Electric dirt bikes have a problem that petrol dirt bikes do not: they are heavy. A battery big enough to last a morning weighs more than a tank of fuel, and every extra kilogram is felt the first time you have to pick the bike up out of a rut.
NIU's answer is to keep the XQi 400 at 164 lb — about the weight of a 125cc trail bike — and to accept a smaller battery in exchange.
Two top speeds, one machine
The XQi 400 is street-legal at 28 mph. Unlocked for off-road or track use it will do 62 mph. That is not a software trick to inflate a brochure figure; it is how light electric motorcycles are homologated in most markets.
It does mean you should read your local rules before you read the spec sheet. In some places the road-legal mode is genuinely usable transport; in others a 28 mph machine belongs in the same bracket as a moped, with all the restrictions that implies.
164 lb, which is light enough to right after a fall without help.
72 V, 40 Ah battery with a projected 60+ miles of range.
14.4 kW of peak power; 52 Nm of crank torque.
5-inch TFT display with app connectivity.
28 mph on the road, up to 62 mph off it.
The interesting number is not 62 mph. It is 164 lb — the figure that decides whether you enjoy the second hour on a trail.
Range is a projection
NIU quotes 60+ miles. That figure comes from steady riding, and trail riding is the opposite of steady: full throttle, closed throttle, climb, brake, repeat. Expect a fraction of it on a hard morning in the woods, and something close to it on a gentle commute.
This is not specific to NIU — every electric off-road bike publishes an optimistic number — but it is worth budgeting for. If your riding day is three hours of trails, plan a charge or a second pack into it.
Who it is for
Someone who genuinely does both: rides to work on tarmac and rides trails at weekends, and does not want two machines or a van. The light weight is the reason the compromise works, and it is the specification that will keep you riding it.
If you only ride on the road, the 28 mph limit will frustrate you inside a month, and NIU's own road models are a better buy. If you only ride off-road, a dedicated competition bike will be tougher.
See it for yourself
