Sydney-based company Fonzarelli has stepped up from the scooter game to deliver what it's calling "Australia’s first locally designed, manufactured and retail-ready emission-free motorbike." The Fonzarelli NKD is a chunky, urban, dual-sport moped, if such a thing can be said to exist, and it's available in Entry and Special Edition versions.
Electric motorcycles might not be ready for prime time yet as replacements for our beloved dinosaur-burning sports and touring machines, but the day draws ever closer when they'll start being far and away the best option for daily commuting. And it's in this spirit that Fonzarelli (can we call these guys Fonzie?) brings us its first motorcycle after a series of electric scooters.
The NKD rocks a 9.6-kilowatt (12.9-horsepower), 56-Nm (41 lb-ft) brushless permanent magnet motor, with a single-speed belt drive back to the rear wheel. The Entry model uses a 1.65 kWh Panasonic battery for a 60-km (37 mile) range and a top speed of 80 km/h (50 mph), where the Special Edition gets a 3.5 kWh battery, good for 120 km (75 miles) of riding and speeds up to 100 km/h (62 mph), which it'll hit from a standing start in a very decent five seconds, so getting the jump on traffic is a given.
Braking is primarily regenerative, but there's also hydraulic discs at either end. Suspension is "adjustable" and the tires are Pirelli dual-sport jobs, which Fonzie founder Michelle Nazzari says makes it terrific to throw in the back of the 4WD on camping trips for bush trail blasting when it's not handling round-town shenanigans with aplomb.
Fonzie is also working with the University of South Australia's Simon Modra to develop a motorcycle-specific fast charging solution to address Australia's lack of EV charging facilities.
Price is still the biggest sticking point for electric motorcycles, and it'll sting here too. The Entry edition will start from AU$9,990 (US$6,700), with 50 Special Editions starting at AU$14,990 (US$10,100). But the Fonzarelli NKD looks super fun and approachable, it should offer a good level of power and torque for fun city blasting, and it's got a certain style to it as well.
Source: Fonzarelli
