Oben Rorr First Ride Review: Worth The Wait?

It has been nearly 16 months since Oben gave us a first taste of its electric motorcycle: the Rorr. It did have impressive performance and range claims but throttle calibration and regen issues as well as far from ideal build quality left us a little disheartened with the prototype. Have those been solved? Is there anything new?

And is it finally on sale? Answering the latter is easy as Oben has delivered 50 units since July and the bikes that we are riding are final products not prototypes. So, here’s what you can expect if you decide to get one.

Not Wreaking Much Havoc

For starters, given the new AIS 156 norms put into place for safer EVs, Oben has had to rethink certain electric components. Like the 4 kW motor now is only putting out a peak power of 8 kW, not 10 kW. That doesn’t seem to have changed the claimed performance on hand as 0-40 acceleration time remains 3 seconds and top speed is still 100 kmph.

Once you start riding, you do feel the performance to be comparable to a 150 cc ICE motorcycle. Of its three riding modes, I ended up sticking to Havoc the most as it felt sporty enough, certainly till 80 kmph, post which reaching its top speed is a challenge that can only be fulfilled if you have a long open stretch of tarmac. And while it does feel energetic in Havoc, the off the line drama could’ve been amped up.

Eco mode feels very subdued and you would mostly keep it for those days when the battery levels are seriously discharged. City riding mode feels like a good compromise but you will have to plan your overtakes well in advance.

One of the initial complaints regarding the Rorr was its inconsistent throttle issues and I can gladly say that Oben has put those 16 months to good use. The throttle feels direct and prompt with the power not cutting off even when you tap the brakes. Plus, the regen braking in each mode isn’t too severe as the Rorr can free roll to a great extent now.

The 4.4 kWh battery remains the same but as part of the rework, the claimed range is now 30 km less in real world riding situations. Oben claims you could get more than 120 km in Eco if you ride more conservatively but having judged how slow it feels in Eco, chances are you would end up riding more often in City, or Havoc. Hence, ideally, you are looking at going for 75 km on a single charge, which is not too shabby.

Plus, Oben has done away with the onboard charger. It will offer you two choices now: a wall mount or a portable charger, both of which charge the bike with the same pace: 0-80 percent in 2 hours. The neat bit here is that the engineers have made provisions beneath the seat to take the portable charger along with you on your ride.

Sporty Intentions, Harsh Consequences

There’s a hint of sportiness with the way you sit on the Rorr. There’s a bit of forward arching to get to the wide bars. And even hopping on to the seat won’t be an issue for most riders. What I would’ve liked is for the tank section to have been less glossy, as I am continuously sliding around in the saddle. More so, the seat foam could have been plusher and thicker than what it currently is.

The Rorr continues to be a pretty capable handler and does delight you with its nice lean angles. There are no nervy moments to encounter now, especially since Oben has gotten the regen issues sorted now.

On the downside, the firm ride quality continues to be a hindrance. The rear end remains tossy and borderline jarring. So, a sight of bad roads and you will have to take utmost precaution. We hope that Oben can tune the monoshock to be a bit more pliant and the customers would be willing for the same, even if it came at the cost of a little stepback in cornering potential.

The brakes continue to be a major letdown as they don’t quite compliment the performance package. The front barely has any bite and the rear end is too snappy. What it results in are massive slides that are great for hooning but not advisable during panic braking scenarios. We hope that Oben provides dual-channel ABS which can mitigate this issue to a great extent.

Stylish But Too Simple

On the surface, nothing much seems to have changed here from the bike it was initially shown. The Rorr looks more or less the same with its neo retro Honda CB300R-inspired look but with snazzier graphics and a bit more protection now for the battery and drive belt.

Quality levels, though, still remain sub-par. The plastics feel cheap and even the switchgear seems to be borrowed from a commuter motorcycle. Bits like the side panels and the console housing seem far too bleh.

And keeping it extremely simple once again on the features front, Oben has soldiered on with the same colour LCD dash from before. Now though, it gets an ambient light sensor according to which it can adjust the brightness. It isn't a bug bear anymore, the screen is pretty legible in broad daylight too. However, there’s just very little data to contend with, and no smartphone connectivity at all. Oben has given two USB charging sockets and a neat cubby hole to store small gadgets for charging on the fly.

And lastly, there’s also a continuous beeping sound to let the rider know the motor is active at standstill. While I get the safety angle associated so that it reminds the rider that the throttle is primed for action but overall it comes off as pretty irritating. It could’ve been executed better with far longer pauses between each beep or not have it at all and maybe have a tell tale sign on the dash for the same.

Good Electric Experience

At an introductory Rs 1,49,999 and Rs 1.65 lakh post, the asking price for the Oben Rorr has shot up quite a bit. However, it is a far better product now than what it was also 16 months ago. Oben has taken time and delivered on a good electric motorcycling experience. It is still far from perfect as it could do with a bit more menace while setting off the line and maybe have a softer setting for the monoshock. Overall, the Rorr does come across as a good commuter friendly electric motorcycle.