Motto Two test: our full review –

The electric bike is a very good means of daily travel over short distances, especially in town. But its cost, higher than the so-called “muscular” or “mechanical” bike, may discourage some buyers. Fortunately and as for the car, it is possible to rent one, thanks to recent offers like Motto.

This Parisian company born in 2022 surfs the long-term rental market for VAE, like Véligo, the public player of Île-de-France Mobilités, or rivals like Dance, Swapfiets and Red-Will. Its bikes criss-crossed the streets of Paris from the spring of 2022, with a first generation of bikes.

Rather top-of-the-range models, inspired by the Cowboys or Vanmoof, which are already arriving in a second, even more attractive Motto Two version, which appeared in the summer of 2023. It is this rental VAE that we tested for around ten days.

A Spanish Motto with French Sauce

As with the first generation, the Motto Two draws its inspiration from Rayvolt to design its bike. The Two is therefore based on the Exxite model from the Spanish manufacturer, like Hyundai, with some component differences, in particular the specific battery accessible via the saddle.

The Motto Two is even more successful than the One, very modern whether in a closed “Sport” frame or an open “Comfort” frame. No welding is visible, nor the cables all integrated: we are clearly inspired by Cowboy, up to the almost identical curved handlebars.

Ditto for the lighting, with the light bar in the handlebars and the taillight in the saddle. It is very visible, except in the case of clothing coming to hide it… The result is superb, even the typical green paint of the Parisian brand, which is nevertheless very fragile in the face of scratches.

The mudguards are standard, in thin metal and a little floating, enough to twist the rear if you have to park your bike in a narrow space (room, apartment, etc.). Unlike many pedelecs, the Motto does not offer a rear rack, only an optional front basket (€4/month). It is very solid, integrating well with the electric bike, but adds a little weight to the whole.

No screen, but an app provided

Mimicking Cowboy and pushing connectivity to the extreme, Motto forgets a bit about the customer experience. And yes, no screen or even indicator light is present on the bike, of which we do not know the mode or the state of the battery (well if, looking under the saddle after opening via a key). Everything goes through the app, starting with unlocking and switching on the bike.

At least this solution is modern with neat graphics and Motto’s green color. The app shows the bike’s location, speed, battery gauge and current mode. To use the smartphone with the application on the bike, simply attach it to the SP Connect support integrated into the stem. No need for a compatible case, the support is adjustable in width, securing the phone well while driving as well as when facing theft.

After driving, you can consult your previous journeys, with some data and a histogram according to weeks, months or year. You have to wait a bit before you can check your statistics, but the wait is worth it.

A wise bike that needs a Boost

The Motto is beautiful but heavy, 28 kg with its optional basket. The latter comes to restore a little balance knowing that the battery is in the seat tube and the motor is at the rear. With our Comfort version, with an upright posture, this electric bike is not the most agile. Briefly trying the Motto Sport model, it is indeed noticeably more dynamic, the bike seems lighter. The Comfort is therefore intended for people who want a serene journey, for a peaceful drive.

This is the case, but not for the comfort which is precisely very limited. The saddle cut in two to access the battery and the absence of suspension generates discomfort in the buttocks after 10-15 km: we almost finished our tour of Paris as a dancer. If it is better on the Sport version – because your weight is more forward -, a topper is necessary on the Comfort version.

The wide tires are a very good quality of this Motto, however, absorbing vibrations and making the cobbles acceptable, while the grip is good. The associated Tektro HD-E350 brakes are also reassuring, with good bite and quite progressive.

As for the engine, it respects the spirit of cycling, with a peak torque of 50 Nm, which takes a little while to start up despite the torque sensor. However, it offers good boosts, especially if you press the Boost button on the right of the handlebars. Because with a single-speed transmission via belt, and two Eco and Sport modes, versatility is not the strong point of the Motto. A boost is absolutely useful on slopes – or when starting – in order to climb moderate elevations.

Endurance average but not bug free

With 504 Wh of capacity – or 14 Ah – the battery should in theory offer us more than 50 km in Sport mode (officially 70 km in Eco mode). I personally took this Motto Two on my usual circuit: a tour of Paris with low gradients, various roads, all at 30°C, and with my weight of 80 kg.

