Belgian iconic motorcycle brand Saroléa launches its first speed pedelec

It mimics its predecessor, one of the first bikes with an auxiliary motor from 120 years ago, but it’s brand-new: the Belgian iconic motorcycle brand Saroléa’s first speed pedelec.

It is fast, although legally limited to 45 km/hour, with two motors with 1,200 Watt peak output combined and a range of up to 130 kilometers. The first sixty units of these LE60 are going exclusively online today at 14,000 euros, a price tag comparable with a Strömer ST7.

Saroléa developed the LE60 with the help of architect and now speed pedelec specialist Maarten Baert and his people in Ghent, who started a Belgian competitor to take on the global leader, Swiss Strömer, as an alternative.

Saroléa was a Belgian manufacturer of bicycles, first in 1892, followed by motorcycles. It was founded in 1850 as a weapons factory by Joseph Saroléa.

Saroléa became the first Belgian producer of motorcycles and one of the first motorcycle manufacturers in the world.  In 1929, Saroléa produced seventy-five motorcycles daily from its state-of-the-art factory in Belgium and was one of the largest motorcycle manufacturers in Europe.

Saroléa ceased to exist in 1963, but the Belgian twin brothers Torsten and Bjorn Robbens picked up the brand name to develop and produce in Ghent high-performance 100% electric race motorcycles like the SP7 with which it competed for the first time in the Isle of Man TT Zero race and today’s electric superbike, the MANX7.

The latter is ‘blistering’ fast, up to 240 km/hour with a 120 kW (163 hp) air-cooled brushless DC-3 phase motor and offering a range of 230 up to 330 km.

The LE60 is a wink at the brand’s first bicycle with an auxiliary motor, released in 1905. “The combustion engine may be making way for an electric drive, but we are continuing on the same momentum,” says Bjorn Robbens, CEO of Saroléa.

“We pour all our expertise and years of experience in the field of performance, comfort, drive, and carbon into this project and combine it with the know-how in battery technology that we have gained in recent years through sister company C-Battery. The result is a niche product Saroléa has stood for over a hundred years: high-quality, high-tech, and progressive.”

Saroléa claims the LE60, with its 26 kilograms, is currently the lightest dual motor pedelec on the market. It has a carbon fiber frame with an integrated 1,200 Wh battery, titanium bolts, and pedals. The high–gloss black piano lacquer with gold accents and the vintage Brooks saddle (with suspension) hint at the brand’s rich history.

But it has a high-definition integrated 6-inch display showing all relevant data – even the wind speed – and offers features such as built-in GPS and turn-by-turn navigation with the ability to upload GPX files, 4G connectivity and Spotify integration, and a training program based on stepped wattages. You can lock the bike with a personal code with a smartphone. Settings can be adjusted, and trip data can be viewed via an app.

The Belgian brand launches the first sixty LE60 units exclusively on the internet for €14,000. You can preorder one with a €100 deposit. Interested parties can book a test ride via the website, and those who proceed to purchase or lease can pick up the bike in Oudenaarde or have it delivered to their home in person. For maintenance, Saroléa provides a pick–up and delivery service.