There is a trap in the Ultra Bee market and it catches people regularly. Surron publishes two different Ultra Bees. They share a name, a silhouette and a frame, and they are not close to being the same motorcycle.
One makes 12.5 kW. The other makes 21.5 kW, and 24.5 kW in Turbo. That is nearly double the power. Plenty of listings quote the cheaper bike's specification while charging for the faster one, usually not out of malice but because somebody copied a spec sheet from the wrong page three years ago and it has been propagating ever since.
The thirty second version
If the listing says 12.5 kW or 74V 55Ah, that is the standard Ultra Bee. If it says 21.5 kW, 24.5 kW Turbo or 74V 60Ah, that is the HP. The bike we stock is the Ultra Bee HP SW. Check the kW and the amp hours before you check anything else.
Side by side, from Surron's own specification sheets
Every figure below is published by Surron for each model. We have not adjusted, averaged or estimated anything. Where the two are identical we say so, because the shared numbers are just as useful for working out which bike a listing is describing.
| Ultra Bee | Ultra Bee HP | |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum motor power | 12.5 kW | 21.5 kW, 24.5 kW in Turbo |
| Max torque at the wheel | 324.5 ft-lb | 384 ft-lb |
| Battery | 74V 55Ah | 74V 60Ah |
| Energy | 4,070 Wh | 4,440 Wh |
| Top speed | 56 mph | 59 mph |
| Max range | 62 mi at 31 mph | 71 mi at 31 mph |
| Charge time | 4.5 hr | 2.5 hr, 20 to 80 percent |
| Acceleration | Not published | 1.84 s to 31 mph, 3.7 s to 50 mph |
| Riding modes | Eco, Daily, Sports, Reverse | Adds Crawl and Turbo |
| Regeneration | SRTC and BERS | 5 level coasting, 5 level braking |
| Throttle curve | Not published | 3 level adjustable |
| Driveline | Not published | Primary belt, secondary chain |
| Rear tyre | 90/90-19 | 100/90-18 |
| Front tyre | 80/100-19 | 80/100-19 |
| Curb weight | 187 lb | 195 lb |
| Carrying capacity | 220 lb | 220 lb |
| Seat height | 35.8 in | 35.83 in |
| Wheelbase | 54.3 in | 54.33 in |
| Front fork travel | 9.4 in | 9.49 in |
What actually separates them
Power, by a lot. 12.5 kW to 21.5 kW is 72 percent more, and 24.5 kW in Turbo is 96 percent more, near enough double. This is the headline difference and it is not subtle on the trail. Torque at the wheel goes up by a more modest 18 percent, from 324.5 to 384 ft-lb, which tells you the extra power mostly shows up higher in the rev range rather than as low speed grunt.
A different rear wheel. This one gets missed constantly. The standard Ultra Bee runs a 90/90-19 rear. The HP runs a 100/90-18 rear. Different rim diameter and a wider tyre. The fronts are the same 80/100-19 on both. So if you are buying rear tyres or a spare rear wheel, the two bikes are not interchangeable, and a seller who lists the wrong rear size probably has the wrong bike in mind.
Electronics. The HP gets five level coasting regeneration and five level braking regeneration, a three level adjustable throttle curve, Crawl mode and Turbo mode. The standard bike lists SRTC and BERS and four riding modes. If regen and throttle mapping matter to you, that gap is bigger in daily use than the power figure, and we go into it in our Ultra Bee brakes article.
The two numbers people get wrong
Charge time is not a fair fight as usually quoted
The standard Ultra Bee's 4.5 hours is a full charge. The HP's 2.5 hours is Surron's 20 to 80 percent figure. Those are not the same measurement, so the HP is not simply "twice as fast to charge" the way the two numbers look side by side. It does charge faster, but Surron has not published a like for like full charge time for both.
Range is closer than the power gap suggests. 62 miles against 71 at the same 31 mph test speed is a 14.5 percent improvement, from a battery that only holds 9.1 percent more energy. Work it through and the standard bike uses about 65.6 watt hours per mile at that speed while the HP uses about 62.5. The HP is marginally more efficient despite being more powerful and 8 lb heavier, which is a credit to the newer drivetrain.
Both range figures are quoted at 31 mph, but the test condition footnotes on the two pages do not quite agree. The standard Ultra Bee page states a 154 lb rider, 27 degrees Celsius, a constant 31 mph and a dry flat road. The HP page states the same rider weight, temperature and road, but gives the test speed as 40 km/h, which is about 25 mph. We are pointing that out rather than smoothing over it. Either way, ride either bike the way you actually want to ride it and you will see a good deal less than the published number, which is true of every manufacturer and not a criticism of this one.
How to tell which bike a listing is really selling
Work down this list. Any single mismatch is worth a question before you pay.
| If the listing says | It is describing |
|---|---|
| 12.5 kW | The standard Ultra Bee |
| 21.5 kW or 24.5 kW | The Ultra Bee HP |
| 74V 55Ah | The standard Ultra Bee |
| 74V 60Ah | The Ultra Bee HP |
| 56 mph top speed | The standard Ultra Bee |
| 59 mph top speed | The Ultra Bee HP |
| 62 mile range | The standard Ultra Bee |
| 71 mile range | The Ultra Bee HP |
| 90/90-19 rear tyre | The standard Ultra Bee |
| 100/90-18 rear tyre | The Ultra Bee HP |
| Turbo or Crawl mode | The Ultra Bee HP |
The mixed listing
The one to be most careful about is a listing that mixes them, for example an HP price and photo with a 12.5 kW or 55Ah figure buried in the specification table. That is usually a copy and paste error rather than anything deliberate, but it means nobody has checked what is in the crate. Ask the seller to confirm the motor rating and the amp hours in writing before you pay.
Which one we sell, and why we are telling you this
We stock the Ultra Bee HP SW at $6,399. We do not stock the standard Ultra Bee, so we have an obvious interest in you knowing the difference. We would rather say that out loud than pretend this is a neutral public service.
That said, the standard Ultra Bee is not a bad motorcycle. At 12.5 kW it is plenty for trail riding, it is 8 lb lighter, and if you find one at a genuinely lower price it may be the better buy for you. The problem is not the bike. The problem is paying HP money for it by accident.
See the Surron Ultra Bee HP SW we stockIf you are still deciding between the Ultra Bee and something else entirely, we put the HP head to head against the Arctic Leopard XE Pro R in a full comparison. We stock both of those, so there is no thumb on the scale there either.
See the Arctic Leopard XE Pro RBoth are off road machines. Whether you can register one for road use depends entirely on your state, and every dirt bike we sell ships with its manufacturer certificate of origin so you have the paperwork to try. Check your own state before you buy.
