There were two Ribelles lined up, a grey one and a Red one, Did I mention that Energica is made in Italy? Well I had to go for the Red one of course which also happens to be an RS version.
This one has almost all the optional extras fitted including some natty panniers and about a hectare of carbon panels. With all that and it’s fancy Öhlins suspension, it’s worth about the thirty grand mark. So this is also going to be the most expensive motorbike I’ve ever ridden.
I have to admit to glazing over a bit when Nathan took me through the menu of settings and how the dash worked. You can browse the menu with a handlebar rocker not unlike a big trafficator switch, which can be done on the move if required to change ride parameters.
There’s power, ABS and traction control levels to select as well as a re-gen function which alters how much “engine braking “ is applied and therefore how much energy is recycled back into the batteries when the throttle is off. This is the bit I wish I’d paid more attention to.
Nathan set this to “medium” It can be set down to zero if required. There’s lots of useful info displayed on the dash, but I was mainly concerned with the big digital speedo.
Rocking the bike upright from the stand let me know immediately that this is heavier than the Zero. The seat is higher too and as the bike pivoted I rose and found myself teetering on tiptoes atop a 30k bike!
The Ribelle differs from the direct belt drive Zero in having a reduction gearbox and a conventional chain drive. This gives the power delivery an altogether different feel. The straight cut gears in the reduction gearbox are audible and apparently this is deliberate to generate some sound and feedback.
