G-FORCE ZM Electric Bike Review: 1300W Cruise Electric Moped!

The G-FORCE ZM electric bike is one such e-bike which is heavily borrowed from the motorcycle styled while still maintaining its street legal status as an electric bike. But motorcycle exposure doesn’t just affect the skin; it also has a powerful ride.

Specifications of G-FORCE ZM

• Motor: 750W rear hub gear motor
• Maximum speed: 28 mph (45 km/h)
• range: Claimed 60-80 miles (96-128 km)
• battery: 48V 20Ah (960 Wh)
• Weight: 85 pounds (38.5 kg)
• Maximum load: 400 pounds (181 kg)
• brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes, 160 mm rotors
• Additionally: Shimano 7-speed transmission, large color LCD display, LED headlights and taillight, half-turn throttle, removable battery, soft seat with room for a second passenger, fenders, kickstand, magnetic wheels

Video review of G-FORCE ZM

Want to see how I put this e-bike through a series of test rides? Check out my video review below!

Rides like a compact electric motorcycle

Everything about the G-FORCE ZM sounds like a moto, not a motorcycle.

I’d call it an electric moped that fits the bill, even if it technically fits the e-bike classification.

Yes, it’s a Class 3 e-bike in the US, but it rides more like a moped that has rudimentary foot rest pedals. You can pedal if the battery dies, but an 85 lb (38 kg) bike won’t be fun to pedal faster than 4-5 mph (8 km/h). And God help you if there’s even a small uphill section on the way home.

But with the option of a 48V 20Ah battery (or a smaller 13Ah battery if you want to save money), you should have enough range for a day trip. And so how The entry-level model costs $1,899 with a 13Ah battery only $100 cheaper than the 20Ah version, I don’t see why anyone wouldn’t want to spend that extra benjamin to get 50% more range.

In addition to a decent range, the G-FORCE ZM is also fast and peppy with a top speed of 28 mph (45 km/h). The 750W Bafang motor actually puts out a peak power closer to 1300W and the bike accelerates well with my 150lb (68kg) load.

The double wishbone setup makes for a comfortable ride, though I don’t know how the suspension will perform at a maximum load of 400 lb (181 kg) (or if acceleration will be as spirited).

The suspension fork is adjustable with 110mm of travel, but the rear suspension is a “what you see is what you get” situation. It’s fine for me and a good ride, but it doesn’t quite handle downhill mountain biking. Lying shelves are a little more his pace.

It also begs the question, why did they put knobby tires on the bike? The 4-inch, 20-inch diameter tires are great for street riding, except that the hubs don’t offer as much traction on the asphalt as we’d like. In theory, you can go off-road with these tires, but the suspension isn’t really designed for anything more than a short cut through a fairly well-kept grassy field. I would have preferred to see street tires instead of all-terrain tires, but tires can certainly be changed at home or at your local bike shop.

I really like these tires Specialized showed off its inexpensive all-around bike, which have a street-optimized central pad with nodes on the edges for better off-road cornering. Here it would be a decent compromise.

Another upgrade I would like to see on the G-FORCE ZM would be larger disc rotors. The hydraulic disc brakes look good, but the smaller 160mm rotors will definitely heat up faster if this heavy bike is frequently stopped at high speeds. It seems to me that 180mm rotors would be a better choice.

The G-FORCE ZM still scores a few points in my book, even if I would like to see some upgrades to the brakes and tires.

The bright and colorful LCD screen is easy to read at a glance and looks much nicer displays we often see on e-bikes with the same price.

The bike’s tank-shaped battery is a nice feature that adds to the bike’s fun vibe, although I can already guarantee you that there will be armchair physicists in my comments section below to lecture us on the travesty of having that much weight higher up on the frame. In practice, the rider’s center of mass, which is about 15 times heavier than the battery and is much higher, will have a much greater effect on the bike’s handling. And for a bike that will spend most of its time riding straight down the bike path or making easy 90-degree turns on city streets, the higher center of mass from this tank-battery simply won’t be noticeable. So I will enjoy the fun motorcycle style design.

It is true that a lower mounted battery would technically be better. But after a bike ride and a ride too others with smaller batteriesI can tell you that the difference is very small, all things considered.

There are other nice features that are often left in these moped-style e-bikes, such as a Shimano 7-speed drivetrain and a USB charger built into the handlebar display. The massive LED headlight and the included LED tail light make the bike highly visible, which is important for suburban riding at night.

While I can quibble with the G-FORCE ZM’s smaller brake rotors and tire choice, which doesn’t quite make sense, there’s a lot more to like here than to dislike.

A full-suspension setup usually pushes the price up quite a bit, but the starting price is only $1,899 seems reasonable for a class 3 e-bike with dual suspension, hydraulic brakes and some nice extra features.

A pair of footpegs is pretty much all that’s missing to turn it into a pretty awesome urban cruiser that gives off a motorcycle vibe in an e-bike price range.

It may not matter a SUPER73 or other loud moped-style electric bikes, but it certainly offers fun and at reasonable prices!

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