There was a time in the 1980s when a number of Japanese manufacturers produced some truly quirky, large-tyre, small-capacity, dual-sport motorcycles. You could have been forgiven for thinking it was a gimmick, but no, machines like the Yamaha BW200 with its seriously meaty rubber front and rear, could conquer all sorts of rugged terrain. These retro rock crawlers have been making a comeback in popularity in recent years, and EV manufacturer Volcon decided to get in on the action with their own mud runner, the Grunt. Having previously worked with customisers Droog Moto on another model, Volcon reached out to the Washington State based wizards to see if big wheels were their thing. And boy are they, as the Droog Moto x Volcon Grunt collaboration proves that an electric motorbike doesn’t have to mean soft around the edges.
That Yamaha BW200, the Honda Fat Cat and Kawasaki’s two-stroke, big-tyred, three-wheeler were some of my favourite motorcycles as a kid, growing up in rural Australia, where hooning around in the dirt, mud and wet grass is all a part of growing up. Sadly, these bikes were deemed too dangerous by the fun police and were lost to future generations. But Volcon ePowersports has embraced the joy that such a design can offer, with their hugely popular Grunt Evo model, which has proven to be a sell-out success. And at Droog Moto they were lucky to get in on the action. “We had an opportunity present itself and we quickly got on board to get two Grunt EVOs in our shop,” the team told us.
Having previously worked with Volcon on their big tyred Brat e-bike, this was Droog’s chance to collaborate with the brand on an e-motorcycle, and as with all of their builds, they chose to go with their signature urban assault warrior theme. “The Grunt in stock form is a long saddled heavy looking machine. It is primarily an off-road only bike and comes equipped with fat knobby tyres. Those were the first things we swapped out.” Not because the guys didn’t like the fat rubber, they just wanted a more street-orientated version, and the massive 25×8-12 tyres give maximum grip on the tarmac, while reducing the unsprung mass.
Time to swing the grinder, and the big rear fender and long subframe has been cut right back, with a neatly hooped rear end. This not only gives the bike a more aggressive look but allows for things to be tidied up, with a clean LED taillight sitting in a recess. A new seat pan was laser cut in-house and then topped with the company’s own Hype Stitch seat, in a perforated black with grey outer stitching, the most popular choice among Droog customers. Now all of the factory bodywork could be ditched and the first thing to be replaced is the headlight, with Droog’s signature front plate with its dual slit LED lights shining the way. “The front LED now comes with a dynamic start sequence that is pretty rad!”
“The arched centre covers come stock in just plain black plastic which was not fitting the bill for this build. Since we started working more with chopped carbon on our custom Land District it has sparked a new interest so we try to implement elements of this in a few builds now. A custom mould was 3D printed for this which allowed us to make new carbon fibre side arch covers.” A set of perforated panels finish out the sides and for the faux fuel tank, the team decided to use the successful design they had implemented on the Brat. To suit the attitude of the Grunt, the look has been beefed up, while the rear is narrowed, to ensure the rider has a nice slim section where the knees tuck in.
This focus on both form and function is a big part of Droog’s success, and they wanted to make accessing the charging point as easy and as convenient as possible. Unlike a Zero motorcycle that has an onboard charger and cable, the Grunt and Land both charge directly off the battery with a standalone charger. On the Land we designed a custom magnetic hinged cover to get to the battery charge port. So we copied our design over to the Grunt and it worked perfectly. It keeps the charge port concealed and the design style aids in blending it all into one.”
The Grunt being an off-road focussed machine doesn’t come with a turn signal switch or horn, so the Droog team have very cleverly added a new 12v harness, and wired it all up to enable the use of high/low beam, indicators and that all important horn for those who just won’t get out of your way. “The stock handlebars were replaced with our own 1-1/8″ fat bar which is a touch wider and ProTaper grips. This also helped with leaning this wide-bodied beast into corners.” Then to finish out the functionality, a QuadLock phone mount has been added, allowing the user to access the Volcon app to view the Speedo and adjust things like riding modes.
Those modes are Stroll, Explore and Sport, with the final mode giving you access to full power and a max speed of around 100km/h, which is plenty on such big rubber. But to extend the range and ensure you can spend more time with the throttle pinned to the stop, the factory single 60V battery has been upped to a dual battery setup, unleashing over 100km of big tyred fun. An electric engine, with its huge torque, is perfect for getting such meaty rubber moving and provides the aggressive acceleration you need to have fun in the back streets of any urban environment. The Grunt is Droog’s most limited-run machine ever, and like every bike they build is an instant success. There is just one of these machines left for sale, so get in touch and get that magnum-sized rubber moving in style.
[ Droog Moto ]