Video by Electrified Reviews via YouTube
Source
See the full writeup plus more photos of the Cheetah: https://www.electrifiedreviews.com/blog/watch-this-before-buying-the-revi-bikes-cheetah-500-mile-update-electric-bike-review
Watch the Cheetah review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyxB57gY3kk
Check out the Cheetah website: https://www.revibikes.com/products/cheetah-the-cafe-racer
tl;dr version of the writeup:
This video is sponsored by Revi Bikes, and today we’re doing a 500-mile update on the Cheetah. It’s not often we are able to do videos like this, simply because of the sheer amount of time it takes to put this many miles on a frame. But the truth of the matter is, I absolutely love the Cheetah, and it’s been my primary ride of choice since we reviewed it.
Right, so, the first thing I want to talk about with the Cheetah is how it rides. With the stretched wheelbase and battery high on the top tube, it takes some effort to lean it over during the turns. But this isn’t a bad thing. On the contrary, actually, I really like it. The balance of the Cheetah feels a lot like riding a lightweight Harley. It’s remarkably stable, and taking turns with it is such a blast.
I really the Bafang 750 watt hub motor here. It’s proven to be powerful enough to get me up every hill I’ve thrown at it during my 500-mile extended test ride. I rode this cruiser during the hottest days last summer too, which clocked in at around 115 degrees, and I didn’t have a single issue with overheating. This is a particularly big deal given the fact that I almost exclusively use the throttle when riding.
But out of the box, the Cheetah has some big latency with motor activation when I hit the throttle. Revi Bikes said the Cheetah ships in this configuration to save the battery and extend range, but I personally don’t like it at all. I prefer the motor to instantly activate as soon as I twist the throttle. The good news is, this is a setting that can be changed in the backend.
Let’s talk about range. I usually go for an hour walk in the morning, and that’s my workout. So, when I ride the Cheetah at night, I typically just use the throttle and I usually keep it wide open the entire time. I can sometimes hit 29 mph, but the Cheetah can sustain the 28 mph top speed until I hit around 25% battery capacity, at which point the voltage has dropped low enough to where I can only hit around 25 or 26 mph. That’s still pretty good.
When I’m using just the throttle and clipping along at top speed, I average between 15 and 20 miles before I hit that 25% mark and start feeling range anxiety. For those times when I really want to squeeze some extra range out of the Cheetah without sacrificing too much power, I change the settings to “power” mode and put it in pedal assist level 3, which allows me to move along at around 20 mph. Even with this high output configuration, I can easily double my range to about 40 miles, and I can pedal lightly enough to not even break a sweat.
Another setting I ended up changing with the Cheetah is something called “throttle follow,” which means the power output from the throttle is synced to the pedal assist setting. So when throttle follow is engaged and I’m in pedal assist level 1 but want to boost up a hill with the throttle, I can’t. I’m capped out at the power output available from pedal assist level 1.
I found the braking on the Cheetah to be consistently fantastic, though I will say that I’ve noticed a little bit of sponginess developing in the front brake. And the truth is, this is just one of those things that come along with using hydraulic disc brakes. Sometimes you need to bleed the lines and add some more oil. Still, after 500 miles, the brakes are strong as ever and there seems to be plenty of use left in the brake pads.
Let’s talk lighting. The headlight on the Cheetah is probably the biggest disappointment. It’s actually a pretty powerful headlight, but the beam pattern leaves a lot to be desired. The headlight on the Cheetah I’ve been riding splits the beam into two distinct spot patterns. If you angle the headlight so that the main spot is about 100 feet ahead of you, the second spot will be lighting up the trees.
Overall, after four months and 500 miles, I’m more in love with the Cheetah now than when I first got it. And if Revi Bikes incorporates the changes I mentioned in this video, then I could honestly say the Cheetah would be absolutely perfect.
I appreciate you taking the time to watch this video and I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you’re having a fantastic day. If you like this bike, you’ll be interested to know we’ll be reviewing the new Cheetah Min and Oasis in the next week or so, so stick around for that.
Thank you again, my amazing e-bike friends and be well! Until next time. Peace!
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