CFMoto’s Papio Electric Is on the Horizon

[Hugh Janus]

It’s not officially out just yet, but we know that CFMoto’s Papio electric model is very close to production. (CFMoto/)

The remarkable success of Honda’s Grom in rejuvenating the market for pint-sized minibikes has led not only to the revival of the Monkey and Dax in Honda’s own range but to a slew of rivals including CFMoto’s $2,999 Papio. Honda has yet to launch an electric equivalent, and it seems other brands are keen to jump at that opportunity. While the current CFMoto Papio is a 126cc air-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke,  aligned closely to the Grom in terms of power (9.3 hp for the CFMoto, 9.7 hp for the Grom) and weight (251 pounds versus 227 pounds), the Chinese company has now type-approved a futuristic electric version of its contender, while Honda’s ideas for a battery-powered Grom are still in the patent stage.

Although it gets a new chassis and running gear, the electric version will share some familial traits with the current gas-powered Papio mini seen here. (CFMoto/)

The new Papio electric has yet to be officially unveiled but it’s clearly already very much a production-ready machine. Despite sharing the Papio name, it’s not simply the existing gas-powered model with an electric motor shoehorned in. Instead, it’s a complete redesign, with its own dedicated chassis, styling, and running gear, and dimensions still very much in the Grom class. The new electric Papio is 69.7 inches in length, 31.1 inches wide, and 41.1 inches tall, compared to 68 x 30 x 39 inches for the current gas-powered Papio and 69.2 x 28.4 x 40 inches for the 2022 Grom. Wheelbase is 48.7 inches, putting it within 1.5 inches of either the existing Papio or the Grom.

Related: Honda Patents Grom-style Electric Minibike

Wheels will still be 12 inches, but suspension and brakes are upgraded to account for the heavier weight. (CFMoto/)

In line with both the gasoline-powered Papio and the Grom, the electric’s wheels are 12-inchers, with 120/70 front and 130/70 rear tires. The suspension and brakes, however, get notable upgrades from the current Papio, with the electric version gaining an inverted fork and Brembo front caliper, albeit without the overkill of the latest Grom’s radial-mount brake.

The new bike’s frame appears to be a conventional steel tube design, as you’d expect on a machine like this, but the swingarm is cast alloy. The batteries sit in the central section of the bike and appear to be accessible via an opening panel where the fuel tank would sit on a conventional machine, suggesting they’ll be removable.

The 2022 gas-powered Papio model currently available in the US. (Andrew Cherney/)

The new bike’s power comes from a 5kW electric motor provided by Blue Stone New Power. That might be equivalent to just 6.7 hp, but since electric motors are usually rated by “continuous” output rather than their peak potential power, the performance is likely to be higher than those numbers suggest. Blue Stone’s own website shows that its 5kW-rated, 72V motor is good for an absolute peak of 14.5kW (19 hp) for up to 30 seconds, along with 37Nm (27 pound-feet) of torque—a vast amount more than the 6.1 pound-feet that the gas-powered Papio can manage.

As is common with current electric bikes, a multispeed transmission isn’t needed; there’s just a direct drive to the rear wheel via a rubber belt. Top speed is rated at 64 mph, which is probably more than enough on a bike this small.

The downside with electrics is that there’s usually a penalty to pay when it comes to weight. We don’t yet know how large the batteries are, but the bike’s mass of 124 kilograms (273 pounds) makes it 22 pounds heftier than the gas-powered Papio and 46 pounds more than the Grom. The extra torque should offset that though, and the weight could well be an indication that the battery packs are big enough to grace the electric Papio with a worthwhile range between recharges.

Source

[Buckster]

One for @gymwitch

[gymwitch]