It’s finally starting to warm up, and the trees are turning green, making for excellent scenery for my latest tech review. This time, I took the Buzz Drone eBike for a spin. This stylish and functional moto-inspired electric bike can handle tough terrain and roads alike.
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The Buzz Drone is a Moto-Inspired eBike
The Drone eBike from Buzz Bikes comes in a beautiful cherry red. It usually has an MSRP of $1,399.99. However, it is currently on sale, so now is an excellent time to buy.
Features at a glance:
- Motorcycle-inspired, step-thru aluminum frame and caged headlight
- Extended, padded saddle seat
- Center mounted LCD display
- Shimano TZ 14-28T cassette
- Front suspension and fender
- Shimano six-speed shifter with trigger
- Five pedal assist levels with left-hand throttle
- Assembled weight: 66 lbs.
- Battery: 48V, 10.4 amp hours, 500 watt hours
- Motor: 500W Rear hub drive
- Top speed: 20 mph (Class 2)
- Range: Up to 40 miles
- Charging: 4-6 hours
- Zippable storage bag below seat
9to5Toys’ take
The Drone is a Class 2 moto-style eBike from Buzz Bikes. As you’ll notice from the images above and below, the Drone design mimics a motorcycle with its long saddle seat and caged headlight.
As you’ll see in my video below, the bike unboxing was relatively simple. Everything was securely packaged and wrapped to avoid any damage during transit. My first impression when unpacking the Drone was how much I adore the cherry red color of this eBike.
It adds to the sportiness and overall look, especially when paired alongside the tan tire walls. *Chef’s kiss*
Most of the Drone bike came preassembled. I just needed to attach a few vital components, starting with the front fender, followed by the front wheel and handlebars, which can be adjusted to your liking thereafter.
Aside from the Buzz Drone’s paint, the eBike’s front headlight truly stands out as a key component of the moto-inspired aesthetic and adds a level of ruggedness.
Two provided keys enable access to the bike’s 48V, 500W battery pack, which easily pops in and out for protection from theft and storage during colder winter months when the bike isn’t being used.
After assembling everything, I plugged the Buzz Drone into a 110V outlet to charge it, which takes 4 to 6 hours, depending on the battery life.
The Buzz Drone features a center-mounted LCD display that shows the bike’s battery life, distance traveled, and what pedal assist level you’re on. It has five different levels.
Buzz also provided the Drone with a handy storage bag below the seat. I used it to hold my phone and water bottle while riding. It could also store a small chain lock, but it’s not too big.
As I pedaled out for the first ride, I was impressed that the Drone offered a quiet, smooth, and easy feel. I quickly noticed that, unlike some other eBikes, you can’t throttle the Buzz Drone from a standstill; you must get pedaling first before the throttle will work.
The Pedal Assist function was easy to switch through using the left-hand buttons. It could be monitored on the center display, which was clearly visible, even in direct sunlight. I found that if I throttled only then began to pedal, I didn’t contribute to more speed. Instead, the bike throttled back and slowed down, which I didn’t like. I wasn’t used to that feeling, so it took some time to figure out.
With the Drone, it’s either throttle or pedal assist; you can’t do both simultaneously. That could be because this is a Class 2 eBike limited to a top speed of 20 mph, so a governor probably keeps that speed down.
Although I loved the look of the Drone’s long saddle seat, I found that I sat a little too low to my liking to pedal comfortably, and the seat is not adjustable. I’m only 5’11” and felt like my legs were slightly contorted while pedaling, so this might not be the best option for taller riders.
That was only a minor inconvenience, and I had a blast testing the bike’s 500-watt rear hub drive motor to reach its top speed on some straightaways.
This Buzz bike can provide up to 40 miles of range on a single charge, depending on how you ride—the battery life bar and percentage on the LCD display update in real time, which is cool. When I first set out, I throttled up a lot to get a feel for the acceleration and saw my battery level had dropped to 75% astonishingly quickly, but it bounced back up to 90% once I pedaled for a bit.
The 20″ x 4″ Kenda fat tires are as functional as they are stylish. They enabled me to cut through fields and other terrain beyond the pavement easily. It’s always a massive perk to have fat, durable tires. The ride is smoother on pavement and allows you to ride virtually anywhere. I love that.
Overall, the Drone Moto eBike from Buzz is a beauty of a build. Its size enables riders of most sizes to zoom around and enjoy it, but its limits to top speed and range as a Class 2 model leave a bit to be desired, at least for me, as I am a seasoned eBike rider and love to go as fast as possible.
After thoroughly testing it, I’d classify the Buzz Drone as an entry-level eBike for shorter trips. Thanks to its Kenda tires, it can be ridden virtually anywhere.
Be sure to see more of the Buzz Drone in action in my video below!
Buy the Buzz Drone Moto-Style eBike
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