Source: BikeEXIF –
Long relegated to youth and playbike riders, the heyday for electric dirt bikes has somewhat lagged behind the catapulting popularity of other e-bike segments; I guess many of us just aren’t ready to give up our clutch levers. Expect that to change in coming years though, as today’s electric bikes are coming closer to meeting and exceeding their internal combustion counterparts.
The KTM Freeride E platform has proven to be a serious contender year after year, and the 2025 model is hot off the press, offering increased power and range, a 60 mph top speed and street-legal status. It also happens to be endorsed by one of the biggest names in hard enduro. Convinced yet?
If you’re reading this, we’ll assume you’re somewhat familiar with the Freeride E platform, ranked among our favorite electric offerings for 2024. Offering slim dimensions, featherweight flickability, and top-tier components from KTM’s off-road range, the Freeride E is a trials, trails, and playbike, wrapped into one.
The latest iteration is based on an all-new chrome-molybdenum steel frame with the motor as a stressed member, and KTM has altered the geometry some for increased stability. A glass-fiber reinforced nylon subframe helps keep weight low, 247 pounds [112 kg] ready to ride.
KTM also went to work on the Freeride’s powerplant, eeking out additional capacity, peak power and range. With three selectable riding modes, you’ll achieve optimized figures of 19.2 kW peak power, 37 Nm of torque and an available top speed of 95 km/h [59 mph]—an important consideration, since this bike is homologated for street use. The new motor is also quieter, runs cooler, and is completely dust and submersion-proof for hardcore off-roading.
Like the outgoing Freeride, the 2025 model gets its juice from a removable Lithium-ion battery pack. It’s now upgraded to 5.5 kWh—a 1.5 kWh improvement from last year—which should increase ride time by 20%. The battery is less concealed than the previous model and has more of a distinctively electric look, but we’ll take that tradeoff for more playtime.
KTM estimates the battery will supply 2 to 3 hours of hard enduro riding, and considering their poster child is the German hard enduro rider Manuel Lettenbichler, we’d wager you’ll do a bit better than that. The supplied 660 W charger will complete a full charge in 8 hours with a normal household outlet, and a charge from 20-80% can be reached between 4 to 5 hours. For the long haul, KTM assures the battery will take over 1,000 charge cycles before dropping to 80% effectiveness.
KTM’s standard LCD dash monitors battery state and ride mode, and displays the selectable battery regeneration map and traction control. When the fun meter does fall to zero, changing the battery pack can be accomplished in less than 10 minutes—assuming you spring for a backup unit.
The rest of the new Freeride’s spec sheet is textbook KTM. Suspension systems are the latest adjustable units from WP; a 43 mm XACT split-function fork up front and a 374 mm XPLOR PDS in the rear. The 21F/18R wheel combo is (presumably) still supplied by GIANT, and the seat height is a serious 910 mm—so if you’re comfortable on models like the 350 and 450 EXC-F, you’ll feel right at home on the E.
With production beginning in December, the 2025 Freeride will hit dealer showrooms in January, but KTM has yet to announce an MSRP. For reference, the 2024 E listed for $11,299, positioning it a hair cheaper than the Stark Varg, but several thousand above more affordable bikes like the Surron Ultra Bee.
All said, the 2025 KTM Freeride E is new, but nothing earth-shattering. Call it more of a logical progression toward bridging the gap between the serious off-road rider and the maintenance-free, conscientious world of electric motoring.
More than just an eco-friendly alternative to internal combustion, electrics like the Freeride provide capable platforms for riders who got their start on e-bikes, not to mention life-saving alternatives for riders finding trail systems to be fewer and farther between. And that’s something even the most serious petrolheads can appreciate.
KTM | Images by Philip Platzer
