Eunorau Defender S Electric Bike Review, 2024

The Eunorau Defender S review earned a distinction from its peers amongst other electric bikes we’ve reviewed; this bike had one of the greatest differences in our maximum and minimum range tests with the long range being greater than 4X the high powered result. It’s not entirely surprising though considering the max PAS test was using both motors, and the minimum was using just one to try to conserve the battery.

With both motors we went a little over eight miles, but what was really telling was the speed at which we traveled in those eight miles. The Defender S kept up with all traffic including up some pretty steep hills. An impressive feat which I honestly hoped for given the two motors.

There was a noticeable downside to the max PAS range test though. The battery indicator seemed to move its prediction of battery life around all over the place. 20% dropped away with seemingly every turn of the pedals, then it held at 80% for the majority of the ride until another rapid drop just under 50% – and then it died.

At first I thought I may have overheated something due to power consumption of making me ride so fast, but once I got back to charge up the battery it charged up just fine. In other words, test out the battery close to home so you can get a sense of how far it will take you lest you be caught eight miles away from where you started and find yourself needing to pedal a heavy bike back on just manual power – it’s a heavy e-bike at over 80 lbs. afterall.

While the max test had some quirks, the minimum PAS test was a pleasant surprise. PAS 1 gives enough power to help you move a heavy bike with wide tires, but you can still get your heart rate going and enjoy a bit of exercise in the effort. That it went more than 40 miles was a display of some surprising efficiency given the amount of help it gave me.

On our hill test, the Eunorau Defender S conquered. This is one of the more powerful e-bikes we’ve ever encountered. How powerful is it? On throttle alone, it climbed Hell Hole in less than a minute. At a time of just 55 seconds, its average speed works out to a rather impatient 19.7 mph. That’s not just a fine result, it’s the fastest result we’ve seen in months of testing, almost 3 mph faster than the next fastest bike we’ve tested recently.

Here’s a better way to frame its performance: Hell Hole is supposed to test the bike, to show where the motor’s weakness is or might be. The bike isn’t supposed to test the hill. If this bike could talk, at the top of the hill it might have said, “Yo, what else ya got?”

With our tester actually pedaling, the Eunorau Defender S turned in another very impressive performance. It ascended, once again, in just 55 seconds, for an average of 19.7 mph. No, that’s not a typo. It went up at exactly the same pace in PAS 5 as it did on throttle.

Rather than see that as an inability to go any faster, it’s a testament to just how commanding the throttle is.

Because our hill test is meant to reveal just what an e-bike’s capabilities are, our tester went up the hill in two-wheel drive for both the throttle and the PAS 5 ascents. Apparently, motors are like heads—two are better than one.

The Eunorau Defender S is not a light e-bike. At a claimed weight of 84 lbs., this thing is a beast. Most dogs don’t weigh as much as this e-bike. That’s a way to frame this e-bike’s so-so performance in our brake test. Also important to note is that we no longer execute full panic stops in our brake test. We don’t believe that accurately reflects what the average rider’s experience would be.

Our protocol now is to remain seated and brake as hard as possible, but without skidding. We think this reflects the real-world results that most riders would experience.

The Eunorau Defender S came to a stop in 24 feet 1 inch – a bit further back than most hydraulic brakes normally get. Again, we refer to the bike’s notable weight. Considering just how powerful this e-bike is, we were glad to see that the brakes feature an electronic motor cutoff switch; fighting against two motors would make for a difficult stop.

The brakes are Eunorau’s own, likely sourced from a smaller Asian manufacturer. While they seem to work well enough, more power would be welcome and we can’t help but wonder if brakes from a brand like Shimano or Tektro would have shortened the stopping distance.

So in conclusion: the brakes stop, just a little on the longer side.

Full-suspension, all-terrain bikes typically stock well in the comfort department. With a suspension fork, a rear shock, a big saddle 4-in-wide tires the Eunorau Defender S is essentially a foam pit on wheels. Riding this during an earthquake would likely increase someone’s chances for survival. Kidding, mostly.

The combination of front and rear suspension plus the fat tires has a fundamental influence on the bike’s handling in that control depends on keeping the wheels in contact with the ground and not sliding. Its particular combination of weight; fat, knobby tires and suspension makes breaking these tires loose won’t be easy. So rider confidence in turns should run high.

