Electric Motorcycles

[TEG]

( http://www.mission-motorcycles.com/ seems down right now, but Mission Motors is still up, although clicking on the 'careers' link gives a 404 error. )

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

Self-explanatory.

 

[emc]

Lightning is like Mission?

 

[lolachampcar]

I just got a call from Harlan at Hollywood Electrics. For those that do not know him, he is a EE with a real clue about what does and does not work in the E bike world. He also runs one of the most straight shooting outlets for electric motorcycles (if not the most straight shooting) in the US.

Anyway, HE just picked up the Energica
Test Driving the $34,000 Tesla-Wannabe Motorcycle - YouTube

After the Mission, I'd basically written off a liter class electric. I'm reconsidering that position.

 

[mhpr262]

What does he mean by "they are going to make 300 of these bikes" - is the Ego a limited production run and there will be no more after that? That would be the first time I have heard about that.

 

[Paul Carter]

I just got a call from Harlan at Hollywood Electrics. For those that do not know him, he is a EE with a real clue about what does and does not work in the E bike world. He also runs one of the most straight shooting outlets for electric motorcycles (if not the most straight shooting) in the US.

Anyway, HE just picked up the Energica
Test Driving the $34,000 Tesla-Wannabe Motorcycle - YouTube

After the Mission, I'd basically written off a liter class electric. I'm reconsidering that position.

Oh my! Heavy, literally.

 

[lolachampcar]

Yep, I am weighing (literally) the Ego against my Zero SR and trying to determine if it is worth the switch.

 

[MitchJi]

Hi,

You might enjoy this "electric bicycle", video and related information. The latest version (in the drag race video) was built using hopped-up Zero Motorcycle components, by the man who designs the Zero Battery Packs. Really impressive results when you put hopped-up E-Motorcycle components on a frame that weighs less than 200 lbs. Watch it waste a P85 in a drag race!:
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/show...-Model-S-P82?p=1048226&viewfull=1#post1048226

And these forums are excellent DIY e-motorcycle forums:
Endless-sphere.com Videos
E-Scooter and Motorcycle Photos & Videos

Endless-sphere.com View forum - E-Scooter and Motorcycle General Discussion
E-Scooter and Motorcycle General Discussion

 

[the dude]

I like this bike, 2 wheel drive

 

[strider]

Cross-posting from the MM thread as this one is more active:
Mission Motorcycles Filing for Bankruptcy

I can't quite stomach $42k for a Lightning that still looks like a junior-high shop class project. And the Energica (at least on paper) just doesn't deliver the goods. I think I'm doomed to keep hauling gas cans to the track for the foreseeable future. At least it keeps the gas fresh for my emergency generator....

 

[lolachampcar]

Have you talk with Harlan at HE? He called and said he had an Energica Ego demo and was becoming a distributor for the bike.

 

[strider]

Have you talk with Harlan at HE? He called and said he had an Energica Ego demo and was becoming a distributor for the bike.

I think I'm going to let the market mature for a bit. I need a break from the bleeding edge. Building a house... small children... About the time the house is built there will be Model 3 to obsess over. I'm hoping Lightning will add some refinement and/or Energica will be able to increase their pack size while decreasing weight.

 

[S'toon]

The Electric Superbike – The End of the Beginning

The electric motorcycle is dead! Some say it was destined to fail, being nothing more than an illusion that scammed investors out of millions. Electric motorcycle advocates pin hopes on promised models from mainstream brands. For most industry insiders it’s increasingly obvious as the years progress and electric motorcycle startups fail : amateur hour is over.

Like all revolutions it began optimistically. Back in 2009 the media and industry alike were gripped by electric vehicle fever. The inaugural all-electric TTX GP race at the Isle of Man set the motorcycle industry buzzing, while breakthroughs such as the Tesla electric car plus the millions of low-speed electric scooters being sold in Asia spurred venture capital to pour billions into electric vehicle technology. Studies were published saying that hundreds of millions of electric vehicles would be on the road within five years.

That was the time that Brammo and Mission Motors first appeared. Along with dozens of tiny startups, these two American companies presented all-electric motorcycles that promised to start the plug-in motorcycle revolution. Unlike the typical home-built conversions of most starups, Brammo and Mission launched Silicon Valley style, professionally executed media events with beautiful websites and good-looking, full function prototypes.

