RGNT NO1 SCRAMBLER SE (2023 - on) Review

The RGNT (pronounced “re-gent”) Scrambler SE brings together classic 1960s styling with a modern electric motorcycle drivetrain. It’s intended mostly for city use and falls within the 125cc-equivalent A1 licence category, but in its perkiest setting can deliver 28bhp and top a true 75mph. Unlike most electric commuters it hasn’t rolled off a gigantic Chinese production line, but is hand-built by a small team in Sweden using components from recognisable biking brands.

Dig beyond its old-school silhouette and the RGNT packs some thoroughly modern features, such as a touchscreen TFT display, keyless ignition and the ability to automatically update its software over the air. In use the electric motor feels perfectly matched for city riding, with plenty of poke to dash away from traffic lights, plus no unwelcome engine heat, no vibration and no need to work a clutch lever. The Scrambler is slim, light, low and agile, ideal for darting through traffic. In short, it’s a seriously pleasing way of bopping around town cleanly and for just pennies per mile. It’s also capable of covering short distances on country roads, though over longer runs the performance drops off sharply as the battery charge reduces.

The catches, unfortunately, are many of the usual electric issues: a limited range at higher speed, a lengthy recharge time, and a towering price tag. While plenty of riders would no doubt love to have a nippy, handsome, nicely put together electric urban runabout, maybe as a second bike, the RGNT will only appeal to the wafer-thin Venn diagram intersection who are also prepared to drop nearly £14k on one.

Electric bikes may have a reputation for being heavy, but the RGNT Scrambler doesn’t feel it. MCN’s calibrated scales reveal it weighs a shade over 167kg – slightly heftier than a typical 125, but on par with lightweight nakeds such as a Yamaha MT-03 or Kawasaki Z400. Seat height is a very manageable 810mm, yet there’s still decent legroom from the flat leather saddle to the retro rubber pegs. The ‘tank’, formed from sheet metal, sits slim between your knees, while the braced handlebar sets hands in a comfortable, natural stance.

Suspension is by Italian firm Paioli, with unadjustable 35mm forks up front (designed to look like a set of 1960s Cerianis, for those who remember them) and preload-adjustable twin shocks at the back. The damping feels slightly basic in its action – no doubt the added unsprung mass of the hub-mounted motor makes things more challenging – but the ride is perfectly fine for wafting about leisurely.

It steers really nicely too, changing direction quickly and turning with an easy, predictable, linear rate. Walking-speed U-turns are a breeze thanks to excellent low-speed balance and a magnificent steering lock. Tyres are decently grippy Avon Trailriders, with slim 110 and 130 widths mounted on spoked Excel rims.

Brakes are by J Juan, using hand levers for both ends, and are partially linked. Squeezing the right-hand lever operates just the four-piston front brake, while the left lever works both front and rear calipers together. There’s no ABS – common for electric bikes in this licence class, but a more noticeable omission given the RGNT’s not-exactly-budget pricetag.

Despite braided lines and sintered pads the brakes bite gently and stopping power certainly isn’t overwhelming, but it’s not out of step with the bike’s relaxed purpose and naturally steady pace. It’s hardly the kind of bike you’d buy to hoon around on burying the front end into every turn.

Power is delivered by an air-cooled electric motor that’s mounted directly in the rear wheel – so no transmission, no gears, no clutch, no chain drive. Peak torque is a bonkers-sounding 288 lb·ft, though the huge number is a quirk of having a hub-mounted electric motor and it’ll come as little surprise that a Scrambler SE doesn’t actually feel three times gruntier than a Ducati Panigale V4. A more realistic impression of the RGNT’s real-world speed is given by its peak power, which varies with its three riding modes.

In its default Dynamic mode, the RGNT’s peak power is 17bhp. Top speed is around 67mph indicated, a true 64mph on our datalogger. Slightly steadier is Normal mode, with 12bhp and a true top speed just shy of 60mph. Headline performance comes courtesy of Boost mode, which offers 28bhp peak power, deceptively brisk acceleration and a tested top speed of 76.3mph (indicated 79mph) – but only for short bursts.

With Boost selected, an orange bar on the right of the TFT dash shows how much power is available: it empties when you’re riding hard, then refills when you’re taking it easy. In short, the maximum power and speed figures are treats for occasional use – it’s not a bike for bombing along motorways, dual carriageways and A-roads flat-out.

RGNT claim a range of over 90 miles from one charge of its 9.5kWh battery. In our testing, that kind of distance is achievable in pure city riding – as in, 30mph or slower, Normal riding mode, gentle throttle use. At a steady 60mph, useable range proves 40-50 miles. However, riding modes (and performance) are restricted as the battery charge drops. Below 60%, Boost mode becomes unavailable. At 30%, Dynamic is turned off too, leaving just Normal. And below 10% charge, the RGNT switches to Turtle mode, with reduced power and a top speed capped at just over 30mph.

