I’ve been anticipating riding the Anthem ever since I wrote Iron & Air’s ‘Exclusive Look,’ an article that outlines the groundbreaking design choices behind this new EV. In designing the Anthem, Ryvid’s co-Founder Dong Tran re-conceptualized the fundamental concepts of motorcycle design, from the materials he chose to the user experience for battery charging, and everything in between. Taking cues from his Vietnamese heritage, his professional background in aerospace and automotive design, and his personal dedication to environmental health, Tran’s design implicitly challenges what we consider to be inexorable rules for motorcycle design and sport mobility.
Approaching the Anthem, I have to remind myself that this is still a demo bike. The first round of production models will not be sent out until early 2023, and a number of features will be altered for the real deal. Even so, this bike is pretty close to the end result. And it should be; Tran and his team have been developing this motorcycle since 2019 and consciously chose not to beta-test on the public. Rather, they very intentionally are sending out the first fleet as market-ready production models. In other words, they’re all in.
The Anthem stands at the ready, awaiting my gripping tour around this snail’s-pace demo course. I lift the bike off the kickstand effortlessly, a testament to its featherweight, planar frame of folded sheet metal, held together by rivets and aerospace-grade adhesive. In fact, only five or six major, carefully-crafted components comprise the entire bike. The result is a lean, 300 lb curb weight for the demo model, which will be further reduced to 240 lb in the production models via slots in the frame and the replacement of 7-spoke wheels with 5-spoke. The weight alone will speak to newer, younger, and petite riders, as well as urban commuters daunted by incessant street parking.