike. For a few miles, at least.
We wouldn’t mind having one at the trails to putt around on, or at an off-road event to get back and forth from the event site to the campsite.
So, is the Rungu electric dirt bike really a dirt bike, or simply an electric bicycle? We’ll let you decide.
What are your thoughts on the Rungu e-bike?
Now we would love to know what you think. Is this a bike you could see yourself on or do you doubt the capability? Even if you would get on the back of one, does the price cause you to question moving forward under electric power?
Whatever your thoughts are, we would love to hear about them. Let us know in the comments.
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