Part e-bike, part moped, the Scorpion X2 is a comfy electric cruiser

In a roundup of the best electric bikes earlier this year, I lauded the Juiced Bikes Scorpion X2 as the best moped-style e-bike. The upgraded Scorpion X2 carries forward the rider comfort and capable versatility I praised with the original 2020 Juiced Bikes Scorpion. The latest Scorpion iteration has more power and durability than the initial model at an even lower price.

What’s new with the Scorpion X2?

This new version of the Scorpion comes with an upgraded battery, electric motor, rear rack, and even tires.

Like the original Scorpion, the X2 has Kendra 20-inch diameter by 4-inch wide moped fat tires, but those were street tires destined for pavement and maybe grass at most. The new tires have a moderately knobby tread that makes them suitable for dirt roads, hard beach sand, and maybe even a little bit of mud. It’s still no mountain bike, though, so you’ll want to avoid extreme terrain, severe muddy ruts, and deep sandy beaches.

The original Scorpion had a 750-watt continuous, 1,300-watt peak electric motor, a 52-volt 13Ah battery, and a 25-amp controller. The X2 has a 1,000-watt continuous power motor with the same 1,300-watt peak power, a more powerful 15.6Ah battery, and UL certification for a little extra piece of mind. Juiced Bikes rates the Scorpion X2 for up to 55 miles range with a fully charged battery. As with all e-bikes, battery range varies widely depending on rider weight, speed, travel surface and incline, the weather, and more.

The rear rack on the Scorpion X2 carries up to 50 pounds of cargo and has a slightly different design than the original, which Juiced says makes it easier to mount accessories.

Rider comfort and safety

Like most of the classic gas-powered mopeds that inspired its design, the Scorpion X2 has a step-through frame. The lack of a high step or crossbar makes for more comfortable mounting and dismounting for all Scorpion riders, especially if you have cargo tied or mounted on the back rack.

The Scorpion X2 has adjustable front forks, rear motorcycle-style shocks, and a cushy extended seat carryover from the original model. As with the original Scorpion, I deflated the knobby fat tires a bit below the maximum for the extra sidewall flex. With the front suspension adjusted to the softest setting and the tires slightly deflated from the maximum, the Scorpion X2 is a joy to ride.

We recently moved to a neighborhood with loads of speed bumps. I ride most e-bikes on the far right side of speed bumps, where they taper off to minimize the impact. With the Scorpion X2, however, I get a kick out of crossing the middle of the speed bumps at speed. I still brace for the bumps by rising slightly off the seat with my feet on the foot pedals, but the X2 converts speed bumps to a playful challenge instead of a spine-jarring impact.

The Scorpion X2 weighs 106 pounds with the battery installed — much more than the 70 pounds or so of average e-bikes. Lighter bikes are certainly easier to wrestle down stairs, but I think the Scorpion’s weight helps ride quality. When you ride over bumps or road irregularities, a light e-bike is more likely to shake or move off a bit from its line of travel than a heavier bike. With its rugged build, front and rear suspension, soft seat, and fat tires, you won’t find a more comfortable e-bike than the X2.

Performance

Suppose you want to do most of the work riding the Scorpion X2 for exercise and limit your use of battery power for traveling up long, continuous grades or for crossing intersections at traffic lights. In that case, you’ll use the 7-speed MicroShift gear system more frequently, with the easy twist shifter located conveniently next to the left handgrip.

The X2’s pedal assistance has seven modes, from zero assistance to Race mode, which applies as much power as possible. A cadence sensor uses magnets to track how fast you pedal and matches the relative amount of power it adds to your pedaling. The right handgrip has a half-grip twist throttle for applying battery power without pedaling.

By changing settings using the X2’s three-button controller and LCD, you can configure the Scorpion X2 as a Class I, II, or III e-bike. If you set the model to R, you can theoretically use power for speeds up to 28 mph. Juiced Bikes sticks strictly to the Class III parameters, which support pedal assistance power to 28 mph but limits the speed with throttle control to just 20 mph.

Juiced configures the system power for maximum torque in starting, which is convenient, especially to start riding from a stop. I never found that it was too sensitive or pulled too hard.

In my testing, I couldn’t go faster than 19.8 mph according to the speedometer feature in the Scorpion’s display. With pedal power alone, I could ride up to 26 mph, but I never saw 28 mph on flat roads. I discovered that if I used the throttle to get up to the max and then started pedaling to go faster, I was still restricted to about 20 mph, no matter how hard I pedaled, unless I released the throttle.

Despite expecting a bit more speed from the Scorpion X2, its performance isn’t a big deal. I don’t see the Scorpion as a long-distance touring bike or a high-performance e-bike to ride at speeds higher than class standards — speeds that would be illegal in many states.

During my testing, I rode the new Scorpion, most often on public and private roads, through dry and wet mud, up and down grassy hills, and on park paths with no issues at all. I wouldn’t hesitate to take the X2 for casual rides on trails like those in the Mojave Desert, but the bike isn’t set up for high-speed trail riding.

Tectra hydraulic disc brakes with 180mm front and rear rotors bring the Scorpion X2 to a gentle or dramatic emergency halt with a nicely linear response to the force you use to squeeze the handlebar brake levers.

Overall, I think the Scorpion X2’s performance profile is perfect for the best uses of this e-bike. Riding at 20 to 25 mph is comfortably fast enough for most cities, towns, neighborhoods, and on errands.

Expandable and upgradeable

How would you want to use a Scorpion X2 e-bike? Juiced Bikes likely has the accessories to meet your needs. Juiced Bikes sells a wide range of racks, baskets, bags, lights, mirrors, locks, seat upgrades, a passenger kit, extra batteries, chargers, and more for the Scorpion X2.

Unlike some competitors, the Scorpion X2 doesn’t come with standard mirrors, but you can add them as an accessory when you order. After trying them on the upgraded HyperScorpion, I’d definitely recommend adding a pair.

I’d also like turn signals, which aren’t available but should be standard on all e-bikes intended for street riding. Bicycle hand signals aren’t always safe at the higher speed of e-bikes, where removing a hand from the grip can be dangerous. You can find them standard on some commuter-centric e-bikes, like the Aventon Soltera.2.

A more powerful controller upgrade option is in the works that will allow throttle-only speeds to 28 mph or a bit faster, but specifications, release date, and price aren’t yet available.

Our take

If you’re looking for an all-purpose e-bike that’s convenient, comfortable, versatile, fast enough for around-town trips, and won’t strain your budget, I highly recommend the Juiced Bikes Scorpion X2 moped-style e-bike. The list price for the Scorpion X2 is $1,900, but it has been on sale for $1,500 for months. The most logical comparison to the X2 is Rad Power Bikes RadRunner 3 Plus, a superior utility and cargo e-bike. However, the X2 is faster, has a rear suspension and a more comfortable seat, and costs less. If you had several e-bikes in your garage, as I often do, I bet you’d find that when you wanted to take a quick ride to get some air or to run a short errand, you’d ride the Scorpion X2. I know I’d do that, especially if it had mirrors.

Editors’ Recommendations