Triumph acquires OSET, plans electric off-road motorcycles for adults and kids

OSET currently offers electric bikes for kids as young as three years old, all the way up to adult competition models. Triumph is preparing to expand into the dirt market with an upcoming line of gas-powered enduros and motocrossers, and with the OSET acquisition, those dirt ambitions now include trials bikes and kids' bikes with electric power. Triumph has considerable history with trials riding, and with the OSET deal, it looks ready to make a return. Triumph is also working on a full-size electric street motorcycle called the TE-1. 

“We are excited about the opportunity of joining forces with OSET Bikes: a dynamic brand that has been encouraging children into motorcycling for many years and have been at the forefront of developing electric trials bikes for fun and competition,” said Triumph CE Nick Bloor. Press materials say OSET and Triumph will “continue working independently, [but they] will collaborate on new state-of-the-art products to inspire young riders into off-road riding, across the segments that Triumph and OSET will have a presence in, drawing on their respective strengths to build the best bikes in the world.”

OSET was founded by Ian Smith, an entrepreneur with two motorcycle media businesses and a serious obsession with trials riding. Smith’s three-year-old son, Oliver, wanted a motorcycle of his own, but he was still too young for even the smallest gas-powered minibikes, so a tiny electric trials bike was built with the help of engineer and fellow trials rider Mike Buchholz in 2004. After lots of tinkering, tuning, and prototyping, the electric trials bike concept had outgrown its backyard origins. The OSET Corporation was formed to offer production e-trials machines, and the OSET team relocated from the United States to southern England, some 200 miles southeast of Triumph’s headquarters in Hinckley.

To date, OSET has produced more than 40,000 electric motorcycles. OSET Bikes are designed and tested in the United States and the United Kingdom and are built in Taiwan. The brand’s name will not change with the Triumph acquisition. OSET's entry-level kids' bikes start at $1,399, and their largest adult trials model sells for $4,399.

“When we built that first ‘garage’ bike for my son, Oliver, I had no idea that it would lead to this moment,” said Smith. “We are all very excited for what the future holds for OSET as part of the Triumph family.”

Affordable, low-cost electric motorcycles can be the perfect way to start riding, and we'll be watching to see what Triumph does with its new purchase. To learn more about OSET Bikes, you can see their current lineup at osetbikes.com. You can also see the company's bikes in action on its YouTube channel.