Daily motorbike news, views & reviews
Electric motorcycles are the next big thing. The market is currently dominated by cheap scooter imports from China, but boutique electric motorcycle companies such as Zero and Brammo are making better-quality products. They are about to be challenged by the established motorcycle companies such as BMW, Harley-Davidson, Victory, Yamaha and KTM. We bring you the latest developments in battery technology, government subsidies and other news about electric motorcycles. We have also ridden several electric motorcycles and review them for performance, handling, range, comfort and styling.
After a 50-year gap, Czech scooter brand Čezeta has revived the iconic torpedo-shaped 506 scooter, but now as an electric vehicle. Čezeta built scooters from 1957 to 1964 as a subsidiary of Česká Zbrojovka Strakonice (ČZ) which made motorcycles from 1935 to 1997. Production resumed in 2013 with the prototype of the retro-style Type 506 …
Honda has signed a deal with Hitachi Automotive Systems to develop and make motors for electric vehicles. While the Memorandum of Understanding doesn’t specify electric motorcycles, Honda has already confirmed it will have the EV-CUB electric scooter (pictured above) available from 2018. The move by the world’s largest motorcycle company could be a significant spark …
The biggest barriers for electric motorcycles are range and recharging times, but now a couple of achievements are set to break those barriers. A Dutch university team called STORM (pictured above) has completed an 80-day World Tour with its electric motorcycle and Spanish renewable energy company Acciona has finished this month’s Dakar Rally in an …
A Chinese company is about to launch a small electric motorcycle with retro styling and a retro named to honour world record holder Burt Munro. Munro Motor has developed the Munro 2.0 to honour the Kiwi who set several land-speed records on his 1920s Indian Scout and was immortalised in the 2005 film The World’s Fastest …
Lately there has been a flurry of good, bad and ugly electric motorcycles and scooters from motorcycle manufacturers, boutique designers and non-traditional motorcycle companies. It’s mainly a result of this being the season for motorcycle shows in the northern hemisphere in places such as Cologne, Milan, London, LA and New York. These are occasions for manufacturers to …
Italian electric sports bike company Energica has unveiled a scrambler concept that finally shows how their patent-pending battery avoids overheating and losing power. Designer Paolo Iemmi says the concept (pictured above) is named after the EsseEsse9 road that snakes through the Italian motor valley where the company is situated. “We melded the future of mobility …
Zero Motorcycles has announced their 2017 models will have increased range up to 200 miles (320km), seemingly kicking down one of the barriers for buyers. However, the extended range only comes with the purchase of an optional $4790 ($US2700) Power Tank. Interestingly, only one power tank has been sold in Australia over the past few years. Over the past …
Shortly after BMW Motorrad unveiled its self-balancing Vision 100 Next motorcycle, Thrustcycle has unveiled their own version of a self-balancing bike. While there have been Segway-type self-balancing vehicles before, they balance forwards and backwards, while these balance sideways. It means that when you slow down, internal spinning wheels take over, creating a gyroscopic effect. It …
The UK Government is about to provide a £1500 (about $2400) subsidy on the price of electric motorcycles and scooters to encourage their uptake. While subsidies for electric and hybrid cars are provided by most European countries, Asian nations, Canada and most American states, only California so far includes motorcycles. Meanwhile, the Australian Government has …
BMW Motorrad will add two new motorcycle models and has confirmed its commitment to an electric future with the launch of two variants of its C evolution electric scooter, one with up to 160km of range. In a press release regarding its display at the biennial INTERMOT motorcycle show in Cologne next month, BMW says: “From the …