Juiced Bikes HyperScorpion Review

To run the forums, host the website, and travel, I normally charge a universal service fee for my reviews. The HyperScorpion used for this review was provided free of charge by Juiced Bikes, and no additional service fee was collected for the production of this review. My goal is to be transparent and unbiased with you, this video and writeup are not meant to be an endorsement of Juiced Bikes products. I welcome your corrections, additions, and feedback in the comments below and the Juiced Bikes electric bike forums.

Observations:

• The HyperScorpion pre-ordered for the price of $2,899 USD – quite a deal considering the components and power! As of August first the price has gone up to $3,199. This is displayed on the Juiced Bikes website as a sale price that is discounted $300 from the standard price of $3,499. It is not clear at the time of this review how long this sale will last for
• Since the HyperScorpion can easily reach speeds of 30mph and above, it is technically too fast to be considered a true Class 3 Ebike. Normally this would require registering it as a Low Power Scooter with your state DMV, however, Juiced Bikes does not provide a VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) or MSO (Manufacturer Statement of Origin), both of which are required for registration in most states. This is a bit strange in my opinion; it leaves the HyperScorpion in a sort of “grey area” where it’s too powerful to fit into any of the standard electric bike classes, yet cannot be registered and insured as a scooter or moped. My advice is to investigate your local laws for more information, and of course, always ride safely and respect other riders on the road!
• Tora Harris is the founder and CEO of Juiced Bikes and his commitment and passion for his products are truly inspiring! He speaks fluent Mandarin and spends a great deal of time on the factory floor helping to design and test all of their ebikes, if you check out the Juiced Bikes YouTube Channel you will find countless videos documenting the entire design and production process for the HyperScorpion model
• The HyperScorpion features a torque and cadence sensor combo which as a concept is nothing new, but the tuning here is unique and I haven’t experienced it on any other ebikes (Juiced or otherwise). The motor is activated by the torque sensor but it has a short delay of approximately one second, similar to what you would expect from a cadence-only system. The motor will engage based on how much pressure you put on the pedals, thus high torque on the cranks will trigger maximum motor power. The motor will then continue to operate at that high level as long as you keep pedaling, meaning that if you slow your pedaling down to put less pressure on the cranks, the motor will continue at the high output level without adjusting to the lowered torque. It will actually continue operating even if you very slowly cycle the cranks without putting any pressure on the drivetrain at all… which is pretty weird feeling at first, but after time it feels appropriate for the moped style of the HyperScorpion
• If the HyperScorpion is a bit too much Hyper for you, be sure and check out the standard Scorpion from Juiced – it’s essentially the same platform but with a smaller motor and battery, and missing a few of the accessories (blinkers, mirrors, and the torque sensor). The biggest difference is that the standard Scorpion is actually a legal Class 3 electric bike and doesn’t require any special insurance or registration

Pros:

