The Rawrr Mantis is a lightweight electric bike that packs a punch with its 72-volt 35 amp hour battery, providing the bike with 7.5kW of peak power and a nominal power of 5kW. While, weighing in at 165 pounds, it sits at the heavier end of the lightweight eMoto category, it has several features that sets this bike apart from others in its genre.
Rawrr Mantis Specs
Let’s start with the Mantis’s fork. Like most bikes in this category, the Mantis features a KKE fork, but with some changes. This fork has a slightly longer overall length, and has stiffer, steel internals, deviating from the typical aluminum we’re accustomed to seeing from KKE.
Moving on to the rear shock, it’s also from KKE, but what’s unique is that it doesn’t have a linkage. Instead, it is directly mounted to the swing arm.
In terms of wheels, the Mantis sports the same 19-inch front and rear wheels that is most common in this category, but the Mantis comes with tires that have a more aggressive tread pattern than what is commonly seen on lightweight eMoto bikes.
The Mantis comes equipped with direct mount bar clamps, which offer multiple mounting positions and the option for a riser. Additionally, it features a bar mount that allows for the attachment of devices like phones or GPS units.
Weighing in at 165 pounds, the Mantis is at the heavy end of the lightweight eMoto class. (We at ECR consider lightweight eMoto to be a category of sub 180 pound bikes.) With a current MSRP of $4,999, it sits right in the price range of what we’ve come to expect from Chinese made lightweight electric dirt bikes.
Before we delve into the ride experience, it’s worth mentioning the packaging of the Mantis. We don’t typically cover unboxings here at ECR, but Rawrr has gone above and beyond with the design of their packaging to ensure that the bike arrives securely and organized. Some additional bonuses is that the Mantis arrives with a detailed manual and even a tool box to aid in assembly. So for those of you receiving your bikes via freight, a tip of the hat to Rawrr for their attention to detail on packaging.
Now, let’s talk about the ride. One of the first things you’ll notice about the Mantis is its impressive hit at the crack of the throttle. We’re not going to classify it as “fast,” but it exhibits more pep at the crack of the throttle than other bikes in its weight class. However, it does seem to take a bit longer to reach top speed and felt like it lost significant power on steep climbs, which could potentially be improved with a larger sprocket.
The Mantis utilizes a geared transmission, which Rawrr claims to be more efficient and smoother than the alternative design of a jackshaft with a belt drive.
As we mentioned, the fork is one of the stiffest mountain bike style forks we’ve experienced from KKE. And that’s a good thing. It feels more robust than other bikes in this department, which have a tendency to feel too soft and flexible.
The shock seems to suffer from exactly what you would expect from a linkage-less shock design. It has a tendency to kick and can feel unsettled in repeated choppy terrain. It comes as no surprise to us, as it is the same characteristic that many complained about with the early KTM WP PDS style shock. (Which, we should add, has greatly improved by KTM and WP over the years)
Rawrr has designed the Mantis with the motor positioned toward the rear of the bike, with the battery positioned lower and toward the front, which they claim improves overall stability, durability, and allowed them to decrease the seat height. This unique design choice, along with the swing arm design and angle, adds to the bike’s distinct appearance of, you guessed it, a praying mantis.
In terms of ergonomics, the Mantis has suffers from the same low front end that we typically see in this category, despite the longer fork. This can create a stink bug effect, which may be further accentuated by the step-down seat. However, Rawrr seems to have responded to this concern by offering a flat seat option. Additionally, the bike feels taller than its competitors. Not only does it have a seat height of 33.5 inches, the bar risers aid in making it a bit more comfortable for adult riders.
Back to the seat. Rawrr does have a pretty slick design for opening the seat. Riders just push a button and the seat pops right open. We happen to like that design, however, there is one glaring problem with it:
You need to have power to actuate it. So if you pull your battery out to charge it or generally have the battery disconnected, and then bump the seat lid, which we had done on numerous occasions, the lid shuts and the button will no longer open the lid.
There is a solution though, and it’s this little key here. You push this into a hole hidden behind the battery and in front of the shock, and it will pop open.
Braking may be an area where the Mantis falls short. While the brakes themselves are likely adequate, stopping the bike can be challenging. Upgrading brake pads may improve its stopping power.
Style-wise, the Mantis stands out with its full-size fenders, which effectively keep mud and debris at bay. However, opinions may vary on whether this affects the bike’s overall aesthetic.
One feature that may or may not have been intentional is that the bike’s design includes tubular bars on the side. We found that this makes it very easy to maneuver and turn the rear end when you’re out of the saddle.
All-in-all, it’s great to see another unique offering in this space. We really admire some of the features of the Mantis and the general direction that Rawrr is going with the bike. Although the bike succumbs to some of the same complaints we have for other bikes in this category, we think the Mantis is yet another solid platform to get more riders out on eMoto.
