Zeeho AE8 S+ Review – KTM Group-backed learner scoot combines tech and ease of use

The £4699 Zeeho AE8 S+ is one of three new battery powered electric motorcycles coming to the UK in 2024. Chances are you won’t have heard the Zeeho name before, and that’s because they were only set up in 2020 as a sub brand of Chinese giants CFMoto.

Since their creation, over 10,000 units have been sold in their domestic market, and now they are coming to parts of Europe (including the UK and Ireland) via a distribution deal with KTM parent company Pierer Mobility Group.

The AE8 S+ is the top of the line option from the brand, sitting above a £2899 AM licence friendly City Sport urban supermoto, plus the A1 category £2899 AE6 scooter.

All three are designed to appeal to young, inner city riders aiming to get from A to B in the most efficient time possible – hence why our launch test took place along the congested streets of central Barcelona, which is said to house the most motorcycles per capita in Europe.

Being the top of the range model, the AE8 S+ features two removable batteries and a mid-mounted electric motor, capable of propelling the bike to somewhere in the region of 62mph.

You also get a TFT dash with mobile connectivity, a front Brembo brake, room for a passenger and even a bit of under the seat – an area so often entirely dominated by batteries on small capacity electric scoots.

Suspended by simplistic conventional front forks, and a preload adjustable rear shock, the Zeeho’s ride is adequate for the price. It’s never going to be used for any real distance – with many customers likely to purchase one for last mile delivery work, or to simply hop on and off after only a few miles.

Rolling on dinky 12in rims, the steering is precise and direct – like riding a bicycle with an electric motor. It’s convenience transport, for those that want to step away from public transport.

As such, it allows you to make child’s play of the traffic and operate without any real brain power – exactly what’s required in this class of likely novice riders. It also feels stable, thanks to a relatively long 1380mm wheel base, with a low 785mm seat and easy reach to the bars making things accessible to almost any rider.

For all of this impressive tech and secure road holding though, it still remains over £1000 more expensive than some of its petrol powered competition, and that will be a bridge too far for some – especially given the unproven nature of the brand in Europe.

Honda’s single cylinder £3649 PCX125 still returns a tested 100.3mpg when thrashed, which would be enough for a theoretical 178.7 miles between five minute stops for fuel. By comparison, the Zeeho will return around 100 miles and will only ever charge to 80% in two hours.

As previously alluded to, the Zeeho stops, turns, and goes just how you’d expect for a relatively cheap inner city scooter. It’s long, low and carries its weight fairly far down, allowing it to feel stable at higher speeds, as well as unintimidating coming to a stop.

There’s no clutch to worry about here – just a twist and go throttle and a brake lever for each hand, just like a bicycle. This leaves your feet to chill out on the flat boarding in front of you, or hold your shopping in place, should it be hanging from the front mounted luggage hook.

There’s no real wind protection up front and whilst the spongey perch is perfectly comfortable on your bum, it would be nice to have a slightly taller seat to give my legs slightly more room to stretch out in front. However, most journeys will never be long enough for this to be a problem, and there are two aluminium pedals mounted at the inside base of the front cowling to give a little more room.

Two channel ABS is supplied by Bosch, with a two piston Brembo caliper up front. This is more than powerful enough to bring you to a quick and controlled stop, without risking tucking the front wheel. For extra bragging rights, Zeeho have even sliced a chunk out of the mudguard on that side so that you can see the famed caliper logo at all times.

I’m only 5ft6in, and the reach to the bars is gentle, with the flat seat providing plenty of room to move around. A brief spin round the block with a pillion revealed it to be quite intimate two-up, but this will only ever be for brief blasts across a city centre, if at all – with many riders likely to use that extra space to rest a bulky Deliveroo bag.

Elsewhere, the suspension is okay. It can be a little crashy over bumps, but this is a trait of many electric and petrol scoots in this class, and it was never designed to be for ultimate riding pleasure.

At the back end, there is adjustment for preload, which is accessible near the aluminium swingarm. Anything more advanced would’ve likely pushed the prices up.

The Zeeho AE8 S+’s combination of dual 69v27Ah lithium batteries and ‘Z-Core’ mid-mounted motor are enough to keep ahead of the traffic with ease. A petrol 125 scoot may still have advantages in range, top end, and refuelling speed, but it’s another story when it comes to acceleration.

