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.
Kawasaki appears to be joining Kymco in proposing a battery that can the owner can swap quickly to recharge their electric motorcycle. The company filed a patent for an electric version of its baby Ninja in 2013, but the patent has only now been published. In the main photo above, the battery and motor are shown …
The big four Japanese manufacturers are believed to be working to standardise electric motorcycle batteries and charging infrastructure. Noted electric vehicle website Electrek says Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki hope to standardise the technology to prevent any obstacles to its adoption. No doubt it’s also hoped to avoid the Beta/VHS situation where new video recording …
One of the biggest hurdles in the coming revolution of the electric vehicle is finding enough charging stations so motorists can ride and drive beyond the city limits. Taiwanese motorcycle and scooter manufacturer has a unique idea for private charging stations that can be owned by individuals. It could be a good way to earn …
Electric motorcycles may be poised to become the next big thing, but the much-anticipated Lightning Strike strikes out three times as a big disappointment. There was much anticipation that Californian electric startup Lightning Motorcycles would make an attractive and affordable version of its $US38,888 LS-218 which at 350km/h (218mph) is the world’s fastest electric motorcycle. …
Kawasaki and Triumph are the latest motorcycle companies rumoured to be working on electric motorcycles, based on recent patent and trademark filings. Kawasaki patent The Kawasaki lecture motorcycle rumour looks interesting because the patent filings show the big has a substantial cooling element with a radiator. Heat is one of the biggest impediments to performance …
Californian electric motorcycle company Fly Free has opened up pre-orders for their retro bikes starting at just $4159 (about $A5870) through an Indiegogo crowd-funding campaign. Backers will not get a refund if the bikes do not go into production and there is no guarantee they will. However, the Long Beach company have already raised about 50% …
Innovative motorcycle engineer Erik Buell has unveiled his first electric machines, the Fuell Fluid e-bike and Flow electric motorcycle. Erik has had a rags-to-riches-to-rags story in motorcycling that keeps on surprising. The former Harley-Davidson engineer developed the Buell brand in 1983, sold 49% to Harley in 1993 and Harley took over in 2003. Harley axed …
Zero Motorcycles has pulled the rug out from underneath the coming Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric sports bike with its new Zero SR/F that looks uncannily like the Milwaukee product. However, the Zero SR/F has better performance and range but costs about $US11,000 less than the LiveWire. The Harley is due in September at $US29,799 and will arrive …
(Contributed post for our eco-friendly UK readers) With air pollution responsible for some 50,000 deaths a year in Britain, electric vehicles may just be the future. However, their expensive price tags and charging mishaps mean that many people avoid them completely. Electric cars may be well-known, but electric motorcycles are now enjoying their day and …
Triumph Motorcycles is surveying customers with an email asking if they’ve ridden an electric motorcycle and whether the British company should make an electric Triumph. It’s not the first time Triumph has surveyed its customers about an electric bike. They launched a short online survey as far back as 2012. The new email survey asks …