Best known for producing drones and action cameras, Chinese tech behemoth DJI took everyone by surprise when it launched its new e-MTB motor system at Eurobike this year. While the move didn’t seem all that logical from the outside, DJI has garnered a lot of experience with electric motors, batteries and user software over the past two decades. That’s given it a lot of the necessary know-how to produce its first e-MTB motor, called the Avinox M1.
DJI has longer term aspirations of being a Bosch or Shimano, where it’ll primary be supplying motors and batteries to other manufacturers to use on their bikes. In the meantime it decided to launch its own premium e-MTB brand called Amflow Bikes, with the aim of showcasing what’s possible with the Avinox system.
This isn’t some catalogue open-mould frame either. Engineered from the ground-up by the Amflow Bikes team, the Amflow PL is a premium e-MTB that looks absolutely fantastic and boasts some incredible stats. Complete bikes weigh as little as 19.2kg with a 600Wh battery and a compact motor that’s capable of pumping out up to 120Nm of torque and 1,000W of peak power. That is properly envelope-pushing stuff, and it’s caught a lot of folks attention, including ours.
Is the Amflow PL too good to be true? Or will this be the market disruptor that many e-Enthusiasts are hoping for? We’ve just received one to put to the test and find out if a drone manufacturer can really hang with the established names out on the trail.
An overview of the Amflow PL
The Amflow PL is currently the only model offered by Amflow Bikes. It’s a do-it-all machine that aims to straddle the gap between lightweight e-MTBs like the Specialized Levo SL and Focus JAM² SL, and bigger full-powered e-MTBs like the Merida eOne-Sixty and Trek Rail.
Up front is a 160mm travel fork and out back is 150mm of rear travel courtesy of a four-bar suspension platform. While complete bikes come fitted with dual 29in wheels, a flip chip in the linkage allows the rear end to accommodate a smaller 27.5in rear wheel for those who prefer the mullet vibe.
The Amflow PL frame is currently manufactured from carbon fibre only. It’s claimed to weigh just 2.27kg for the bare frame (without motor or shock), which is impressively lightweight. The enclosed downtube is kept nice and slim thanks to a bolt-in battery that’s offered in 600Wh and 800Wh sizes. A charge port on the seat tube is used to top it up between rides, and it’s claimed to take just 90 minutes to charge it from 0-75% using DJI’s High Performance Charger.
The DJI Avinox motor & battery
At the heart of the Amflow PL is the brand new DJI Avinox M1 motor, and boy are the numbers on this pretty wild!
It features a compact form factor and a listed weight of just 2.52kg, making it lighter than the Shimano EP801 (2.7kg) and Bosch Performance Line CX (2.9kg) motors. Despite this, the Avinox M1 drive unit is also claimed to be more powerful with up to 105Nm torque and 850W of peak power, trumping its Japanese and German rivals by some margin.
There are five assist modes for the rider to choose from, including an Auto mode that relies on various sensors to alter the motor’s output depending on what the rider and terrain are doing. There’s also a special Boost mode that kicks up the support for 30-seconds, pumping out up to 120Nm of torque and 1,000W of power. Holy moly!
A wireless controller next to each grip allows you to cycle through the assist modes, with all the key stats shown on the Control Display that’s integrated into the frame’s top tube. The crisp 2in OLED touchscreen has been brought over from DJI’s Osmo action camera and it performs much like a modern smartphone. It displays everything from speed and cadence, through to altitude and gradient, giving you all the data you could possibly need at your fingertips. It does this with an integrated GPS sensor and barometer, while the 8Gb of internal storage is able to record all of your ride data before zipping it over to your phone via a Bluetooth 5.1 connection.
The accompanying app unlocks even deeper analysis of your rides, and it also allows you to tune the Avinox motor. You’re able to adjust the torque, support level, pedal sensitivity and even the length of overrun for each mode.
Amflow PL geometry & size chart
The Amflow PL is offered in four sizes from Medium to XX-Large. Unfortunately there is no Small, so shorter riders are out of luck at this point in time.
