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Most electric dirt bikers would call it quits after breaking both their arms. But Sayanton Seth preferred staying the course.
For him, it was just the start.
“Three days after the crash, I was already dissecting what went wrong,” he recalled. “While riding the bike, I realised the frame was too rigid. It couldn’t absorb the impact of the bump and it transferred it straight to my arms.”
And then, new beginnings happened for Sayanton.
That crash shaped the DNA of Project SR, a Kolkata-based engineering outfit hell-bent on building high-performance electric dirt bikes that could go toe-to-toe with petrol-fuelled monsters. And it worked.
In 2022, at a private track in Singur—designed and built by Sayanton himself—Project SR hosted India’s first electric vs petrol motocross race. Their electric bikes took the top two podium spots, beating heavily modified Hero Impulses. “That was our validation,” he said. “We weren’t just showing up—we were winning.”
Entrepreneur. Rider. Builder.
Sayanton never grew up dreaming of motorcycles. In fact, he studied business at Nottingham University and fell for speed via YouTube and Top Gear. The car that sparked it all? “I saw Jeremy Clarkson drive an Ariel Atom. I knew I had to experience that.”
He imported a Westfield kit car and built it from scratch in Kolkata. But after finishing the build, he felt the urge to build something entirely his own—his own version of speed. That path unexpectedly led to motorcycles.
“I wasn’t even riding until late 2017,” he admitted. “My first experience was during Durga Puja—I borrowed a Royal Enfield Thunderbird.” A few months later, he picked up a Triumph Thruxton and started experimenting with electric buggies and scooters. A visit to an expo introduced him to a small Chinese electric bike called Sur-Ron. “I thought, we can build something better than this.”
What began as a “learning project” soon became SR6—Project SR’s first home-built electric dirt bike.
Building the track, breaking the bikes
By 2021, the company had expanded its team and turned its focus fully to performance. “We weren’t just building bikes. We were breaking them,” said Sayanton. “Our test philosophy was simple: if the bike doesn’t break, the test has failed.”
But they needed a test track. So they built one.
The Singur facility became Bengal’s only dedicated motocross and supercross circuit. “It wasn’t just for us. The whole local off-road community needed it,” he said. Today, it doubles as both SR’s torture ground and a playground for regional riders.
From gravel to mud, jumps to long straights—everything was designed to push the bike to its limits. “Motorsport is chaos. You don’t design for comfort. You design for survival.”
Beating petrol at its own game
In 2023, Project SR faced off against a Kawasaki KX450—ridden by India’s national motocross champion Shivam—at an airfield rally in Odisha. SR’s electric prototype, the ProRide 1, clinched the win. “There was a 13-second gap. That was massive,” said Sayanton.
Electric bikes offer instant torque, require less maintenance, and eliminate clutch or gear shifting—advantages that matter off-road. “Our bikes are automatic. Even a cyclist could ride off-road on one,” he said.
Depending on rider skill and throttle aggression, the bikes could deliver up to 20 minutes of flat-out racing at elite levels, or an hour for amateurs. “The bike adapts to the rider,” he noted.
Project SR bikes are now available in complete builds and as kits—custom made to order. Prices for full bikes range from $6,000 to $12,000, while kits start from $1,200. “We’ve started mass production of our first pilot line,” said Sayanton. “People find us through social media and EV community forums—it’s all been word of mouth so far.”
Now, Project SR is developing two next-generation machines, one designed specifically to take on global competition. “We were never in it to follow. We’re here to lead.”
A culture catching up
Despite their progress, Bengal’s motorsport ecosystem remains underdeveloped. “We had the biggest dirt race here with over 100 riders,” said Sayanton. “And yet, there are barely four events a year. Down south, in Bangalore, they race every weekend.”
He pointed to the lack of media coverage and corporate interest. “No eyeballs means no money. Motorsport is expensive. And here, there’s no real support system,” he said.
But Sayanton sees potential. “India’s motorsport scene is growing. Bengal just needs to plug into that energy.”
The next big test: Desert storm
The company’s next milestone is nothing short of extreme: an hour-long endurance test through the dunes of Jaisalmer. “Sand is the toughest terrain—hot, soft, and punishing,” said Sayanton. “If our electric dirt bike can survive that, we’ve reached the summit.”
He already completed 25-minute sand tests on a dried riverbed at over 110 kmph. “But this is different. This is the real deal,” he said. The target: end of 2025.
After that? Bigger ambitions. “We’re already working on a rallycross electric car,” he revealed. “Globally, only a few are doing this. We want to be one of them.”
The silence of speed
Project SR is no ordinary EV startup. It is a one-man mission, turned team obsession, chasing world-class performance from an unlikely corner of India.
Sayanton doesn’t care about headlines. He isn’t begging for funding. “I just want to build the fastest, toughest electric dirt bike out there,” he said. “And I want it to be proudly made in India.”
The bikes don’t scream. They don’t rumble. They roar in silence—and leave a trail of petrol-powered history behind.
