Overpowered e-bike review: The E-cells Super Monarch AWD 1500 Dual Crown

I call this e-bike “overpowered,” but I should really call it “amazingly-powered.” Yes, it’s got more power than nearly anyone really needs – but then again, so does most every performance vehicle out there, whether we’re talking about cars, motorcycles, boats, or any other type of recreational runabout.

And so the Super Monarch AWD 1500 Dual Crown is perhaps the textbook definition of excess, but that’s exactly what makes it so much fun, and such a capable off-roader.

Now before we go too far, let’s address the elephant in the room. With 1,500W of stated power — which is even less than the true 2,200W peak power — this e-bike easily falls outside of the 750W legal limit for on-road e-bikes in many areas.

In fact, it possesses two 750W continuous-rated motors, which is what gives it such impressive power and performance. But while it may not fit within street-legal e-bike classes when fully unlocked (though it can be electronically limited to legal power and speed limits), using this e-bike on the streets is almost of a waste of its awesome abilities.

The dual motors, dual batteries, and dual suspension are just screaming for off-road riding across surfaces you simply couldn’t cover with lower power and lesser performance e-bikes.

So yes, you probably shouldn’t fly down the road at 30+ mph on this thing and think you won’t raise the eyebrow of a cop who hasn’t met his ticket quota this month. But when it comes to exploring the great outdoors on a silent, non-polluting two-wheeled adventure bike, the Super Monarch AWD 1500 Dual Crown is absolutely within its element.

Check it all out in my video review below, or hang on and keep reading for my complete thoughts below.

Super Monarch AWD 1500 Dual Crown e-bike video review

Super Monarch AWD 1500 Dual Crown tech specs

• Motor(s): Twin geared 750W continuous motors, 1,500W total
• Top speed (unlocked): 32 mph (51 km/h)
• Battery: 52V 15Ah (780Wh) & 52V 20Ah (1,040Wh)
• Weight: 95 lb (43 kg)
• Frame: 6061 aluminum
• Front suspension: Dual crown fork with 120mm travel
• Rear suspension: RockShox Monarch RL
• Tires: Vee Bulldozer 26×4.25” MPC
• Brakes: Four-piston Tektro Auriga hydraulic disc brakes, 203 mm diameter and 2.3mm thick rotors
• Extras: Front and rear rack, LCD display with speedometer, power meter, battery meter, PAS level indicator, odometer, tripmeter, light status indicator, front and rear LED lights, right-side half twist throttle, torque sensor, Shimano Deore 10-speed transmission, three frame sizes available (17″, 19″, 20″), and an accessory pack including helmet, gloves, mirrors, cargo net, rack-mounted tool kit, and electric pump

What is this thing packin’?!

There’s so much going on here that we’ve got to stay organized in order to see it all. On the component side, we’ve got full-suspension with a motorcycle-style dual crown fork up front for extra rigidity and a RockShox Monarch RL rear shock; massive 4.25″ wide fat tires make the ride even plusher than what the suspension already offers.

An included torque sensor pairs with a 10-speed Shimano Deore transmission, giving a higher quality pedal assist sensation and a more rugged derailleur – exactly what you need in an off-road e-bike designed for abuse on the trails.

The four-piston hydraulic disc brakes aren’t just high-end calipers, but they’re also biting onto massive 203 mm disc rotors that are thicker than standard at 2.3 mm. That translates into higher performance braking, better heat dissipation, and more stable performance under repeated heavy braking. Basically, when you’re flying down a hill on a heavy e-bike like this, these are the kind of brakes you want.

On the electric side of things, we’ve got a full color display with optional PIN code lockout for security. We’ve got controls for front, rear, or all-wheel-drive modes on the handlebars, and the bike even sees a return to my favorite style of throttle: the right-side half twist.

Two batteries combine to offer a nearly unprecedented 1,820 Wh of battery. Again, when you’re flying around off-road and through loose terrain that is known to burn through battery capacity, you’ll be thankful to have a pair of large batteries at your disposal.

