NIU built its reputation on scooters that were easy to live with — light, app-connected, and with a battery you could unclip and carry up to the flat. None of them were fast.
The RQi Sport is the company's attempt to keep all of that and add the thing it was missing. 110 km/h, 450 Nm and 0–50 km/h in 2.9 seconds is motorcycle territory, not scooter territory.
The battery decision is the whole product
Most electric motorcycles bolt the battery into the frame. That is better for rigidity and for cooling, and it is a disaster for anyone who parks on the street.
NIU has kept two removable packs instead, running on a 72 V system with up to 36 Ah in each. They come out, they go indoors, and they charge from a normal socket. For a rider in a city flat, that is the difference between owning this bike and not owning one at all.
110 km/h top speed from a 7500 W mid-drive motor.
450 Nm of torque, with 93% claimed conversion efficiency.
95–105 km of range on a single charge.
Dual-channel ABS plus traction control — both, not one or the other.
Two UL-certified removable batteries with a four-way BMS.
NIU has not built a cheaper motorcycle. It has built one you can charge in a third-floor flat, which is a different and rarer thing.
What €7,499 does not buy
Range. The RQi quotes 95 to 105 kilometres, which is comfortable for a week of city commuting and thin for anything longer. At motorway speeds it will be less, as it is for every electric machine.
The mid-drive layout also puts this firmly in full-licence territory in most markets. If you were hoping for a fast machine you could ride on a moped entitlement, this is not it — and NIU's own UQi and MQi lines are where that conversation belongs.
Who it is for
Experienced riders in dense cities: people who want acceleration and proper braking hardware, ride mostly inside the ring road, and have nowhere to plug a motorcycle in overnight.
If you have a garage and a long commute, an electric motorcycle with a bigger fixed pack will serve you better for the money. The RQi's premium is paid for convenience, and only makes sense if you need it.
See it for yourself
