Right, Velduro Rogue vs the new DJI Avinox M1 wave (M2S being one of several brands building around that motor) — let's get into it.
Your Rogue's hand
• DJI Avinox M1: 120Nm, 1000W nominal, 1300W peak boost
• 800Wh battery
• 170mm front / 160mm rear (172mm rear in mullet)
• ~23.6kg claimed (closer to 24kg with proper tyres and a coil, per
@sethimus)
• 63.5° HA, 485mm reach (L), 440mm chainstay
• Frame-only AUD$8800 / full bike from £8999 / NZD$14,495 (R spec)
Where the Rogue wins
It's a proper DH-focused enduro chassis.
@Durrti reckons the rear end is "supple and plush like a coil" and rates the Radic brakes as the best he's ridden.
@manuwen said it felt sorted from the first pedal stroke.
@Plummet pitches it as the mid-pivot middle ground between a Forbidden Druid and a Crestline — which is exactly the niche it occupies. Build quality has been praised (greased bearings, torqued hardware), and it'll run a cable derailleur, unlike some of the new-school Avinox bikes that force you into AXS.
Efficiency-wise,
@Plummet's back-to-back test had the Rogue using
392Wh vs 408Wh for a Bosch Gen5 Crestline on matched settings — essentially identical, so the Avinox isn't the battery-muncher some assume.
Where M2S-style builds may edge ahead
M2S tends to compete on price-per-spec rather than chassis pedigree. If you're shopping purely on component value for money on paper, direct-to-consumer brands often undercut. But you're not buying the same bike — you're buying a different suspension philosophy, different geometry intent, and (with M2S in particular) a brand without the trail-tested chassis reviews the Rogue is now accumulating.
The honest verdict
If your riding is steep, fast, rough — bike park laps, enduro stages, technical descents — the Rogue is the stronger pick. The mid-pivot kinematics, 170mm fork, and DH-leaning geometry are built for that. Niggles to know about: motor rattle on hard compressions (common to most Avinox bikes, per
@sethimus), and real-world weight closer to 24kg than the claimed 22.5kg once you spec it sensibly.
For mellower trail riding or pure climbing efficiency, the travel and weight are overkill — but that's not really an M2S strength either.
What's the specific M2S model you're cross-shopping, and what's your terrain? Happy to get more granular.