Meet the street-legal dirt track racer powered by clean energy: The Trevor DTRe Stella.
Ask any seasoned dirt track pro what their ideal bike formula looks like and they’ll all say the same thing: About 100 horsepower, a balanced chassis, and a torque curve that’s flatter than the state of Texas all across the rev range. Ask them what they look for in an electric dirt tracker, on the other hand, and chances are you’ll get a blank stare in return.
Still, it’s tough to deny that the future of motorcycle racing and motorcycling in general is 100% electric, which is why we think Trevor Motorcycle’s innovative DTRe Stella deserves a second look.
Trevor DTRe Stella Overview
Now, if you were to imagine the ideal electric dirt tracker, chances are your wish list would include a few choice components: Lightweight 19″ wheels, for instance. Oh, and an Ohlins front fork and linkage-free rear shock. You’d also want a tube steel frame just like the big boys in American Flat Track SuperTwins, Beringer brakes to keep the slides under control, and if you were a true flat track fan, you’d pretty much have to have an air-cooled motor like the legendary Harley Davidson XR-750. Well good news, so far the Trevor DTRe Stella is checking all your boxes.
Unfortunately, that’s about where the race bike comparisons end for the Stella, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. For instance, the Stella’s 11kW brushless motor is (a) mounted at the swingarm pivot and (b) puts down a claimed 191 ft-lbs of torque. Of course that number follows the same “technically accurate” formula that electric bikes are known for, but hey, at least we know it’s a perfectly flat curve.
Asking price for the Trevor DTRe Stella is also worlds apart from your average dirt tracker. That’s because while your average factory-built Indian Scout FTR750 will set you back a whopping $50,000, the good folks at Trevor can set you up for just under $15,000 (the “street legal” version costs an extra $1,500 or so, more on that below). So yea, it’s still far from cheap, but until Harley/Livewire gets their act together with their electric flat track prototype it’s also kinda the only game in town.
Now, About That Whole “Street Legal” Thing…
So here’s the major rub on the Trevor DTRe Stella: Trevor’s bike’s are hand-built in their Belgium factory, and should you happen to live around there (or in the European Union in general) the street-legal DTRe model can be legally ridden by any A1 license holder. If you live in the US, on the other hand well… Good luck.
For the time being** (see below), US customers who order/import a Trevor DTRe Stella will be restricted to off-road use only. That’s not to say that some particularly enterprising individuals in certain lenient states won’t find a way to get their Stella plated (Arizona, we’re looking at you), but for the majority of us, Trevor motorcycles are limited to a fun and good looking way to get around in the dirt. It’s also worth noting that although the Stella is about as torque-laden as they come, these bikes are currently limited to a top speed of 55 mph, which more or less lands them in the “urban mobility” boat as far as street prowess goes. Still, the Trevor DTRe Stella is easy on the eyes and loaded with premium components top to bottom, so needless to say we’ll be trying our best to get one out on an oval track ASAP. Stay tuned.
**Update** As of 4/6/2022, Trevor Motorcycles tells us that the Stella is currently working through both the European and US street-legal homologation processes. The bike is reportedly “95%” through the EU process, and once that is finalized, Trevor says it should only take a few weeks to complete the US requirements. That means that every street-legal optioned Trevor ordered by US customers will be 100% legal and ready to register in all 50 states by the time it reaches US shores: Guess you won’t be needing that P.O. box in Arizona after all.
See the Trevor lineup for yourself at their website.
