Ariel D Rider vs Luna Banana

[GhostRider]

Hi All,

I'm new to ebikes and am looking at purchasing one of the mini scramblers. I've narrowed it down to the Ariel D and the Luna Banana.

I plan to use it on 20 - 30 mile rides mostly on road with very light off road use. There are a couple long up hill climbs I will have to negotiate.

Which would you suggest and why?

Thanks

Newbie

 

[Mike_V]

Hi,
Check u tube for a video of the dual motor bike powered by his 72V ? scooter battery 'strap on'
The creator, a big man, is laughing so hard as he powers up hill. ( Pennsylvania ?)
So casual,
You can't look away
Mike

 

[TMH]

Both of those bikes look like they would be a lot of fun - I can see where you might have a hard time choosing between them.

From the Ariel web site it looks like the Model D is currently back ordered, and now only comes in the 'premium' configuration with the front suspension fork and the 18 Ah battery? Have you contacted them to determine whether their May 25 availability date is still accurate after this year's earlier China shut-down?

One immediate thought I had is whether I would want the extra weight and complexity of having the 2 motors which the Ariel has. Obviously it would be great if a lot of your riding is going to be on really loose surfaces (snow, sand, etc.), but it doesn't sound like that is your intended use for it. "Light off road" should be easily handled by a single hub motor.

Luna stuff always leaves a lingering question in my mind - since you have to pay for any reasonable warranty (looks like you get one year with the Ariel). On the other hand I have heard more good stuff than bad about Luna, and there is no doubt that they have excellent battery design and building skills. But their basic battery on the Banana is already lower in capacity as compared to the Ariel, and their base price is already higher.

From a purely cosmetic perspective, I like the Ariel better. And its seat looks way more comfortable (although appearances can be deceiving).

From the 2 you have specified, I would probably go with the Ariel D if it will be available in a reasonable time frame.

Any reason you don't have the Super73 or Juiced Scorpions in the running? I think that the new Super73-S2 is going to be a heck of a bike - I'm really not sure that full suspension is necessary on these types of bikes with their fat tires. But if it is something you really want, the Super73-R's will have that.

Regarding the Juiced Scorpions, well I do have one of those (HyperScorpion) pre-ordered for my wife, but now we are going to have to wait until July to get it, as opposed to the original May availability date. Oh well.

Good luck in your choosing, and have fun!

 

[TMH]

...I don't know why people think suspension isn't necessary if it has fat tire.

Any motorcycle with fat tire, such as Honda Fat Cat, Yamaha Big Wheel, and all the other fat bikes have full suspension.

I know ebikes may be different, but I still think e-fatbikes can still benefit from suspension.

Motorcycles are heavier, travel at much faster speeds and are generally ridden for longer periods of time (between fuel stops), where full suspension can be of great assistance and comfort.

I've got e-bikes with full suspension, no suspension and front suspension only. They all work just fine at e-bike weights and speeds. And rigid e-bikes can be more efficient at putting pedal effort directly into forward motion.

Of course the bikes being discussed in this thread are not going to be efficient pedaling anyway, so maybe the efficiency point is moot here.

To each his own, but I still don't feel full suspension is necessary for fat tired e-bikes. Front suspension is nice as it allows one to roll through or over obstacles without veering off to try and avoid them. So the Ariel wins over the Luna on that count too.

 

[tomjasz]

FWIW, except for the completely potted batteries the Luna shark packs and triangle packs are plain b flat Chinese builds. Warranty is a coin toss after a month or two.

This description is pure bullshirt!


China does not make a quality 18650 cell, and many “name brand” cell packs coming from China are actually made up of clone cells or re-wraps. Chinese rewrapped batteries not only have bad performance and do not last long...they are also potential fire hazards.

Smoke and mirrors!