In yet another new example of an industry defying progress out of preference for βthe old waysβ, X Games riders and fans are going to be seeing a lot fewer electric motorcycles in the air this year. Thatβs after a new rule change has quietly banned electric motorcycles from competing. And the reasoning? Itβs not fair to the gassers who are trying to keep up.
Thatβs not hyperbole; thatβs the reasoning given by the X Games leadership.
The X Games is an annual extreme sports competition featuring top athletes in events like skateboarding, BMX, motocross, and snowboarding. Known for high-flying tricks and intense competition, it showcases the best in action sports while pushing the limits of whatβs possible.
Think of it like the Olympics of dirt bikes, so to speak.
As electric motorcycles and dirt bikes have become more popular, riders have discovered that the new technology has opened the door to trick innovation and stunt riding at a level not previously possible with internal combustion engine (ICE) dirt bikes.
Powerful electric dirt bikes like the Stark Varg are often lighter and faster than their gasser counterparts, and their lower weight distribution allows them to rotate and perform tricks in ways that only electrics can achieve.
In the face of that new innovation, the X Games has responded not by encouraging their use in an effort to encourage new stunts, but instead by banning them altogether.
In a statement provided to RideApart, an X Games representative explained that the move was designed to create a βlevel playing fieldβ so that gassers could keep up.
βAt X Games, we are committed to preserving the core of action sports while continuously evaluating new technologies. Our current competition formats are designed around the performance and characteristics of traditionalΒ gas-poweredΒ bikes, which remain the global standard for elite competition. While we recognize the advancements in electric bike technology, our focus is on maintaining a level playing field and delivering the best experience for both our athletes and fans. Weβll continue to monitor the evolution of the sport and assess how new innovations fit withinΒ X Games competitions.β
As RideApart rightly pointed out, that answer seems to fly in the face of years of technological innovation that has helped individual athletes push their sports further. X Games competitors rely on their tools, whether a dirt bike, a skateboard, or a mountain bike, to perform mind-blowing feats, and advancements in those tools have allowed each sport to progress to increasingly gravity-defying stunts.
In fact, journalist Jonathan Kleinβs response to the X Games statement just about sums up the ridiculousness of the situation.
βWhat we likely have here are a bunch of cry-baby competitors that donβt like the Starks and other EV dirt bikes allowing riders to up the ante to the next level. To go harder than before. To take the sport of freestyle motocross to the next level just like Deegan and Pastrana and Carmichael and McGrath and Hart and Bartram did before them. And these same current riders got the folks at the X Games to capitulate to their crocodile tears.β
Ultimately, the X Games have simply confirmed what weβve all suspected: Electric motorcycles are superior machines, and the old guard doesnβt like that their gas bikes canβt keep up anymore. Period.
