As the old adage goes, “Good, fast, cheap. Pick two.” While that’s largely been the case in the electric bicycle world, the Himiway Escape may just break the mold and offer up the elusive trifecta.
If the Himiway Escape electric moped looks familiar, that’s because you’ve seen it before on Electrek in slightly different form.
The company will likely refuse to confirm or deny this, but it basically looks almost identical to the famous Juiced Scorpion electric moped.
It’s an obvious copycat of the Scorpion’s popular and successful design, but anyone can copy an e-bike’s appearance. What we want to know is, How well does the bike perform?
I’ve got all the answers and more in my video review below. Check it out to see the Himiway Escape in action, and then read on for my full thoughts on this e-bike.
Himiway Escape video review
Himiway Escape tech specs
- Motor: 750W continuous-rated geared rear hub motor
- Top speed: 45 km/h (28 mph) after unlocking
- Range: 32-56 km (20-35 mi) depending on user input
- Battery: 48 V 14 Ah (672 Wh)
- Weight: 42 kg (92 lb)
- Max load: 150 kg (330 lb)
- Frame: 6061 aluminum
- Suspension: Front and rear spring suspension, fork has hydraulic lockout
- Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes on 180 mm rotors
- Tires: 20″ x 4″ Kenda fat tires
- Extras: LCD display with speedometer, wattmeter, battery gauge, PAS level indicator, odometer, tripmeter, front and rear LED lights with large headlight, 5 PAS speed settings, half-twist throttle, USB charging port, includes rear rack (wooden) and front/rear fenders, front of bike has mount for optional rack
Can it stand on its own?
Let’s first look at the e-bike on its own and see how it stands up.
The Himiway Escape is of course a moped-style electric bike. That means it has a non-adjustable seat. It fit me great at my 5’7″ (170 cm) height, and Himiway says the height range for best fit is 5’2″ to 6’4″ (157.5 cm to 193 cm). I’m guessing, though, that folks on the very upper end of that range are going to find the bike a bit cramped. With a bench-style seat, you can always scoot back a bit for more legroom and reach.
The seat tapers toward the front that helps make the Escape a bit better for pedaling, but this is still not a super pedal-friendly e-bike. You can absolutely do it, and the pedal assist works just fine. But you aren’t going to be at the optimum seat height for pedaling and it may become uncomfortable if you pedal for long periods of time. You’ll find your knees come up a lot higher than you expect on most typical diamond-frame bikes. For those that really want to pedal, the Himiway Cruiser that we also tested is much more of a pedal-friendly fat tire e-bike.
These moped-style e-bikes are best used with a throttle, though, as they really feel like mini motorcycles. They’re mopeds in the truest sense of the word. Those wide tires make it tons of fun to lean hard into turns.
The throttle response is great and the acceleration off the line is powerful. When they tell you “750W,” you’re getting a true 750W and then some. The higher-end acceleration isn’t nearly as good, and the power tapers off in mid-teens and low 20s of mph, but the power is still there.
Out of the box, the Himiway Escape carries a 22 mph (35 km/h) speed limit. You can unlock higher speeds in the display and blast up to 28 mph (45 km/h) or higher, but that’s on you. Himiway sends it to you in almost Class 2-legal shape. You can also lower the speed limit down to 20 mph (32 km/h) to make it a truly Class 2 e-bike.
Also keep in mind that higher speeds eat into the battery more quickly. While Himiway says the range is 45+ miles (70+ km), you’d have to do some serious pedal assist to reach that. If you’re heavy on the throttle and only occasionally pedal, 25-30 miles (40-50 km) is more likely.
The suspension isn’t high end but it works just fine for typical urban commuting scenarios. The rear suspension is even slightly adjustable, meaning you can tune it a bit if you’re on the higher end of the 150 kg (330 lb) weight limit of the bike.
And I must say that I’m quite happy with the few accessories you get included. The rear rack with its wooden platform is classy and useful, the lights are bright and add to the safety (especially that big headlight), and the fenders are broad enough to actually provide good coverage. You also get a Himiway baseball cap, which is kind of fun, I guess.
So judging the Himiway Escape on its own, it’s actually a pretty darned decent e-bike. The build quality feels just fine, even if it’s not fancy. The power is palpable. The range is decent, though not spectacular. The suspension is pretty good. The hydraulic disc brakes are powerful and give me the confidence to bring this 41 kg (92 lb) e-bike to a stop quickly. Everything about it is surprisingly good.
I say “surprisingly” because this brings me back around to the copycat nature of the e-bike. It’s of course a Juiced Scorpion knockoff, and I expected it to suffer in quality the way most knockoff products do, but it doesn’t.
It lacks some of the attention to detail that you get with Juiced. For one, the packaging wasn’t nearly as good and the bike arrived with several scuffs on the paint. Juiced, on the other hand, literally threw their Scorpions around the factory in the boxes to find any weak point in the packaging and ensured they arrive in perfect shape.
Some parts are a downgrade, like the lack of a dual crown fork up front.
I’m also guessing that several of the components aren’t up to the same quality standards as a company like Juiced. The motor looks fine, but Juiced also worked with Bafang to develop their own motor for the Scorpion, and the Scorpion also has a larger, brighter headlight. So there are still several details like those where Himiway can’t compete.
But on the other hand, the Himiway Escape actually has some advantages over the Scorpion as well. I prefer the nice large display to the Scorpion’s small display, and I’d even say the Escape has higher top-end speed, though only in unlocked mode.
While the Scorpion is likely the more refined of the two, the Escape actually brings a few things to the table that go above and beyond the e-bike it copied.
The Juiced Scorpion (after a recent price hike that hit much of the industry) while the Himiway Escape undercuts it by $100 at $1,699. Knockoffs are usually a fair bit cheaper, but the Himiway Escape seems to offer a good-enough e-bike with enough extra features to warrant just a small discount. If I had to bet on which one would last longer, I’d go with the Scorpion. But if I wanted a faster ride, the Himiway Escape is still very tempting.
Ultimately the right choice is subjective and depends entirely on what you’re looking for in an e-bike. Let’s hear what you think in the comment section below!
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Author: Micah Toll
Source: Electrek