• Covered by a one-year comprehensive warranty, sold online with free delivery in the contiguous United States, available in three eye-catching colors, only one size but with a unique optional “tall seat” accessory that raises the seat by about three inches
• 20″ by 4 1/4″ wheel platform provides agility and stability as well as some additional air cushion, the Innova tires have a thick 5mm layer of puncture protection so you can ride without having to worry about potential flats. Cast alloy rims are strong and durable, no need to worry about breaking spokes here
• Tektro hydraulic disc brakes provide ample stopping power with a 180mm rotor up front and 160mm in the rear, these brakes are very easy to actuate and include motor inhibitors for safety, which means the motor will cut off as soon as you depress the brake levers
• The fenders are wide and provide excellent full coverage, aluminum alloy construction makes them quite resilient, they are very quiet while riding thanks to thick stays and sturdy mounting
• The lights are integrated and top notch, the motorcycle-style headlight features a standard outer ring for safety and most night riding, there is also a 2,000 lumen high beam that is activated from the left grip. For reference, the average car headlight is about 1,300 lumens… so this one is plenty bright for any night riding conditions! The taillight is also quite bright and features brake lever activation of an even brighter mode, I appreciate that both the headlight and taillight are highly visible from the side for safety
• The HyperScorpion also features turn signals and a horn, these are crucial for riding safely in traffic, as well as required by law in most states. The controls for the high beam, turn signals, and horn are positioned on the left grip in the standard layout used by most motorcycles, and the horn is incredibly loud – sure to get you noticed if you need to use it!
• The frame sports two bottle cage bosses under the front of the seat, these are great for securely mounting all sorts of accessories in addition to bottle cages
• The torque and cadence sensor combination is nothing new, but the tuning of these sensors on the HyperScorpion is unique, the torque sensor is used to “set” the motor assist level and then that level is maintained by the cadence sensor until you stop pedaling. It feels strange compared to most electric bikes, but once I got used to it I think it makes sense for the moped-first style of the HyperScorpion. Check out the video review above for an in-depth demonstration of how the pedal sensors interact with the rider
• Mirrors are also required by law and they are present on both handlebars, they are sturdily built and swivel in all directions for easy adjustment
• Extremely comfortable thanks to the thick banana-style seat and high-rise handlebars, the seating position is upright and there is a tall seat option which makes pedaling feel more comfortable for larger riders
• The rear rack is sturdy and Juiced is working on a variety of accessories including a passenger seat kit and cargo options designed for delivery drivers
• Full motorcycle-style suspension! Up front is coil suspension in a triple-clamp design with approximately 100mm of travel, as well as adjustment knobs for preload and hydraulic lockout. The rear features a swingarm setup with dual coil shocks, you get about 45mm of travel there and they are preload-adjustable although you will need a special tool for that. I found that the suspension performed wonderfully for riding around town, check out the video review for a demonstration on rough alleyway roads
• The Juiced Bikes battery platform is one of the best in the business, with the HyperScorpion featuring their largest pack with a kilowatt-hour of capacity! This is a 52 volt, 19.2 amp-hour battery constructed from high-quality cells – like many manufacturers, Juiced will source cells from Panasonic, LG, or Samsung depending on availability. I’ve put about 130 miles on the HyperScorpion so far – most of it riding fairly aggressively – and averaged 20 watt-hours per mile, which means an effective max range of about 50 miles. Of course, using the battery a bit less and pedaling more will make it possible to ride much farther
• The 1,000 watt nominal motor is manufacturered by Bafang but Juiced Bikes helped to design it and it is currently unique to the HyperScorpion, putting out 80 newton-meters of torque and capable of reaching speeds of 30mph (48kph) on throttle alone! Placement in the rear hub means it won’t cause wear and tear for the standard drivetrain, and the left side of the frame includes a torque arm which helps to disperse the motor’s force into the frame and reduce the risk of damage
• A 25-amp pure sine wave controller and excellent tuning make for smooth and satisfying power delivery regardless of your speed or assist level, this is an area where Juiced always does a good job but they’ve really gone above and beyond for the HyperScorpion, when it comes to “Fun to Ride Factor” it’s easily my favorite so far this year. Throttle override is available in any assist level which is nice for getting a quick boost of speed while riding in ECO
• The included assembly toolkit has a wide variety of high-quality tools and the HyperScorpion was packed extremely well. Assembly took me about an hour and it was straightforward thanks to the detailed instruction videos that Juiced Bikes provides, and both the brakes and the derailleur were perfectly aligned right out of the box
• The included alarm system is battery operated and can be mounted anywhere on the vehicle, I placed mine on the side of the controller housing as recommended by the setup instruction video. The alarm system is operated by a wireless remote that is small enough to put on your keychain, it is programmable with different alarm tones and modes of operation. I love this alarm system, it is super loud and a great theft deterrent
• Extremely sturdy construction, custom frame is thick and well built, accessories are well mounted, everything has a durable “premium” feel to it
• The Shimano Altus derailleur is a step up in quality from the base Tourney, Hyperglide cassette is built for speed with a gearing range of 11 to 32 teeth, it is even positioned slightly off-center to better line up the higher gears with the front 56-tooth chainring
• The display is small and unobtrusive, operation is simple and the readouts for speed and assist level are easy to see thanks to the good contrast ratio of the grayscale LCD. You can also enter an advanced display mode that provides detailed readouts for all parts of the electrical system
• The front fork has two bump stops which prevent the steering column from turning too far in either direction, this is a safety feature that prevents the likelyhood of tipovers or loss of control when stationary
• The kickstand is placed near the rear and out of range of the cranks, this makes chain maintenance and maneuvering in the garage much easier – especially appreciated for such a heavy vehicle! This will also help with balance when loaded up with cargo on the rear rack