Recharging the RGNT’s battery is done via the Type 2 socket hidden beneath the flip-up “filler” cap. Whether you charge from a three-pin household power socket or a public AC station, speed is bottlenecked by the bike’s 1.8kW onboard charger, giving a 0-100% charge time of around six hours.

Two other features worth mentioning. One is the RGNT’s Reverse mode, which helps manoeuvre it around effortlessly at low speed. The other is what RGNT calls “one throttle drive”: in English, this means you activate the bike’s regenerative braking (where the motor converts the bike’s momentum into energy, slowing the bike and recharging the battery) by twisting the throttle forwards beyond the normal shut position. It’s a fine idea –rather than fixed engine braking, you can adjust it to suit in real time – though maximum regen could do with being stronger, plus reaching for the front brake lever can be a little awkward when your right hand is already rotated forwards.

Durability is an unknown for now. RGNT only dates back to 2019, with initial bikes being delivered during 2021. In the UK they’ve only recently become available via English Electric Motor Co. The result is that we don’t have a big enough picture of RGNT ownership to know how reliable they are.

It is worth highlighting that these bikes are hand-built in Sweden, rather than mass-produced in China, which you’d certainly hope bodes well as far as quality control goes, as well as customer support should anything go wrong. There’s some reassurance in having EEMC as the UK importers – they’re well-experienced in dealing with electric bikes of all shapes and sizes.

Outwardly, RGNT seem deeply proud of their bike’s build quality, their promotional blurb highlighting the Japanese Excel wheel rims, the Italian Paioli suspension, and seats made in association with one Sweden’s oldest leather suppliers. In the metal – and you definitely notice more metal than plastic, which is reassuring – first impressions are generally very good. All in all it looks professionally put together, and during our two-week test ride with the Scrambler SE we experienced zero faults, issues, problems or cause for concern.

RGNT’s standard warranty lasts for two years on the chassis and three years on the battery.

Let’s not mince words here: £13,990 is a lot of money for any bike; and it’s definitely a lot to pay for a bike with performance somewhere between a petrol-equivalent 125 and a 300. And it’s even more when that bike has a range of around 40-80 miles, a long recharge time, and performance that’s primarily for city riding.

RGNT would likely argue – quite reasonably – that it’s unrealistic to expect a made-to-order, hand-built, brand-new electric motorcycle assembled by a small team in Europe to compete on price against mass-market petrol bikes pumped out of Far-East factories by the hundredweight. Someone with a silly moustache and an overpriced coffee might even use the word “boutique”, which in turn might make a little bit of sick come into your mouth. But they’d have a point. The RGNT is not designed or built as a cheap disposable runabout, and it’s not priced as one either.

As far as rivals go… well, it depends what matters to you. If you’re just after a retro image, steady performance and manageable size, you could find far cheaper alternatives in the form of a Yamaha XSR125 Legacy, a Royal Enfield Scram 411 or even Triumph’s imminent Speed and Scrambler 400s. If you’re looking for something a bit more exotic and European, perhaps Fantic’s Caballero 125 or 500.

If you’re looking exclusively at electric rivals, on style the obvious alternative is the British-designed Maeving RM1. It’s substantially more affordable, but performance and range are also way down on the RGNT. Perhaps a better spec-sheet fit would be the Zero FXE. There’s nothing classic or vintage in its supermoto stance, but it’s not too far away from the RGNT for range, speed and price, and in 11kW guise it can also be ridden on a 125-equivalent A1 licence.

Running costs should be minimal. A full charge at home costs around £2.70 (given a typical 2023 electricity rate of 30p/kWh), equating to a cost of roughly 4p per mile. There’s no drivetrain to maintain, and no oils or coolant or fluids or filters or spark plugs to replace come service time. Speaking of which, RGNT state the service period is every two years or 10,000km (6200 miles), whichever comes first – there’s practically nothing to do, other than a checkover and change the brake fluid. English Electric Motor Co estimate a service costs around £144.

That all said, bear in mind that come tyre-change time the high-voltage hub-mounted motor will mean fresh rubber is a job that’s beyond your usual fitter…

From onboard you’re faced with a huge 7-inch colour TFT dash. The layout is clear and intuitive – speed and battery state of charge are both prominent and uncluttered – though it’s odd to find there isn’t a remaining range indicator. It’s all well and good to know you’ve got 37% battery left, but it’d be even more useful to have a rough guess as to how many miles that’ll last.

The dash even has some touchscreen functionality – nothing you need to operate while riding, but accessing settings and submenus at a standstill can be done with a gloved finger.

RGNT claim the Scrambler is set up for “cloud connectivity”, can receive over-the-air software updates via 4G, features a GPS connection and can pair with RGNT’s phone app. The hi-tech feel extends to keyless ignition and keyless steering lock, and there’s a USB-C charge port tucked away inside the lockable right-hand side cover. However, for all the snazzy modern gadgets, the lack of ABS is disappointing on a £14-grand bike.