After the 38 km of the tour of Paris, the Motto told me between 50 and 55% on the first two attempts. Very optimistic since this would indicate almost 80 km of autonomy in total. However, once stored, the bike lost 10% in just 24 hours, a bit like what we had experienced during our test of the Cowboy Classi. From 53%, the Motto thus fell to 41% on D+1 and 28% on D+2. Worse, on D+3, we were at… 2%. Imagine leaving your bike on Friday evening and having no battery on Monday morning…

This prompted us to use the after-sales service (see below), which intervened twice without success: the same phenomenon happened again with the reconfiguration of the bike and the change of battery. On the third attempt to drain the battery while driving, the 35% gauge fell to 0% in less than 7 kilometers, even finishing without assistance before returning our Motto. We can thus finally count 45-50 km of autonomy per charge on our experience.

The Motto’s battery is, as on the first iteration, in the seat tube. Difference, it is no longer part of the tube, but rests on a separate block and therefore removable independently. This makes the format more transportable, and above all less heavy. You can always charge the battery outside or on the bike. Downside, the recharge automatically cuts the connection with the bike, so it is impossible to follow the recharge level on the bike.

Removed, the battery has a 5-light gauge and takes advantage of a USB-C socket to charge your phone with if necessary. With its 2A charger, the battery takes about 7.5 hours to fully charge, or 3.5 hours from 30 to 80%.

A Motto service with small onions

What happens when his rental bike has a problem, or more seriously, breaks down? The customer does not have the budget or the knowledge to repair an e-bike, which Motto responds to with a complete after-sales service. The brand gives two solutions in case of glitches: contact the team directly via a message to discuss, or go through the form. In both cases, everything goes through the application. Please note that after-sales service is possible in the inner suburbs of Paris, with the exception of Aubervilliers, Pantin, Les Lilas and part of Saint-Ouen.

Despite our few days of testing, as seen above, we were able to experience the service twice. First, we went through the chat for the first battery problem, with a response given during the day, and support initiated the next day for the following day. The technician came to the house – on a cargo bike, what else? – at the foot of the building, in order to configure the bike controller and solve the problem.

We therefore benefited from a small performance gain, but from the end of the coaster pedal, which we were able to test immediately in its presence. We also report a suspicious noise from the front brake. Not having the tools on site – normal, we had not informed him in advance – the repairer sent another technician within 2 hours to replace the disc in the caliper. Perfect.

However, the battery retained its bug, as did the irregular percentage display. We are therefore launching a second intervention, via the form. It’s very intuitive, in a few clicks, and a short message, we have an appointment for the next day with a time range. In this situation, you have to leave the bike in a public place, attached of course to a fixed point, so that the technician can intervene.

It’s a bit nerve-wracking, as you have to leave the saddle open with the battery vulnerable to theft. What we avoided, the technician having called us on his arrival to unlock it. There, the technician came with a spare battery, to fix the malfunction.

So we let him do it, and he left the bike at the location so we could pick it up later. However, the bike continued to give us the same battery issues. A fact inherent to the bike according to Motto, and to the first batch of this second generation of VAE just delivered.

A complete offer, but expensive

So let’s talk about prices, or rather packages since we are here in a rental offer. The Motto Two is available in three distinct offers, only in Paris:

• Without “Flex” commitment at 94 euros/month (1 month minimum);
• Commitment 6 months at 84 euros/month;
• Commitment 1 year at 79 euros/month.

There are no administration fees to add, nor additional insurance and repair costs, because all this is included, nor delivery costs, because to be picked up in person in Paris. The price is the same for the two Sport and Comfort versions, but you have to add 4 euros/month to take advantage of a front basket.

A cheaper offer still exists, offering the first generation Motto One for hire. Refurbished and having therefore already driven, this VAE is from 65 euros / month in annual subscription, and 75 euros / month without commitment. To reduce the bill, know that the Sustainable Mobility Package is compatible with the rental of an electric bike and therefore this Motto, if you are an employee.

Finally, it is possible to test the bike before any registration, again in inner Paris only, in two places or at home.

Service	Without engagement	6 months	12 months
Motto Two	94 €	84 €	79 €
Motto One	75 €	65 €	/
Dancing	79 €	59 €	/
Red-Will Classic 500	89 €	79 €	75 €
Red-Will Connect 500	95 €	85 €	79 €
Swapfiets Power 1	€64.90*	€64.90	/
Power Swapfiets 7	€109.90*	€109.90	/
Veligo	/	40 €	/

*+39.90 euros registration fee

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