The Alpha male of electric motorbikes hits the road in Perth
Mogens Johansen, The West Australian – Sat, 12 April 2025
It has taken eight years of design and manufacture but Perth mechanical engineer and entrepreneur Dennis Savic’s dream of producing an electric motorcycle has finally become a reality.
Acting on his childhood obsession of creating Australia’s first high-performance electric motorbike, Savic started building his first motorcycles in 2015 and formed Savic Motorcycles in 2016.
And now, after years of toil, the first Savic C-Series electric motorcycles are finally being rolled out to customers in Melbourne and Perth.
“I remember being 14 years old and telling my schoolteacher that I wanted to build a motorbike in class, so it’s been a lifelong goal for me to do something like this,” says Savic at his Applecross showroom. “It’s an exciting time for our customers, many of whom have been on this journey with us since the early days and are now finally getting their hands on their bike.”
Savic says his goal has always been to produce a high-quality premium motorcycle – and he’s confident that’s exactly what they’ve achieved.
“We’re happy. It looks very clean. It looks tidy. The power’s there. It’s easy to handle. It’s a bike that our whole team wants to ride. We’ve got our software engineer commuting on one and developing the software every day – and he regrets doing that because now he hates his personal bike and just wants to ride this all the time.”
Despite the slow uptake of electric motorcycles in Australia, Savic believes the tide is turning.
“Many of our preorders are from customers who already have a petrol motorbike and want to add an electric one to their collection, or for those wanting to use them as a commuter vehicle but don’t want a scooter.”
“Our goal is to generate 500 to 1000 more orders for production in 2026 and soon be able to manufacture 5000 bikes a year. And that’s only phase one of our long-term vision. There is plenty of room to play in this market, and we’re well positioned to capitalise on the opportunity.”
“The economics suggest that a direct distribution model is the best model for our
market segment and we’re looking to build that infrastructure multi-nationally over
the next few years moving beyond our existing showrooms in Melbourne and Perth.”
THE LOOK
The design of the Savic C-Series bikes is based on the classic cafe racers of the 1970s but, although it won the Victorian Premier’s Design Award of the Year in 2022, it is fair to say it can be a bit polarising.
Some people I’ve asked love the raw brutalist design — others, particularly lovers of traditional internal combustion engines, didn’t like the design and the lack of the exhausts.
I’m still sitting on the fence but the more I look at the the elegant lines, the shorty front fender, the handcrafted aluminium finishes, the more I like it.
THE LOWDOWN
The Alpha has a monster 16.2 kWh lithium-ion battery that puts out 200Nm of torque and it’s capable of doing 0-100km/hr in just 3.5 seconds with a combined city/freeway riding range of 200km.
The bikes boast the latest battery technology and are kitted out with Brembo brakes and Wilbers suspension and an “indestructible” Optibelt carbon drive plus a Bosch braking system designed exclusively for SAVIC.
The bikes have a bright 7-inch dash IPS touchscreen display that give you access to all the key info and settings including four customisable ride modes, cruise control and integration with a Savic mobile app that is designed so you can switch on and go.
Both are fitted with Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tyres front and rear. The Alpha can be fully charged in 4.5 hours.
THE RIDE
Twist and go. It doesn’t take me long to get the feel of the Savic Alpha as I pull away from the Savic Motorcycles showroom in Applecross.
It’s easy to ride because like a scooter, there’s no gears or clutch — I just wind on the
power and it pulls willingly with only a slight whining noise coming from the electric engine.
I’ve just come off my Triumph Thruxton 1200 r and the difference is remarkable. Although my bike boasts more horsepower than the Savic Alpha (72kW to 60kW), the 200Nm torque of the electric engine blows the Thruxton away.
As opposed to my Thruxton (which has a maximum torque of 112Nm), the 200Nm of torque on the Alpha is instantly available. The power curve is much smoother compared with the petrol engine of the Thruxton.
I start off in the standard ride mode but because the power delivery is so smooth, I can’t help myself and quickly make the switch to the sport mode.
This takes it to another level. The acceleration is instant, but the throttle response remains silky smooth and predictable both from a standing start and when I accelerate to get past other vehicles on the freeway. It’s like, here one second and gone the next.
Despite the 280kg weight, The Alpha handles really well. The suspension is quite firm, but it feels well planted. That said, if it was my daily ride, I would want to soften the settings a little.
The regenerative braking was set to mirror that of a conventional motorbike when I picked up the bike, but it can be adjusted to come on stronger to add additional range and reduce brake pad wear.
Some motorcyclists may scoff at the scooter-like twist and go, but I found it refreshing not to have to tap up and down the gears in city traffic and the Savic Alpha offered a much more responsive and engaging ride compared to most conventional bikes I’ve ridden.
I particularly liked that it was nice and quiet which made me much more aware of the sounds around me — especially when stopped at traffic lights but also in general traffic.
The only negative is that the bikes haven’t got any traction control at the moment (it may come in future software updates) and given the powerful torque — you could get yourself into a spot of trouble if you wind on the power too quickly.
ALL IMAGES AND COPY CREDIT: Mogens Johansen/The West Australian
ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR OWN THRILLING RIDE?
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