Ryvid Sosa Anthem Is What Happens When Custom Builders Switch From ICE to Electric

As it stands, the custom motorcycle industry focuses a lot on a motorcycle's engine when designing a new project. Everything that makes up the powertrain, from the engine and transmission themselves to air filters and exhaust systems always take center stage on modified ICE bikes.

But that cannot happen when it comes to electric motorcycles, for the simple reason those bits of hardware don't exist on these bikes. And that means customizers need to get really creative to come up with ideas that will make us gasp in awe.

At the time of writing there aren't all that many electric motorcycles out there. I mean, plenty of people and organizations are making them, but they are generally ignored by customers in the market for a two-wheeled machine. As a result, the custom industry is not into these things all that much either. Yet.

One of the few custom electric motorcycles we know of was presented this week as the Ryvid Sosa Anthem, a design so insane it will probably make you reconsider your position when it comes to electric bikes.

But let's start at the beginning. There's a good chance you've never heard the name Ryvid, so I'll tell you it's a two-year-old California startup that's in the business of making electric motorcycles.

The company's first product is called Anthem, an all-rounder urban commuter that comes with pretty decent (but not really impressive) capabilities: a top speed of 75 mph (120 kph), electric motors good for ten horsepower and 72 Nm of torque, and a range of 75 miles (120 km).

The bike is cool enough for it to have captured the attention of singer Lana Del Rey, who rode one as she arrived at this year's Coachella. You probably missed it, because Del Rey didn't really go out of her way to advertise the ride other than simply riding it.

So, that's Ryvid and the Anthem it makes. Cristian Sosa and his Las Vegas-based Sosa Metalworks probably ring a lot more bells, especially since the man and his garage were involved in the Discovery Channel's Counting Cars series.

Sosa is a motorcycle builder by trade, so we're used to seeing products wearing his signature come to light. The Ryvid Anthem project is, however, the first time the man worked his magic on an electric motorcycle. And I must say, the guy's got skill even under these circumstances.

You see, normally the Anthem doesn't have much of a bodywork. There's a discreet fairing pulled over the headlight, side covers that obscure some of the mechanical bits, and a single-piece backbone that begins where the fuel tank would have been and ends as a sort of a mudguard for the rear wheel.

The Sosa Anthem is a totally different affair. Whereas the upper side of the bike remains in place, the fairing was removed and a lot more aluminum bodywork was imagined for the bike's sides. The wheels were swapped with aftermarket ones as well.

Looking a bit straighter than what Sosa has gotten us used to, the folded steel frame bike still packs the original powertrain, comprising the removable 4.3 kWh battery that feeds the 72V air-cooled, brushless DC motor. The side panels on the custom ride can be removed though, if there is any need to reach the battery's latch system.

Although he did go for a custom seat, Sosa also managed to keep the rather unique (for an electric bike) height-adjustable seating system, which allows the height of the seat to be modified at the push of a button.

The project took just three weeks to complete, but we're not told who it was made for, nor are we given any indication of how much the modifications cost (for reference, keep in mind that Ryvid is asking $6,495 for a stock Anthem). You could find out how much that is if you really want one, given how Sosa is taking orders to turn these electric rides into something more unique.

The electric bike is probably the first in a longer series of electric machines that will be modified by Sosa. In fact, we were even given a hint that a custom projects based on the second Ryvid motorcycle, the Outset, might be coming our way soon enough.

Presented back in May, the Outset is technically the Anthem's smaller, scrambler-style brother. It shares the latter bike's frame, battery, and motor, but comes with modified suspensions, suitable for all kinds of terrain, a longer seat, and wider handlebars.

The American company will be charging $5,995 for the bike, and expects deliveries to begin as soon as September.