What’s more, combustion engines are likely now on a ticking clock until they are forbidden from some city centres, as cleaner air zones become more stringent.

Placed in Sport mode (you also get Eco and Street), the Zeeho will pull away faster than most vehicles – allowing you to silently slither to the front of the traffic before blasting away on green before the cars around you have slotted back into first gear.

As with all electric scoots in this class, it’s a traditional twist and go set up, with both brake levers mounted on the bars like a pushbike.

Being electric, there’s both a nominal and peak power figure on the spec sheet, with the bike capable of short bursts of a claimed 16.8bhp when you really wind it on. The standard figure of 6.7bhp is what makes it A1/CBT licence compliant – with torque said to be in the region of 161lbft.

Although there’s no real noise to write home about, you do catch the occasional whirring whine from the motor, with the vibe-free motor also assisting with rear vision through the mirrors.

The lack of sound can also be quite useful in a built up area by making you more aware of your surroundings, as well communicating with those around you. You can also use the TFT display to select your mode, the level of battery regen, and more.

Once you’re done with urban exploration, the removable batteries are said to be chargeable to 80% in two hours. They are also said to be capable of operating between -10 and 55-degrees and have an IP67 waterproof rating – meaning they should withstand the rain in drizzly England.

Zeeho is a brand new name to Europe for 2024. So new in fact, that when we rode the bike on its launch in mid-March 2024, no dealers in the UK had yet signed up to take them on. For that reason, it’s very hard to discuss reliability at the stage.

That said, build quality was as you’d expect for a bike of this price point with nothing jumping out as a concern – barring the pillion pegs, which refused to fold up and clip away out of sight on the first push, once deployed.

Zeeho are a sub brand of CFMoto and whilst Chinese bikes can have a reputation for sub-standard build quality, the latest machines from CF such as the 450MT and 800NK have left our testers impressed.

What’s more, with KTM owners Pierer Mobility Group taking care of European parts and distribution for Zeeho, there should be strong backing should your AE8 S+ go wrong. A two year warranty is offered as standard too, with the belt drive needing to be replaced every 20,000km.

The Zeeho AE8 S+ is £4699, and joins one of the most hotly contested segments of modern motorcycling. The small capacity electric sector has seen a surge in new brands specialising in modern urban transport, with established marques including Honda, Yamaha, and BMW now also throwing their hat into the ring.

And it makes sense too – given the rise in inner city low emission zones, 20mph speed limits, and traffic cameras – with many opting for a relatively low cost transport solution that can be charged in the comfort of their home.

With a top speed of around 62mph, the Zeeho offers performance equivalent to a conventional 125cc scooter. That means rivals include both combustion and battery-powered alternatives – such as the £3649 Honda PCX125, and £3778 Yamaha NMAX 125, as well as electric machines like the new £4199 Vmoto Soco TC Max.

Whilst all of those are cheaper than the Zeeho, none share the same level of spec. However, all three of them boast a more established dealer network.

For under £4700, the AE8 S+ gets a Brembo brake, a TFT dash, ABS, under seat storage, and more. Granted, some of that under seat space is taken up by a pair of removable batteries, meaning you don’t get as much room as some conventional petrol powered alternatives, but it’s an impressive spec for cash.

You also get LED lighting, chunky pillion grab rails, and preload adjustable rear suspension – with a luggage hoop up front to hang your shopping. For more carrying space, there’s a cubby hole up front too with a pair of charging parts for your electronic devices. Although there is space to bring someone along for the ride, it’s unlikely to be roomy two-up.

The bike is activated by a key card, with the scooter then paired to your phone via Bluetooth and a free Zeeho app.

Once connected, you can personalise the Zeeho to meet your own preferences – selecting adjustments, such as whether or not to have audible ‘bongs’ during indicator activation, the level of battery regen on deceleration, and more.

You can also unlock and your bike through your mobile phone if you don’t fancy pulling out your key, with key details such as your remaining battery life, range, and more available on screen. Although good when working, I did find the application to be clunky at times, failing to display the correct data for my bike at the end of a ride.

That said, it’s a nice feature and sets it apart from many other basic alternatives, however many in this market would likely favour a conventional key and ignition system, which would likely lower the price and speed up the starting process.