2024 Trevor DTRE Stella First Look

Admin · September 20, 2023

Big on style and adequate on power, the Belgian-born Stella DTRe electric motorcycle is coming to the US market. (Russell McKellar/Trevor Motorcycles/)

You could say the electric motorcycle market has been absolutely flooded with new models of late, but if you’re sniffing around for lightweight, torquey two-wheelers designed mainly for off-road? There are only a handful of those, and if your wish list demands premium components, solid build quality, and a heavy dose of style, the choices shrink dramatically. With the introduction of its new DTRe Stella, Belgium-based Trevor Motorcycles made it clear it was angling to join that rarefied group; the problem was that model was only available in Europe. But now Trevor is bringing an off-road-only version of its DTRe Stella to riders in the US, and it’s available for order.

Spare styling with a minimal body and big 19-inch wheels define the DTRe Stella’s flat-track-ish vibe. Each bike is hand-built in Belgium. (Trevor Motorcycles/)

Let’s be clear: The Stella ain’t exactly new, having been in pandemic-addled development for more than two years and finally hitting European streets over a year ago. Trevor says its bikes are “Designed in California and Hand-built in Belgium,” but over there, the Stella is street-legal for A1 license holders. Not so in North America; Trevor emphatically states, “In the USA this motorcycle is not allowed to drive on public roads.”

LED lighting and an aluminum flat-track-style Domino Racing bar define the front end. (Trevor Motorcycles/)

In any case, here’s what else we can confirm: The DTRe Stella is a classic flat-track-styled electric motorcycle with upright ergonomics and a good amount of premium high-performance parts. We’re talking a chromoly trellis frame, CNC-machined alloy swingarm, an adjustable Öhlins fork, and a linkage-free rear shock to name just a few.

Beringer brake calipers supply stopping power to the lightweight 19-inch Excel wheels, which are shod with flat-track-spec Mitas rubber. Although we can clearly make out that Öhlins fork, there’s no travel measurement, and while Saroléa Performance Technology is also mentioned as a component, it’s not clear for what element. (If Saroléa sounds familiar, that’s because the fellow Belgian electric outfit campaigned an SP7 racebike at IOM TT Zero a few years back.) Trevor does state that the Saroléa Performance Technology team did collaborate on the bike “to ensure the strict integration of premium OEM parts.”

An air-cooled DC motor is mounted at the swingarm pivot; it’s good for 11kW of peak power and 8kW rated power. (Trevor Motorcycles/)

Other specs on the US release also vary somewhat from the EU model on the website, with a claimed 223-pound weight for American machines, though both versions of the bike get power from a brushless air-cooled 11kW (that’s 14.7 hp) motor mounted at the swingarm pivot. Trevor claims 233 lb.-ft. of torque at the rear wheel, with juice provided by a 2.7kWh battery. The lithium-ion brick is said to be good for 54 miles of range, with a charging time of just over an hour, with the optional 3kW charger; the standard 1kW charger will get you an 80 percent charge in two hours.

A cockpit view of the DTRe Stella, with a color dash displaying bike functions and battery status. (Trevor Motorcycles/)

Trevor emphasizes its “design-first approach in terms of both technology and style” on the DTRe Stella model, which we’re seriously hoping doesn’t mean form over function. There’s no denying the Stella’s minimalist look is pleasing to the eye but there’s just this one bike, so we’ll have to wait and see if that “looks matter” philosophy holds. Each DTRe Stella comes with a built-in battery pack, 1kWh external charger, and white body, but Trevor is also offering additional optional bodywork colors and other accessories to give Stella buyers more choices on the cosmetic front, so there’s definitely a fashion element at play here.

Öhlins supplies the front suspension, with Saroléa Performance Tech providing calibration. Beringer brake calipers appear front and rear. (Trevor Motorcycles/)

As far as positioning in the market goes, Trevor says the DTRe Stella is “an everyday performance bike…with zero active emissions…and a near-silent ride. The size and thickness of the tires make the Stella ideal for a wide range of riders from pros to those just getting started riding.”

Jeroen-Vincent Nagels, co-founder and technical director of Trevor Motorcycles, added: “It’s incredibly exciting to be launching the DTRe Stella in the US market, and to continuously hear the amazing responses from our customers who absolutely love the look, feel, and performance of the bike.”

The bad news is that the bike is currently limited to a top speed of 56 mph and a range of 54 miles, which likely relegates it to the status of a very good looking commuter bike for city use—if it were street-legal. US MSRP is $11,975, but the Stella isn’t your highest priced option, though it does have company in that group; Zero’s also flat-track-y FXE rings in at $12,995, but with double the power and longer range. A better comparison would be the also off-road-only Sur-Ron Ultra Bee, which brings similar power and range claims as well as chunky 19-inch wheels—but is half the price of the Stella. Will the Stella’s more premium component set and polished design be enough to woo US consumers? We’ll see.

The DTRe Stella can be found online at: trevormotorcycles.com/products/dtre-stella-usa.

Trevor Motorcycles states a 20-week lead time between purchase and delivery.

Optional bodywork in various colors and patterns are also available for the DTRe. Shown is the street-legal EU model. (Trevor Motorcycles/)