Project: Ares Is Taking Orders. The Prototype Era Is Over
- Paul Roberts
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
The Project Ares electric café racer has moved from prototype curiosity to something riders can actually put money down on.
Real Motors has opened pre-orders for the first 250 production bikes, with deliveries planned for early 2027.
We first covered Project Ares and Real Motors' “electric analogue” philosophy back in February, when the bike was still firmly in prototype territory. If you missed that story, you can read our original coverage here: Project Ares: The Prototype That Turns Heads.
From Showpiece to Street Bike
Back in February, the bike looked the part. Real Motors had plenty to say about ride feel, weight distribution and the connection between rider and machine. But some important pieces were still missing, including a confirmed production specification and price. Now we have them.
Real Motors has now opened LOT 01, limited to just 250 motorcycles worldwide. The starting price is $20,000, with North American deliveries expected in early 2027. European and GCC deliveries are planned for Q1 2027, subject to homologation. If you want to put a deposit down, pre-orders are open directly through Real Motors.
The production bike is now listed with a 75 kW (100 hp) PMSM motor, a 12–15 kWh NCM battery, a claimed top speed of 120 mph (193 km/h) and an estimated weight of 220 kg (485 lb). Real Motors quotes 1,000 Nm (738 lb-ft) at the rear wheel, measured with a 12/45 sprocket setup.
Range is less clear. RM has quoted different figures during Ares' development, but the current LOT 01 specification doesn't give us a confirmed range or explain the conditions behind those earlier estimates.
Those are the headline figures. What matters now is how much of that specification makes it onto the production bike. Real Motors says LOT 01 buyers will be able to choose from different liveries, while the final configuration will be disclosed before production begins.
So, after two years of development, Ares is finally crossing the line between something you look at and something you can actually buy.
The BCB Take
We've already established that Ares looks bloody good. That's not the question anymore.
What's important is whether Real Motors can turn all that prototype promise into a motorcycle that's genuinely good to ride, and then get it into customers' garages.
At $20,000, you're not buying an impulse purchase. You're putting serious money down on a limited-production bike from a young manufacturer. That's a very different proposition from admiring a prototype at a show.
Ares definitely has our attention. Now it needs to earn our seat time.
Ride safe, folks.
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