Cons:

• Online-only ordering means that you won’t be able to test ride before buying it. You’ll also have to complete assembly after receiving your HyperScorpion which can be daunting if you lack the experience or space to do so. Fortunately, Juiced Bikes provides detailed instruction videos as well as a good kit of tools, however, the HyperScorpion is still quite large and heavy, and difficult to work with if you don’t have a bike stand and/or another person to help lift it
• The HyperScorpion weighs about 102 pounds with all accessories mounted, you can shave off about 12 pounds by removing the battery but 90 pounds is still quite a lot! The weight and stability feel great when riding, but you won’t like it so much if you need to transport it in a car or take it up stairs to store in your apartment
• The rear cassette is lined up to favor the higher gears which is great for speed, but this means that the lower gears don’t perform as well, particularly the first gear which puts noticeable stress on the chain as it rubs against the inside of the bash buard, I actually threw the chain off while simplly pedaling slowly around in a parking lot. Some of this is also due to the short wheelbase which makes the alignment issue more pronounced. Suffice it to say, pedaling up inclines or long distances without using the motor will be quite difficult, fortunately, it’s pretty easy to avoid that situation by charging up before you ride
• No reflective sidewall striping on the tires, while I would like to see them added I do admit that it’s not a big issue for the HyperScorpion as there are several other reflectors and good side visibility from the lights, you could also go for the Brushed Aluminum color for maximum visibility
• Once the torque sensor activates at a high level it will not adjust down to a lower level even if you slow down your pedal cadence, the only way to get it to “reset” is to completely stop pedaling for a second or two, and then start pedaling again after the motor has stopped
• The sheer power and speed will restrict where you can ride and what regulations you need to follow. If stopped by authorities you could potentially get in trouble for not having it registered as a Low Power Scooter… which is not actually possible to do since Juiced Bikes doesn’t provide a VIN or MSO for the HyperScorpion. Some states may not allow you to ride on bike paths and/or bike lanes. The HyperScorpion has a decent drivetrain and in lower power modes it does perform quite like a Class 3 ebike, and I would recommend riding it as such – use the pedals and stay at lower speeds when using dedicated bike paths or lanes, and save the high-speed riding for private property where it is safe to do so
• Even with the tall seat option, pedaling isn’t a super-comfortable experience if you’re on the tall side, say about 6ft and above. I’m 6ft 3in and while the pedaling experience is “good enough” it isn’t nearly as enjoyable as large frame bikes, such as the Juiced RipCurrent S that I reviewed last week. With that said I do really appreciate that they added a tall seat option for riders like me, it made a huge difference compared to the stock seat height
• The rack tubing is thicker than standard racks and there are no pannier hangers, so any rack-related accessories you already have probably won’t fit on this one. Juiced Bikes is making some really impressive accessories such as a passenger seat kit, and a large frame rack designed for delivery drivers, but the downside is that most of these accessories aren’t available for ordering yet… so you may have to get creative in the meantime!
• Small diameter wheels mean a high attack angle when rolling over bumps and dips in the road, which means you’ll feel the bumps more than you would on say a large 26in diameter wheel. The high volume of air helps to balance this out, and of course you have the full suspension setup which I think does a great job to provide a comfortable ride
• This is a minor grievance but you have to leave the key in to operate the HyperScorpion, which leaves your keychain jangling around as you ride, and it’s surprisingly easy to forget your keys in the vehicle after riding. Overall this is probably a good thing as it makes the HyperScorpion even more difficult to steal, just make sure you get into the habit of grabbing your keys after every ride!

Useful Resources:

• Juiced Bikes official website
• Guide to motor scooter laws by state. NOTE: Since Juiced does not provide a VIN or MSO for the HyperScorpion, you likely will not be able to register or insure it… but it’s still worth reading up on your state’s regulations to see :)
• HyperScorpion assembly instructions