2026 Dust Hightail BETA Edition // Test Ride & Review
We got a big ride ahead of us today. Behind me is the Dust Moto Hightail Beta pre-production prototype. I know it’s a mouthful, but this bike looks super exciting. It’s been a while since we rode the Hightail in the Alpha version. This thing is new and improved. It looks amazing. Can’t wait to get out and ride this thing. So, without further ado, let’s go do it. We want to reiterate that this Hightail is still a prototype bike. It is not yet in production, but this bike is much closer to the final production unit than the alpha bike that we rode previously. Last year, we spent a lot of time reviewing, testing, and even racing the alpha version of the Dust Hight Tail. That bike was super promising, but it was still very much an early stage prototype. This new beta version feels like a big step forward. Dust has refined every major system on this bike, from the frame and suspension to the powertrain and the plastics. Starting with the chassis, this Beta bike runs a 26 degree rake, which gives it more stability than the UltraB. It’s a bit more like a 125 in terms of the way that it feels. The wheelbase is slightly longer than an UltraB, but it’s still shorter than a KTM Free Ride or 125. We’ve been calling it a 7/8 size bike because it splits the difference between the full-size Emotos and the smaller midsize bikes. This Beta model is also running custom Sierra suspension developed specifically for dust. The baseline tune is designed to be a middle ground for fast enduro and light motocross. You’re getting 260 mm of travel up front and 285 in the rear, which gives it more suspension travel than bikes like the UltraB or KTM Free. Power comes from a proprietary gear reduced motor customuilt for this platform. And the motor itself is rated for 48 horsepower and over 700 new meters of torque at the rear wheel. They’re still finalizing the maps, but this unit is set up as follows. Map 1 15 horsepower, map 2, 30 horsepower, and map 3 42 horsepower. And powering it all is a 4.4 kWh battery pack. Today’s ride is all about shaking down the bike and giving some feedback to hopefully help dial in this next generation platform before it hits production. All right, time to see how the Beta Hightail really rides. Yeah, this thing rips. Just mode two right now. Immediately, this bike has a ton of power. It just pops and hops off of everything. It’s got tons of quick throttle response. I will get into mode three here in a little bit, but even mode two, it’s pretty hot for a trail. Now, I know they’re going to fine-tune this stuff even more, but if you were curious how much power this bike has, the answer is enough. First impressions are everything. And my first impressions on this bike are yes, it feels like a dirt bike for sure. Definitely more of like a 7th e size dirt bike, but it feels like a moto. And I mean that in a really good way. I spent a lot of time on the Alpha prototype and it was very clear that that bike was definitely a prototype. Yeah, the bike just feels refined. It feels like a bike that you could get off the showroom floor and feel like a production bike, whereas the Alpha definitely felt like a prototype. So, that’s a step in the right direction. All right, let’s see what mode 3 is like on this thing. Holy Woo! Damn. All right, that’s no joke. This bike is fast. You better be holding on in mode three, man. This thing rips. Woo! Straight away, this powertrain is no joke. This bike is straight up fast. Way faster than the Alpha bike. One comment I made is that we could D-tune power mode too a bit for enduro or trail riding. It’s got abundant power and it spools up super quick and I feel like most riders will want a slightly tamer hit for that mid power mode, especially at the crack of the throttle. The main notes for the chassis is that it feels super stable but also really nimble. Compared to something like the Suron Ultrabe, the Hightail feels like it has more straight line stability. It’s slightly heavier and it has a bit more moto style geometry, more like a 125cc gas bike in the way that it handles. I felt real comfortable right off the jump. I felt right at home on it. Sizing wise, it feels bigger than our modded Ultra B with 2118 wheels and Cirrus suspension. Pretty much smack dab right in between that bike and the Stark MX. One thing I mentioned that I’d like to try is some fork height adjustment to see how it affects the turning. This bike really favors when you’re riding over the front of the bike, but it seemed like it had a tendency to under steer if you weren’t keeping your weight forward. The suspension feels amazing, but as usual, I’d like to try some clicker changes because the bike felt like it was slightly on the stiffer side for my weight, speed, and the riding I was doing in this video. I couldn’t tell if that was chassis stiffness or suspension stiffness, so I’d want to click around and see how the bike reacts. And for battery range, that’s the question that everybody asks, and it’s the one that I can’t really give a clean answer to from this ride. There’s a lot that happens behind the scenes when we film these videos. We’re constantly starting and stopping. We’re doing multiple takes and we’re debriefing after each section. And honestly, a lot of throttle happy riding just to get good shots. And yes, it’s still a prototype bike. On top of that, this bike was ridden earlier in the morning. So, when I hopped on to start filming, the battery was already sitting at 81%. I didn’t track distance, and with all the stopand go filming, elapse time doesn’t really mean much either. What I can say is that I ran the bike all the way down to zero, and it still had solid power delivery at the end. Based on experience, having done this kind of testing hundreds of times before, the range feels right in line with what you’d expect from today’s top electric dirt bikes. probably better than a stock UltraB and possibly approaching what you get from a Stark MX, but we’ll need proper testing days to confirm that. It’s pretty wild to see how far this project has come since the alpha version we rode last year. This beta bike feels like a legit step into production ready territory. And if it keeps developing at this pace, the Dust Hight Tail could easily be one of the best electric dirt bikes on the market. Speaking of which, Dusk claims they’re targeting early production in Q1 for the initial backers with full scale production expected to ramp up by late spring or early summer. Yeah, this thing is an absolute blast. Nimble, fast, the right size. It is such a cool bike. This dust high tail and feeling like we’re closer to the production model feels really good. It is a fun bike. All right, just finishing up a full day on the Dust Moto Hightail Beta prototype. And this thing is super fun. We burned the battery all the way down to 0%. So, the sun’s setting, the bike is cooked, and I had an awesome time on this thing. So, it’s hard to critique this thing because it is a prototype, but the smile factor on this bike is super high. It is so fun to ride. It’s got a ton of power. Really snappy, really nimble. That 7/8 size bike that I absolutely love. We like to call it the midsize category. And this bike is such a contender. I can’t wait for this thing to come out. I’m really excited to see the progress that Dust has made on this bike. A huge thank you to Dust Moto for giving me the opportunity to come out and test ride this thing. It was super fun. I’m really excited to see where they’re at with this bike and it gives me a lot of hope for the future of this bike coming out really soon as a production bike that everybody can buy. So, a super fun day, really eye opening, really fun to be on a bike in the category that I love and yeah, hopefully do more on this thing soon. See you.
Dust Moto brought their new Dust Hightail Beta Edition electric dirt bike to our zone in the mountains of Colorado for a day of test riding, feedback and filming. This may be one of the best new electric dirt bikes coming to the market in 2026!
Pre-Order the Dust Moto Hightail Here: https://bit.ly/DustHightailPreOrder
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For more tests and reviews on the latest electric motorcycles and dirt bikes, visit: https://ElectricCycleRider.com
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