Geometry otherwise looks to be on-point for an e-MTB in this travel bracket, with a 64.5° head angle, 77° seat angle and a 445mm rear centre length on all sizes.
Seat tube lengths aren’t particularly short, and the kinked profile will limit insertion depth to a degree. You still get a decent length dropper post on each frame size though, and the Fox Transfer on our test bike can be easily reduced if you need a lower saddle height.
Amflow PL Carbon price & specs
There are three complete bike options in the Amflow PL range, all of which share exactly the same carbon frame, DJI Avinox M1 motor and sleek Control Display touchscreen.
Prices kick off at an impressive $9,399 AUD for the cheapest model, which still comes with a 800Wh battery, Fox Performance Series suspension, a SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain and Magura MT5 brakes.
Next up is the Carbon Pro that’s available with either a 600Wh or 800Wh battery. Both come equipped with Fox Factory Series suspension, a SRAM X0 AXS Transmission, Magura MT7 Pro brakes and Amflow’s own-branded carbon wheelset.
At the time of writing, Amflow Bikes has authorised dealers in China, Germany, UK and Australia. We’re told that stock will be arriving locally in November this year. Those who are interested in getting their hands on one should head to the Amflow Bikes website to sign up for email updates so they can be notified of where and when they’ll be able to purchase one.
Read on for the detailed specs and prices below, and stay tuned for our in-depth review coming soon!
2025 Amflow PL Carbon Pro
- Frame | Full Carbon, Four-Bar Suspension Design, 150mm Travel
- Fork | Fox 36, Factory Series, GRIP X2 Damper, 160mm Travel
- Shock | Fox Float X, Factory Series, 185x55mm
- Motor | DJI Avinox M1, 105Nm
- Battery | DJI Avinox, 600 or 800Wh
- Wheels | Amflow HMC-30, Carbon Rims, 30mm Inner Rim Width
- Tyres | Maxxis Assegai EXO 3C MaxxTerra 2.5in Front & Dissector EXO+ 3C MaxxTerra 2.4in Rear
- Drivetrain | SRAM X0 AXS Transmission 1×12 w/DJI Avinox SL Cranks & 10-52T Cassette
- Brakes | Magura MT7 Pro 4-Piston w/203mm Rotors
- Handlebar | Amflow Enduro Carbon, 25mm Rise, 800mm Width
- Stem | Amflow Enduro, 35mm Length
- Seatpost | Fox Transfer Factory Series Dropper, Travel: 150mm (M), 180mm (L), 210mm (XL)
- Saddle | Ergon SM Pro
- Claimed Weight | 19.2kg (600Wh Battery) – 20.07kg (800Wh Battery)
- Price | $13,699 AUD (600Wh Battery) – $13,999 AUD (800Wh Battery)
2025 Amflow PL Carbon
- Frame | Full Carbon, Four-Bar Suspension Design, 150mm Travel
- Fork | Fox 36, Performance Series, GRIP Damper, 160mm Travel
- Shock | Fox Float, Performance Series, 185x55mm
- Motor | DJI Avinox M1, 105Nm
- Battery | DJI Avinox, 800Wh
- Wheels | Amflow HMA-30, Alloy Rims, 30mm Inner Rim Width
- Tyres | Maxxis Assegai EXO 3C MaxxTerra 2.5in Front & Dissector EXO+ 3C MaxxTerra 2.4in Rear
- Drivetrain | SRAM GX Eagle 1×12 w/DJI Avinox SL Cranks & 11-50T NX Eagle Cassette
- Brakes | Magura MT5 4-Piston w/203mm Rotors
- Handlebar | Amflow Enduro Alloy, 25mm Rise, 800mm Width
- Stem | Amflow Enduro, 35mm Length
- Seatpost | KS Rage-i Dropper, Travel: 150mm (M), 170mm (L), 190mm (XL-XXL)
- Saddle | Selle Royal SRX Plus
- Claimed Weight | 21.4kg
- Price | $9,399 AUD
