Verge Motorcycles: Brilliant Engineering, Familiar EV Problems

There’s no denying it: Verge motorcycles look cool. Properly cool. If you were asked to design what an electric motorcycle should look like in 2025, you’d probably sketch something very close to a Verge.

The hubless rear wheel, the sculpted frame, the futuristic stance — it all screams purpose-built EV, not a petrol bike awkwardly converted to electric. From a design and engineering standpoint, Verge deserves real credit. But as impressive as the bike is on paper, history suggests Verge may be heading down the same road as several electric motorcycle startups before them.

And that road doesn’t usually end well.

The Tech: Where Verge Really Shines

Let’s start with the positives — because there are plenty.

Verge’s party trick is its hubless rear motor, integrated directly into the rear wheel. No chain. No belt. No gearbox. Just direct drive torque delivered straight to the tyre. It’s clever, visually striking, and mechanically fascinating.

The bikes are absolutely loaded with tech:

• Massive torque figures delivered instantly (as you’d expect from an EV)

• Advanced traction control and riding modes

• Smartphone connectivity

• OTA updates

• Regenerative braking systems

• A clean, modern dashboard that actually looks like it belongs on a future bike

  
  

This isn’t half-hearted engineering. Verge hasn’t cut corners — arguably they’ve gone too far the other way.

Battery & Range: Best in Class (On Paper)

Verge also claims the largest battery in its class, with headline-grabbing range figures that comfortably outshine rivals like Zero and the now-defunct Energica.

• Class-leading claimed range

• Rapid charging compared to many competitors

• Designed for longer real-world usability, not just city hopping

  
  

If those claims hold up in the real world, Verge has genuinely solved one of the biggest objections to electric motorcycles: range anxiety.

So far, so good.

So Why Does This All Feel Familiar?

Because we’ve seen this movie before.

And it usually ends with a press release that includes the words “restructuring” or “ceasing operations”.

1. The ICE Ban U-Turn Changes Everything

Electric motorcycle startups were built on one assumption: petrol bikes were going away.

With governments rowing back on ICE bans and softening deadlines, the urgency has evaporated. Riders who were reluctantly considering electric now feel comfortable waiting — or sticking with combustion altogether.

Verge hasn’t launched into a market that needs them. They’ve launched into a market that’s hesitant, sceptical, and no longer under pressure.

That’s a huge problem.

2. Price: History Is Repeating Itself

Verge bikes are expensive. Very expensive.

They sit above the Zero SR/S — a genuinely excellent motorcycle that still failed to sell in meaningful numbers due to price and limited demand. Zero survived as a company, but the SR/S itself quietly disappeared from relevance.

Energica?Premium pricing, niche demand, incredible performance — gone.

Electric bikes already ask riders to compromise on sound, emotion, and familiarity. Asking them to also pay more than established brands has repeatedly proven to be a fatal mistake.

Verge feels like it’s walking straight into that same trap.

3. Direct-to-Consumer Sounds Great… Until You Want to See One

Verge sells directly. On paper, that’s modern and efficient.

In reality?It means driving halfway across the country just to see one.

Motorcycles are emotional purchases. People want to sit on them. Touch them. Talk to someone knowledgeable. Ride one, ideally.

If you don’t live near one of Verge’s handful of locations, you’re effectively excluded. That’s not how motorcycle buying works — and startups don’t have the brand pull to overcome that barrier.

4. The Rear Tyre Problem No One Is Talking About

That 240-section rear tyre looks fantastic. But it’s unnecessary, heavy, expensive, and impractical.

EVs deliver savage torque and destroy rear tyres. Now add:

• A non-standard hubless motor

• A tyre size most dealers don’t stock

• A rear setup most dealers won’t touch

  
  

Which leads to the obvious question:

Who is changing your rear tyre?

There’s no dealer network. Independent workshops won’t want the liability. And if Verge expects owners to transport bikes hundreds of miles — or rely on mobile servicing — that’s simply not scalable.

Which brings us neatly to…

5. Warranty, Repairs & Servicing: London or Nowhere?

Right now, if something goes wrong, it appears your options are:

• Ride or transport it to London

• Or wait for Verge to maybe come to you

  
  

That’s not ownership — that’s inconvenience.

Electric bikes already make people nervous. Limited servicing infrastructure makes that fear far worse. Until this is clearly solved, Verge will struggle to convert interest into actual buyers.

6. Accessories? Anyone?

Motorcyclists love personalisation.

Screens. Luggage. Comfort seats. Touring add-ons. Protection parts.

With Verge? There’s… nothing.

No ecosystem. No lifestyle layer. No ownership journey beyond the bike itself. That matters far more than startups tend to realise.

7. Remember Damon? I Do. I Paid a Deposit.

Five years ago, I put a deposit on a Damon.

Amazing tech. Big promises. Endless hype. I haven’t heard a word in two years.

That’s not an isolated story — it’s the norm in this space. Verge hasn’t failed yet, but they’re operating in a graveyard filled with companies that once sounded just as convincing.

8. Honda Will Do What Honda Always Does

Honda’s upcoming electric motorcycle (WN-7) is expected to land around £12k.

Yes, it’ll have less range. Yes, it’ll be less dramatic.

But it will:

• Work

• Be supported

• Have dealers everywhere

• Be trusted

  
  

And for the small number of riders who actually want a larger electric bike, that will be enough.

Honda doesn’t need to win the EV war. They just need to fill the gap — and Verge sits right in that gap.

Final Thoughts: I Want Verge to Succeed

I genuinely do.

The bike looks fantastic. The engineering is brave. It’ll be stupidly fast, no doubt.

I’d love to ride one — and I’d happily speak to Verge about it.

But great tech doesn’t guarantee survival. The electric motorcycle market is brutally unforgiving, and Verge’s pricing, distribution, servicing model, and timing all feel worryingly familiar.

Right now, Verge feels like a bike for people who are:

• Very well funded

• Slightly bored

• Comfortable with risk

  
  

That’s not a big enough audience to sustain a motorcycle manufacturer.

Unless Verge radically improves accessibility, support, and messaging — not just engineering — they risk becoming another brilliant idea that never found its market.

And that would be a real shame.