Motorcycles

Retro electric motorcycle has a heart of beech

Retro electric motorcycle has a heart of beech
The retro-chic Rocsie motorbike
The retro-chic Rocsie motorbike
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The Rocsie tips the scales at 32 kg (71 lb)
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The Rocsie tips the scales at 32 kg (71 lb)
The Rocsie in its native Barcelona
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The Rocsie in its native Barcelona
The retro-chic Rocsie motorbike
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The retro-chic Rocsie motorbike
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We've seen a fair number of wooden bicycles recently, along with plenty of electric motorcycles. Well, now it's time to meet the Rocsie. It's a Spanish-built cafe racer-style electric motorbike, with a laminated bent-wood frame.

Handmade by Barcelona-based Unplugged Design, some of the Rocsie's other features include a custom leather saddle, an inverted suspension fork, 4-piston brakes with titanium discs, Dunlop tires, and a choice of four frame colors – the frames are currently being made out of beech wood.

It tips the scales at 32 kg (71 lb) and is propelled by a 1,000-watt rear hub motor. That motor is powered by a lithium-ion battery pack that takes six hours to charge from empty, and should be good for a range of about 50 km (31 miles).

The Rocsie tips the scales at 32 kg (71 lb)
The Rocsie tips the scales at 32 kg (71 lb)

The bike has a claimed top speed of 45 km/h (28 mph), so it's certainly more of an urban runabout than it is anything else.

Plans call for the Rocsie to be the subject of an Indiegogo campaign beginning on Jan. 26th, with pledges starting at €2,250 (about US$2,755) for a limited-edition Indiegogo-specific model. Assuming the campaign is successful, retail pricing should range from €6,000 to €8,000 ($7,347 to $9,795).

Source: Rocsie

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1 comment
1 comment
SteveO
So many challenges with this. 28 MPH? I'm not far off of that on my non-E bike. Classified as a motorcycle? Based on this, I assume they are not really looking to the American market. Also, at the Indigogo price, it might sell a few, at least to a niche buyer, but at the planned retail prices, forget it. You could buy a nice motorcycle for that price that would easily travel at highway speeds.