As electric mobility keeps on gathering momentum in the motorcycle sector, chopper manufacturers remain strongly attached to tradition, seemingly reluctant to deviate from the typical V2 engine configuration. Sine Cycles has veered off this beaten track by taking what appears to be a conventional custom chopper design and slotting in an electric powertrain.
SineCycles’ Bruno Forcella loves old school choppers and always dreamed of buildinghis own custom bike. Wishing to differentiate from the archetypal V-twin internalcombustion engine that dominates the custom world, he turned to hisprofessional roots. An electrical engineer by trade, his prior experience indeveloping hardware and software for electric motors steered him naturally towardsa chopper with a modern electric powerplant.
In searchof the appropriate kit for his project he settled on Zero Motorcycles’ powerunit; a modern, commercially proven electric motor. Soon a full electricpowertrain arrived at the Sine Cycles’ headquarters in Steffisburg, Switzerland, complete with customizable performance profiles and a smartphone app withheaps of information such as battery status, charging time, average watts permile and total charge cycles.
Thehardtail frame along with the fork, wheels and brakes were outsourced fromCleveland Cyclewerks and in particular from the Heist, one of its most popularmodels. The modifications required in order to fit the new motor into theframe were done in house by Forcella.
A lot of work went into the heatsink design. Made out of five parts of extrudedaluminum, its cooling fins were shaped by hand with electric grinders, beforebeing sandblasted and black anodized. A second grinding of the fins’ outersurfaces provided the visual two-tone effect.
The electricchopper is equipped with a Motogadget digital instrument and switches, LSLDragbar handlebars, Cole Foster fuel tank and Rich Phillips seat. Several partswere specifically made by Forcella, most notably the instruments’ housing whichwas 3D-printed via a selective laser sintering process.
The endresult is a beautiful old school chopper with clear lines and a lot ofattention to detail. Fed by a 102 V / 2.8 kWh power source, the single speed motorproduces 27 hp (20 kW) and 57 Nm (42 lb-ft), enough for a top speed of 120 km/h(74.5 mph). With the current battery pack, the maximum range is 55 km (34miles).
The SineCycles chopper makes frequent appearances in local events, such as the SwissCustom Bike Show, which was held a few months ago. This one-off motorcycle unfortunatelyisn’t road legal yet, as this process is pretty expensive in Switzerland. Forcella is looking for possible investors who would like to assist incommercializing his motorcycle, so, if you like what you see and are interestedin funding such a project, follow the link below for Sine Cycles’ contactdetails.
Source:Sine Cycles
