Electric Motorcycles
Electric motorcycles are on the rise. Performance models can offer unheard-of torque and acceleration, while commuter specials open the door to emissions-free, low-maintenance transport with fuel costs so low they're almost negligible.
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Swedish electric moto maker Cake has announced a street legal edition of the Kalk Ink released last month. The Ink SL's head, tail and turn lights can be removed for off-road adventures, and the e-moto can now get up to minimum highway speeds. -
With 17.5-odd horsepower, a top speed over 85 mph and 4.4 kWh of battery, the new Falcon BLK by Cleveland CycleWerks could be a very fun little zero-emissions commuter ... if it wasn't for a prohibitive price tag.
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Cake has today announced a new e-motorcycle. Based on the Kalk Or, the Kalk Ink comes with marginally heavier wheels and simplified suspension. It rocks the same drivetrain though, for speedy, emissions-free and fairly quiet backcountry exploration.
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The eScrambler has been over two years in the making and is the brainchild of Switch Motorcycles from Matthew Waddick, also the founder of Shanghai Customs. It's still a prototype at the moment, but production plans are in full swing.
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We've been waiting a decade for Zero to make a fully faired bike to extend the range of its excellent electric motorcycles, but Zero has held back, waiting for the chance to do it properly. Finally, here it is: the new SR/S sports tourer.
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Further details have dropped on quirky Kiwi company UBCO's lightweight electric dirtbike, the FRX1. At just 132 lb, it packs 15 kW of torquey grunt, and offers a range up to 62 miles – at a price that might make it a winner.
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If Chinese manufacturer Niu gets the price tag right on this little fun machine, it might just be the affordable, clean, practical electric commuter the Western world has been waiting for. It promises 100 mph performance and 80+ miles of range.
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With its electronically variable "Shift" ergonomics and a 360-degree "Co-Pilot" advance warning haptic feedback system, the Damon Hypersport is an ambitious bike. It's also very, very fast, and offers an impressive range for its price tag.
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Since being acquired by China's Ninebot, Segway has moved far beyond its self-balancing electric personal transporter roots. And now Segway-Ninebot has unveiled the eMoped and eScooter, together with a motorcycle concept called the Apex.
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Italian electric motorcycle manufacturer Tacita is preparing to launch a new rally-focused bike in early January – and has just announced that it'll take the T-Race Rally out for a public debut at the world's greatest and most historic rally event.
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Spanish carmaker SEAT is the latest automaker to carve out an urban mobility division, to develop cheap, clean getabouts that break the 4-wheeled mold – and its pair of production-ready electric scooters look practical, stylish and well thought out.
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Electric powertrains require no air intake, and are completely weather-sealed, so many of them are capable of riding along underwater. Here's a video of a high-powered Russian motocross bike doing just that.
