Orxa Mantis | Good From Far, Far From Good | First Ride Review

What's It Like To Ride?

Well, here’s where the majority of my disappointment lies. One can improve upon build quality, fit and finish in time. Still, a flawed riding experience or drivetrain can be a bigger pain for a manufacturer. For starters, the all-aluminium frame needs to inspire confidence. On paper, it may sound bold and certainly helps the marketing, but IRL doesn’t guarantee a better riding experience. The Mantis is a testament to that from the moment I came across the first corner, I felt little to no feedback from the motorcycle, and even its ability to fall into corners seemed inconsistent.

The Mantis packs most of its weight up front and lacks any feel or feedback from the front end. The brakes, too, inspire little to no confidence and tend to judder under braking, which is somewhat unnerving. The lack of ABS at the rear means the rear tends to lock up almost every time, and the front tends to take away little confidence you may have. What makes matters worse is that after just one warm-up lap of this relatively short track, the Mantis overheats, put the drivetrain in “limp mode” of sorts, and cuts all its power. After this, the Mantis has half its grunt and feels toothless around this small track. The little time I spent with this machine felt disappointing, and the experience was lacking. For the relatively high asking price, the Mantis needs to do more to justify it or sway you away from any ICE alternative that will not only cost half but offer more consistent or reliable performance.