Yes, sadly the hotly antipated $5,000 80mph Sondors Metacycle missed it’s 2021 delivery date. That’s a bummer, but the good news is that we now have details on the first production run of the Metacycle. Here are the latest Metacycle updates we’ve been able to dig up for 2022.
2022 Sondors Metacycle Factory Options Have Been Released
We now know the details on the factory options each Sondors Metacycle will have on offer.
The first, and most exciting, are your options for utilizing the negative space in the Metacycle’s frame. Buyers will have the option of equipping their Metacycle with either a hard case for luggage, a range extending battery pack to pump total capacity to around 7kWh, or a level 2 charger to give the Metacycle access to public charging stations in addition to it’s home outlet charger. Regardless of which option you choose, every Metacycle will ship with a 15A/1.2kW charger, which Sondors claims will provide an 80% from a standard outlet itn about two hours.
The second notable accessory is the addition of passenger footpegs. This is a separate kit, which replaces the existing mounts with an extended bracket for two-up riding.
Apart from that, the other major option update is your choice of paint job. The Metacycle will be offered in black, white, or the trademark brushed aluminum/silver of the original prototype.
The Price Goes Up This Week
That’s right: If you’re still on the fence about getting your name on the Sondors Metacycle waitlist, this is your last week to get in at the mouthwatering $5,000 starting price. When we last checked in on Sondors back in September of 2021, rumor had it the price would be going up with the next round of reservations.
Those rumors have now come to light, and after January 16, MSRP of the Sondors Metacycle will increase to $6,000. Where it’ll go from there is anyone’s guess, but we’re guessing it won’t be back down in the future.
A Few Changes Have Been Made From The Prototype
As can always be expected, the Sondors Metacycle production model isn’t exactly a carbon copy of the original prototype. Typically there’s a bit of disappointment between the concept and the real deal, but that doesn’t appear to be the case with the Sondors production bike.
For starters, both the battery compartment and the battery itself have been redesigned, and the updated unit now sticks out a bit more from either side of the bike. It still tucks into the frame with a clean streamlined look, and the footpeg mounts have been moved to the underside of the battery tray to keep it narrow between the legs. A charge port has also been added to the left side of the battery casing for quick plug-and-play access when charging with the battery in the frame.
Aside from that, there are only two notable changes to the Sondors Metacycle: First, the painfully thin looking seat from the prototype has been beefed up to a real world comfortable 65mm thick foam. Again, it still looks nice and slick, but much less like a vinyl-wrapped piece of plywood.
Second, the underslung four-piston brake from the prototype has been updated to a conventional two-piston unit, in the conventional 11-o’clock position. Fine by us, especially considering the Metacycle is still specced to weigh in around the 200-pound mark.
Aside from that, it’s just the usual accoutrements that accompany a road legal machine. There are now reflectors mounted front and rear, with the rear signals sitting in a low profile undertail kit below the light. There’s also a rear-fender mounted license plate bracket, which continues the minimalist theme of the rest of the bike.
Delivery Dates Are Still Up In The Air
After some supply chain-inducing waffling on delivery dates in 2021, Sondors announced last November that they planned to deliver the first round of production models before the closing of Q4. It was an ambitious claim at the time, giving them less than two months to get Metacycles into the hands of eager customers coast to coast.
That date has come and gone, and unfortunately no new target has taken its place. According to Sondors, the current production run is a five-phase process that begins with overseas production and assembly. From there the mostly-assembled bikes are packed and loaded onto a ship, transported to California ports, and then moved to local facilities for final assembly in preparation for delivery.
Once assembly and prep are completed stateside, the Metacycle moves on to Sondor’s “White Glove Delivery” program, which basically means your Metacycle is brought directly to your front door fully assembled and ready to ride (after charging the battery, of course). According to Sondors the Metacycle is still in phase one (production), and considering the average ocean freighter takes a little over a month to make the journey to sunny California, chances are we’re looking at an April delivery at the earliest.
