NEW MATTERS, OLD HABITS

An e-motorcycle with clutch and gear is what we wanted... but was it needed?

- Manaal Mahatme

We truly are creatures of habit, aren't we? Whether it’s checking our phones for messages the moment we wake up, assigning a specific pocket for our motorcycle keys, or instinctively reaching for the clutch and gear the second we're on the saddle — it all happens without a second thought. With electric motorcycles, we've had to change that. No clutch or gear to keep the left limbs engaged. Though I didn’t like that initially, I accepted it and even got used to the almost scooter-like riding until Ahmedabad-based Matter Motor invited me to ride its Aera 5000+ — India’s first electric motorcycle with a gearbox (and a clutch lever).

Of course I was excited to ride it, but that also meant it was time to recalibrate my mind again — or so I thought. My phone was paired with the bike, the destination set on the Aera’s 7-inch TFT console, and it was time to roll. Clutch in, a click down from neutral to first, and with a gentle twist of the throttle, I was gliding silently. This was new... yet familiar. In my eagerness to put all of the 11.5 kW to good use, I switched from Eco straight to Sport, skipping the City mode. And then it was a riot!