Oben Rorr First Ride Review: Likes And Dislikes

Does Oben Electric's first product live up to the hype the brand created around the time of its unveiling? 

The electric motorcycle space in India comprises a handful of manufacturers, of which Oben Electric is just the third to actually bring a product on sale. Now, much was said when the Rorr was unveiled just a few months ago. But since this here is just a short meet-and-greet with the bike, instead of an exhaustive road test, we can only give you a brief idea of what to expect from the Oben Rorr.

Likes

Strong Performance

Oben had two big claims from the Rorr: a top speed of 100kmph, and a 0-40kmph time of 3.4 seconds. 

Now, we had a lot of fun proving the first statement true. A small background here: The Oben Rorr has three riding modes: Eco (top speed: 50kmph), City (top speed: 70kmph), and Havoc (top speed: 100kmph). And given a straight enough stretch, we were able to exceed the advertised speeds in each mode by a few kmph... at least that’s what the console indicated.

The next statement, however, we couldn’t ascertain, per se. And yet, we can comfortably state that the Rorr boasts sufficient push from its 4.4kW motor, even in its mid-level City mode, to satisfy this claim. In fact, we negotiated the numerous uphill hairpin turns around Nandi Hills (our shoot location on the outskirts of Bengaluru) virtually without incident, and rarely needed to keep the throttle pinned.

Engaging Handling

Another thing that had us grinning ear to ear, besides the Rorr’s peppy performance, was its handling. Though we admit the long-ish 1432mm wheelbase had us scratching our heads, the Rorr’s sharp 23-degree rake angle and relatively modest 130kg kerb weight made attacking the switchbacks up and down Nandi hills a breeze. 

Moreover, the ADV-like ground clearance of 200mm meant, despite our best efforts, we weren’t able to grind the footpegs. And all the while, the wide Ceat Zoom tyres (100-section front / 130-section rear) never seemed to run out of grip.

Reassuring range 

Another series of claims Oben made during the Rorr’s unveil was about its range, as they emhatically stated it will go 150km in Eco mode, 120km in City mode, and 100km in Havoc mode. Considering the lack of time, the best we could do was click a snap of the range readouts when the fully charged bikes were handed to us, and subtract the figures at the end of the day to estimate the range. But even then, the constant toggling between the modes meant any results would basically be guesstimates.

And yet, even after spending the better part of four hours juggling mountainous terrain and engaging in the obligatory high-speed pulls (egged on by the Havoc mode), we still had about 110 or so kilometres left in City mode but more importantly, 67km left in Havoc mode. This, then, should account for at least two days’ worth for the average 20km city commuter. Talk about not letting range anxiety creep in!

Dislikes

Quality Issues

Viewed head-on, you’re presented with headlight mounts that slope inwards, which means the indicators mounted on them point inwards too, like the wings of a shy dragonfly. Just above said headlight is a yawning gap which Oben has cleverly (though unsuccessfully) disguised with an oversized number plate. 

Moving to the side, you’ll notice the seam on the tank, probably a junction between two panels. But that isn’t the case – it’s a single panel throughout – and yet the paint finish within the seam bears smudges from the contrasting paint colours overlapping. Moreover, the gap between the seat and the side panel was not only inconsistent from front to back on the bike, but differed among the various test bikes as well.

And finally onto the saddle, from where the large LCD instrument console seemed like an afterthought considering the thick and decidedly cheap-looking bezel. Additionally, there was a lot of empty space around the console, with exposed wiring everywhere. And finally, the housings which help lock the handle extruded haphazardly from the headstock, even scratching the tank on a few bikes.

Unfinished / Faulty Electronics

Yes, we realise the irony of an electric two-wheeler with electronics issues. But it’s not funny to the person experiencing it. 

The main culprit here is the console: turn the key, and it flickers to life, instead of just switching on. Then, setting off involves squeezing the rear brake and pressing the starter button. But even after that’s done, you experience a few seconds’ lag before the bike is ready to roll. 

And finally, throughout the ride, there were instances where the mode randomly changed (without the button being pressed), another thing which might catch the average rider unawares, again with seemingly dangerous results. 

Unpredictable Throttle 

Despite being an competent performer, the Rorr also packs a fault which kind of robs the fun out of wanting to ride fast. This phenomenon, called trailing throttle, is a software glitch where the motor continues to spin even when the throttle has been shut. 

The extent varies to about half-a-second’s worth of extra shove in city mode (at about 60-65kmph), all the way up to a few seconds in Havoc mode (at above 80-85kmph). Imagine rolling off at such speeds, and yet the progress is still continuing… enough to scare the daylights out of most people, don’t you think? 

Dubious Brakes

We were impressed, and rightfully so, by the strong performance on offer. But playing a massive spoilsport in this regard was the abject lack of braking ability. 

The inclusion of disc brakes fore and aft look good only on paper, as they are completely devoid of progression and feedback. Besides, we found the bite from the rear brake much sharper than that from the front, to the extent that even a minor dab on the left lever (e-bikes sport a scooter-style setup) will see the rear wheel lock up and step out of line.

Additionally, we know EV motors are tuned to shut off and regenerate lost energy when you get on the brakes. But the on-off transition from the motor makes U-turns in traffic a major inconvenience. And more importantly, it also makes negotiating slow traffic on inclines an absolute nightmare. 

Now, though Oben says they have a hill-hold function under development to address this particular concern, to my jugaadu brain, a simple brake lock clamp – as seen on most ICE scooters – should do the trick.

Verdict

Oben insisted the Rorr is still in a pre-production stage, and hence promised us that most of the hardware misses and software glitches will be up to spec by the time it hits showrooms, possibly in September 2022. 

That said, the Oben Rorr retails for Rs 1,24,999 which, depending on state subsidies, can translate to an on-road price (without tax) anywhere from Rs 94,999 (Delhi) to full price (Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu). So on paper, at least, the Oben Rorr comes across as great value, since both the Ola S1 Pro and Ather 450X are not only a tad costlier but also can’t offer comparable performance.

Nevertheless, though we had a whale of a time piloting the Rorr, it’ll still take a detailed road test of the production-ready model – with the long list of issues addressed – before we can wholeheartedly endorse it.