We shudder to think what the price tag might be, but this retro-futuristic electric bicycle from Poland looks like it'll be an absolute beast. An unruly 5 kW of power is tamed down for road use, but it still does 58 km/h (36 mph) and looks a bit like an old-school board track motorcycle.
There's no shortage of retro ebike designs that combine electric commuter convenience with a bit of hipster panache. The Avionics V1 ebike is certainly not short on style, and there's no denying its vintage motorcycle look and feel.
A leaf spring seat support suggests the sexy profile line of a fuel tank. The headlight is a shape we've seen on a thousand old cruisers. There's a tail light built into the seat. Even the sidestand is a chunky aluminum thing that wouldn't be out of place on a 250cc naked bike.
But that's where it stops. Where you're looking for a motor, you'll find a big ol' hole, at the bottom of which sits a quaint-looking, leather-strapped Jatoba wood chest, which houses the bike's electric motor and battery pack.
The seat, forks, handlebars and headlight also feature pretty hardwood highlights, and the brake levers are reversed, which looks pretty nifty.
The motor is a brushless DC number putting out 5 kW, and a very compelling 125 Nm (92 lb-ft) of torque. That's not a figure to be messed with, and thankfully the V1 bike has chunky three-inch tires and 203 mm disc brakes at either end to help keep riders out of trouble.
Because 5 kW is well and truly outside the street legal power limit for most jurisdictions there's "street modes" limiting the bike to a more police-friendly 250, 500 and 750 watts. Top speed is 58 km/h (36 mph), which is going to feel absolutely wild on a bicycle.
With a large 24-Ah lithium-ion battery, range is a very healthy 120 km (74.5 mi) in low power street mode, and there are still pedals if you want to get a bit of a sweat up or need to get the thing home if the battery's flat.
This is one nice looking piece of kit. The Avionics ebike is due to go on pre-sale on Indiegogo this September.
Take a look at the (slightly over-dramatic) video below.
Source: Avionics