And those motors are so torquey that you’ll be worried about traction before you’re worried about if you have enough power to get up a hill. There’s 170Nm of torque from those two motors combined, which is more than just about any other e-bike I’ve ever seen.

Basically, there are several things this e-bike lacks: grace, subtlety, and the ability to elegantly lift it into a truck by yourself. But one thing it doesn’t lack is power. In fact, there are a bunch of weak little e-bikes running around out there because this thing took all the power for itself.

But what can you do with it?

I did plenty of on and off-road riding on the Super Monarch AWD 1500 Dual Crown e-bike, and it excels at bot; though I guess it’s more fair to say it excels at a certain type of riding in both environments.

On the road, I have to treat it more like a motorcycle – especially when I can surpass 30 mph in unlocked mode. In that case I’m riding with traffic, and I’m keenly aware of those around me. I’m countersteering. I’m dressing the part. The whole nine yards.

Off-road though is where the bike really comes alive. This isn’t just a bike for the trails – it’s for when the trails end and you just have raw wilderness ahead of you. With these wide tires, the all-wheel-drive and the massive torque, you can climb up and over rocks, downed branches, or just about any other obstacle.

The suspension is fully adjustable in both the front and rear to dial it in the way you like it for your terrain and riding weight. And the components are up for the challenge, from the higher quality brakes to the nicer transmission.

For those that want to pedal, the torque sensor is a great addition – especially on a heavy e-bike that might not normally feel quite so intuitive to pedal. Torque sensors make pedaling on an e-bike much more natural feeling since they use the strength of your pedal output to directly control the motor power. But then again, I can see many of the customers for a bike like this not being the type of riders who pedal very often, so I’m not sure how much the torque sensor will be used.

I was glad to employ it though and I’d absolutely recommend that anyone who rides this bike make use of the pedals instead of purely riding like a motorcycle with the throttle. It’s fun to feel a powerful machine like this being controlled by your feet. It’s almost like a mech suit for your legs.

Are there any downsides?

Of course there are downsides – plenty of them! Buy a bottle of Advil now, since you’ll need it when you try to toss this thing in your truck by yourself and throw out your back. It may look like you can lift it, but that 95 pounds of bike feels a lot heavier at shoulder height than at waist height. You can take nearly 20 pounds off by removing the batteries, but still. It’s damn heavy.

Next, it’s expensive too. That’s not to say you don’t get your money’s worth. You basically have two e-bikes worth of parts here, and good parts at that. But $5,095 is a big chunk of change any which way you slice it. This e-bike is essentially competing with off-road electric motorbikes at this point, and the price confirms it.

Lastly, there are the legal downsides if you want to commute with this e-bike on a regular basis. Sure, it can be put in street legal mode, limiting the speed to 20 or 28 mph and the power to 750W. But whether that truly fulfills the letter of the law in each state may take some deeper consideration.

On that note, though, consider this. Today you can go out and buy a 10,000 lb tank of an SUV or truck that could mow down a third grade class on a field trip without the driver even knowing it. That’s not only a perfectly legal vehicle – it’s actively being promoted throughout the industry and even at the highest ranks of the current administration. So I’m not going to tell you not to ride a 95 lb electric bike that is literally one horsepower over the legal power limit for e-bikes in the US, but I will tell you to ride responsibly, consider who and what is around you, and where you ride such a large and powerful e-bike.

So what’s the summary?

Basically, if you’ve got the cash and you’re into off-roading with extra power, you absolutely can’t go wrong here. The Super Monarch AWD 1500 Dual Crown brings a giddy smile to your face, no matter how much of a tough guy you are.

It takes some getting used to — especially if you come from much smaller and tamer e-bikes — but it’s so worth it for this wild ride.

You’ve got to pay to play when it comes to these types of speciality e-bikes, but what you get in return is a seriously good time.