The Eunorau Defender S comes in two sizes—17 in. and 19 in. We’re pleased to see this bike offered in multiple sizes, however, the 17-in. frame has a standover height of 30.7 that few people shorter than 5 feet 9 inches will likely be able to fit. We would have some concerns about a rider controlling an 84-lb. e-bike if they can’t get both feet flat on the ground.

The two-wheel drive aspect of this bike takes some getting used to. The heavier a wheel is, the more gyroscopic effect it generates. A heavy wheel spinning at high rpms will be fairly resistant to changing direction. Practically speaking, what that means for the rider is that the Eunorau Defender S loves going in a straight line. Initiating a turn is a different matter.

As a reviewer, I can say that the front wheel on the Defender S is among the heaviest front wheels I have ever ridden. This bike required a little bit of muscle to enter a turn and I was able to feel a certain amount of steering momentum; that is, once the front wheel started to turn, it wanted to keep turning. That could result in oversteering for some riders. This is why I keep envisioning this bike as something more suited towards folks a bit more comfortable on bikes as opposed to those new to the game.

With the two-wheel drive engaged, the Eunorau Defender S was perceptibly more resistant to turning; once the motor started turning in a given direction, the front wheel became rather partial to that direction.

This isn’t to say that the Eunorau Defender S handles poorly. The bike handles fine, but this is a ride that will take some adjustment in the rider’s expectations for how a e-bike handles. It’s just different, but certainly not wrong.

The color LCD display is bright and easy to read and the buttons are reasonably easy to reach. It shows four data points at once with speed, odometer, pas level and battery readout. Worth noting: the battery readout wasn’t always accurate in our testing so get to know the batteries limits while riding close to home.

The selector switch that chooses between the rear motor, the front motor and both motors is a red, three-position switch that sits below the display. It is easy enough to see when off the bike, but when riding the display obscures it from view, so it’s necessary to develop a feel for where the switch is located, by muscle memory; it’s no harder than discerning between the gas pedal and the brake pedal.

One note regarding the various hoses, cables and wires: most bikes need a bit of attention to keep everything looking neat in the front of the bike. The leads that run to the fork to power the front wheel would benefit from a more elegant routing.

In the end, my biggest takeaway from reviewing the Eunorau Defender S is how it seems to have appeal to several different use cases but it isn’t necessarily a universal fit. Riders with experience under their belt and a hunger for more intense, dirtbike-like experiences will find some thrills with the Defender S. I also think larger riders who have been left wanting by some e-bikes’ motor capabilities will be happy to see what a dual motor experience brings to the table.

We classify this e-bike as an all-terrain machine. It’s great for the person who lives 10 mi. up a dirt road or for the hunter who doesn’t want to spend half the day walking to a blind. And it’s got the horsepower necessary to haul out a deer.

The headliner for most people looking at Eunorau’s Defender S will be the dual motors, and believe me they are fun. However, e-bikes with this much wattage require knowing where to legally ride them so just make sure to use them in appropriate areas and get a feel for the bike first before turning it loose.

The rest of the package offered here is pretty feature-rich even if most of the features are at the more budget-end of the spectrum. The suspension and 4″ tires will make for a less jarring ride experience, but it will be a bit springy of one. The 9-speed Shimano Alivio drivetrain is the right call for the offroading you’ll be doing on the Defender S and we always love trigger shifters.

There are a few areas of needed improvement with the cable routing, and we experienced dropouts with our battery cover over the course of testing which we hope was unique to our experience. I wouldn’t say no to some slightly better brakes even thought the Eunorau branded ones get the job done. Also, I can still feel the burn of riding the 84 lbs. of bike back when the battery readout mislead me to thinking I had plenty of juice left to go that wasn’t actually there on my range test.

But once we figured out our workaround to keep the cover in place and learned the battery lessons of riding two motors, it was great to appreciate what the Defender S did well. The bike is a blast in OHV areas and could make light work of even the steepest of hills.

As long as a rider sticks to jeep roads, fire roads, forestry roads and the like, the Eunorau Defender S won’t take no for an answer. With its two-wheel drive engaged and its big, knobby tires, neither sand nor mud is likely to stop it.

That this bike sits in the $2000-$3000 price tier is quite an achievement. Again, considering all it is equipped with, Eunorau has unleashed an e-bike worth taking a look at. We’ve rarely seen so much on a bike for this kind of money.

‘Happy Riding, make sure to let us know if you have any questions down in our comments section or if you think we left anything out in this review of the Eunorau Defender S.