Brammo took the mass market approach with the Enertia, a handsome commuter bike sold through electronics retailer Best Buy. On the premium end, Mission unveiled what the company called the world’s first electric superbike – capable of 150 mph (240 km/h) and a range per charge of 150 miles (240km). Both were labelled “the Tesla of two wheels”.

Fast forward to today, and the media are writing obituaries for Mission Motorcycles, which filed for bankruptcy, while also posting cover features of the “new” Victory Empulse R, a rebadged Brammo Empulse. Brammo, absorbed into the Polaris Industries empire last year, joins Mission as just another corpse in the heap of motorcycle brands that died attempting to kickstart the electric revolution.

The Silicon Valley problem

The high-profile failures of Brammo and Mission, two well-funded companies led by professional business people with serious credentials, were only the latest in a long string of electric motorcycle casualties. Other brands like Roehr, Vectrix, New Vectrix, Quantya, Voxan, Muench, Mavizen and dozens of others quietly vanished when sales didn’t materialize, or in most cases they weren’t able to actually produce what they promised.

A few startups from that early fertile period, Lightning Motors, Energica, and ALTA Motors (née BRD Redshift) live on, the first two actually delivering road legal motorcycles to customers as promised, if a little late; the latter gaining new rounds of funding and promising deliveries of series production models this year.

All of which leaves one company standing tall.

Zero Motorcycles from Scotts Valley, California. It not only survived through the hell of the great recession, passing the road legal certification process, recalls, outgrowing its founder, and overcoming the challenge of building a working factory, it came out the other end a stronger, scaled up and fully fledged motorcycle manufacturer. Zero, and Zero alone can claim to be an electric motorcycle company, one that is readily available via a solid dealer network, with after-sales care, and one presenting a bright future of robust growth.

Like everyone, Zero Motorcycles suffered with the same fundamental limitations of battery technology and cost, but unlike key rival Brammo and Mission, Zero has a laser focus. Instead of wasting resources on extravagances like international racing and lavish trade show presentations (actions for which Brammo and Mission were both guilty), Zero operated frugally, accepted often harsh criticisms to steadily improve its products while reducing costs.

In other words, they did business.

<snip>

Major OEMs will begin introducing electric motorcycles with the polish and performance the public expects within a couple of years, and it’s also probable that Zero will grow into a respected niche manufacturer with volumes similar to Aprilia or Moto Guzzi. They will have done this the old-fashioned way, building and selling bikes, reinvesting and growing organically. No outrageous statements, no flashy pyramid scheme of escalating product promises.

The electric motorcycle revolution is coming, but it will be a slow-burn transformation instead of an explosive one. Given the volatility of the motorcycle market, that is a good thing.

Full article at:
http://canadamotoguide.com/2015/09/16/the-electric-superbike-the-end-of-the-beginning/

 

[Terra117]

You mean all those quality european bikes like Trek, Diamond Back, Scott, Marin, Cannondale, Klein, etc, etc...

And Surly.

 

[domenick]

Alta Motors took its RedShift SM supermoto racing last weekend. Pretty fantastic results.

Even more exciting, though, they've finally announced a shipping window: Q1 2016.

Check out the story at the link above, and if you haven't seen them already, watch the videos appended to the post. Quite entertaining.

 

[mhpr262]

BMW seems to be mulling over electric bikes, too. This here is just a one off prototype based on the S1000RR frame, done in cooperation with engineering students from Munich Technology University, but I don't think they did this just for fun:

 

[lolachampcar]

I loved my RR and often wished I could purchase a Mission motor and battery for it.

 

[mhpr262]

I think the future is looking bright, for electric sportbikes and electric motorcycles in general. If not from BMW, then from some other big manufacturer. Yamaha is already offering two light 125ccm equivalent bikes, and Honda has the Shinden electric prototypes. The big boys must have taken notice of ZERO's very solid growth.

 

[AudubonB]

Either two or three years ago - I am pretty sure it was either April or May, 2013 - some very senior Yamaha engineers told me they would love to be able to marry an electric motor to their machines; according to them range and power draw were the limiting concerns. Sounds to me like EV skeptics everywhere. To be more clear, these were long-time old-timers: i.e., they have spent their entire careers perfecting ICEs for go-fasts, and likely aren't of the right mindset to embrace electric motors. Regardless, what they believe carries weight.

Sound familiar?

 

[mkspeedr]

The engine in my HP4 pulls like it is electric.

I am going to demo a Alta Motors Redshift SM - hopefully this month. I am sure it will be a blast and make an awesome commuter.