Tempus Electric Bikes burst onto the green scene back in '17 with its freshman entry, the CR-T1, and the Ontario-based builder reprises its effort with the Titan family. The new model comes with much of the same café-tastic look that made the first a hit, but with more in the way of performance at the top end. Like the original, it rocks a pedal-assist drive system offered in a 500 Watt hub-type motor on the “C” model or 1,000W on the “R” variant. Top speeds and range vary according to motor size/model to give the platform an outsized footprint in an ever-expanding market.

Tempus Titan Design

Not sayin' any names, but someone at the factory apparently appreciates the old-school café racers as much as I do since the Titans seems to be the main design influence for Tempus' sophomore effort. It's a safe bet considering the current popularity of the genre, and it's a relatively easy panache to adopt. Tempus manages to make the connection simply through a faux fuel tank and tuck-and-roll bench seat. A set of knee pockets in the ABS-plastic tank area makes another clear historical connection while the tank area serves as a dry housing for the electrical connections so there are no exposed terminations.

The headlights and taillights both boast LED technology, and the entirety of the instrumentation is handled by the color LCD screen. It delivers the pertinent metrics and acts as a rider interface that lets you set a password for security and govern the speed to meet local statutes. The café-esque flyline and rigid frame geometry completes the look, and telescopic forks further blur the line between bicycle and motorcycle.

Tempus Titan Chassis

The factory went with aircraft-grade, 4130 Cro-Moly tubing for the main structure, subframe and rigid rear-wheel mount. That setup takes a step back to a time before the swingarms and shocks that support its sibling, the CR-T1. An aluminum dual-crown suspension system apes both the look and the function of motorcycle-style telescopic/hydraulic stems, but with fixed damping values.

All-terrain hoops line the 26-inch laced rims, and the brakes borrow from the motorcycle segment yet again with mechanical calipers that bite brake discs front and rear. As far as carrying capacity, the Titans handles a maximum load of 300 pounds so subtract your weight and then see if you can carry a friend.

Tempus Titan Drivetrain

What we have here is a pedal-assist driveline that matches effort at the pedals with torque from the motor for relatively effortless travel. At the bottom of the range, the Titan C has a 500 Watt electric motor with a 30 Amp controller and 11 Amp-hour, 48 Volt battery. That gives you up to 30 miles per charge at speeds up to 20 mph. As for the Titan R, it has a 1,000 Watt drive motor and beefed-up, 52 Volt battery that stores 13 Amp-hours for speeds up to 28 mph and a 40-mile max range. To charge up, just plug the battery pack into a 110 Volt outlet and the 4 Amp-hour charger will restore the charge in 4 to 5 hours. Not fast enough for main roads, but neighborhood streets and other bicycle-friendly areas are ideal for the Titans since they still legally qualify as bicycles and fall under the same laws. Be sure to check your local laws and statutes though, 'cause some areas still aren't quite sure how to handle them.

Tempus Titan Price

Despite the difference in motor size, the Titans come priced relatively close to one another. The 500 Watt Titan C fetches a $2,499.99 starting price, and you can double the motor size to 1,000 Watts for another four Benjamins. At the time of this writing, the factory was still taking pre-orders for delivery in the summer of 2019.

Tempus Titan Competitors

My go-to competitor for the Tempus Titan has to be Ariel Rider, if for no other reason than the difference in look. The W-Class from Ariel comports itself with oodles of beach-cruiser appeal that is hard to deny – always been a fan of beach cruisers, myself – and even favors an old-time springer front end rather than the modern stems that hold up the Titans. Both rear ends are equally rigid, so neither marque gains any points there.

Hydraulic disc brakes haul down the Ariel rather than mechanical anchors to give it a slight edge in brake performance. If there's a weakness to the Ariel package, it's in the drivetrain; while you can choose between a 500 Watt and a 1,000 Watt motor on the Tempus, Ariel splits the difference with a once-size-fits-all, 750 Watt setup.

I was sad to see the swingarm and shocks go away on the Titans, but it does help keep costs down. The base model checks out at $2,499, and the “R” model rolls for $2,899.99 against the less expensive W-Class that fetches $1,999, but if you want that full 1,000 Watts of power and café racer look, you'll probably find it worth the extra cash.

He Said

“I'm kinda torn. I thought the Clark's hydraulic-disc brakes on the CR-T1 were pretty slick, but I can well imagine that the mechanical actuators are both less expensive outright and more easily maintained in the long run. Same with the rigid rear end though there's no denying the nostalgia brought on by that triangular geometry out back. The price definitely trended the right way, considering that the genre is still clawing for mainstream acceptance, and is sure to buy Tempus some business.”

She Said

My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “I gotta say, I like these electric bikes. They're an economical commuter and with a basket or bags, would make a dandy grocery-getter and honestly how much easier can it get to park than to just roll it into the office lobby like folks do with their 10-speed pedal bikes. Try doing that with a scooter.”

Tempus Titan Specifications

Further Reading

Ariel Rider C-Class / N-Class / W-Class

See our previous review of the Ariel Rider C-Class / N-Class / W-Class->art174083].

Tempus CR-T1

See our review of the Tempus CR-T1.

Tempus Electric Bikes

Read more Tempus news.