Tag Archives: Electric motorcycles

Harley’s electric LiveWire available in September

June 30, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

Harley-Davidson’s electric LiveWire has arrived in Australia for testing ahead of its media launch in August and market release in early September.

The Tesla Model 3 Australia Facebook Group has published the above photo of a LiveWire being charged in Australia.

Harley-Davidson Australia/New Zealand marketing guru Keith Waddell confirms the photo was taken “while we were testing a range of public charge stations with a pre-production unit”.

September release

Harley LiveWire

“A press release on the ANZ release is due this week however I can confirm that we will release in early September.

“We are looking to have an ANZ media launch closer to the end of August and are watching the COVID restrictions and related border closures.”

While Keith would not releaser the price of the LiveWire, it starts at $US29,799 (about $A42,900 and $NZ45,900 at current exchange rates) in the USA.

That would make it more expensive than all but the Harley CVO and Trike ranges, but even more expensive than the feature-laden Ultra Limited tourer at $A41,495 ride away.

Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited

Electrifying LiveWire

I rode the LiveWire last year in Portland, Oregon, at the world media launch.

Check my test ride here.

MBW rides the LiveWire in Portland, Orgeon

It will be available in vivid black, orange fuse and yellow fuse.

The bike’s 15.5 kWh battery is capable of up to 235km of city range, 113km of highway range and 152km of combined conditions on a single charge.

LiveWire has an on-board level 1 240V charger which will take about about 12.5 hours from flat to reach full capacity at a cost of less than $4.

If you can find a Level 3 DC fast charger (CCS2), it will charge to 80 in 40 minutes, or full in an hour.

Harley-Davidson LiveWire tech specs

Price: $US29,799 (about $A42,900, $NZ45,900)
Colours: Orange, lime and black
Battery warranty: five-year, unlimited-km
Motor: H-D Revelation permanent-magnet, water-cooled electric motor
Power: 78kW (105hp)
Instant torque: 116Nm (86ft lbs)
Battery: Air-cooled 15.5kWh high-voltage lithium-ion battery (Rechargeable Energy Storage System)
Transmission: motor output shaft, 9.71:1 gear reduction, belt drive
Acceleration: 0 -100km/h 3 seconds; 100-130km/h 1.9 seconds
Top speed: 177km/h
Range: 235km (city), 152km (combined stop-and-go and highway range using MIC City and MIC Combined tests), 158km (World Motorcycle Test Cycle)
Charging points on the LIveWire are under the “fuel” cap.
Charging: 120/240-volt outlet 20km (13 miles) per hour of charging; DC Fast Charge (DCFC) 0-80% in 40 minutes or 100% in 60 minutes
Weight: 210kg
Suspension (rear): fully adjustable Showa Balanced Free Rear Cushion-lite mono-shock
Suspension (front); Showa Separate Function Fork-Big Piston
Fully adjustable Showa rear shock
Brakes: Dual Brembo Monoblock calipers, 300mm rotors
Tyres: H-D/Michelin Scorcher (180mm rear and 120mm front)
Rider aids: Reflex Defensive Rider Systems (RDRS), Cornering Enhanced Anti-lock Braking System (C-ABS), Cornering Enhanced Traction Control System (C-TCS) and Drag-Torque Slip Control System (DSCS)
Technology: 4.3” colour TFT touchscreen, Daymaker LED headlamp, LED lighting, H-D Connect service connectivity and Harley- Davidson App
Riding modes: Seven selectable Ride Modes electronically control motor performance and level of RDRS intervention
Accessories: dual seat and tail, speed screen blade, decorative trim, hand and foot controls and cover with charging cord port

Touchscreen instruments

More tech specs

2020 Harley-Davidson LiveWire
Dimensions
	84.1 in. (2,135 mm)
Overall Width	32.7 in. (830 mm)
Overall Height	42.5 in. (1,080 mm)
Seat Height, Laden / Unladen	30 in. (761 mm) / 30.7 in. (780 mm)
Ground Clearance	5.1 in. (130 mm)
Rake (steering head)
	4.3 in. (108 mm)
	58.7 in. (1,490 mm)
Tires, Type	Michelin® Scorcher® “Sport”
	Scorcher® “Sport”
Tires, Front Specification	120/70 ZR17 58W
Tires, Rear Specification	180/55 ZR17 73W
Transmission Capacity	0.34 qt (0.32 L)
Coolant Capacity	0.8 qt. (0.72 L)
Weight, As Shipped	549 lb. (249 kg)
Weight, In Running Order	549 lb. (249 kg)
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating	949 lb. (430 kg)
Gross Axle Weight Rating, Front	434 lb. (197 kg)
Gross Axle Weight Rating, Rear	580 lb. (263 kg)
Drivetrain
Primary Drive (*Cert)	Spiral bevel gear , 55/17 ratio
Final Drive (*Cert)	Belt, 3/1 ratio
Transmission	Single Speed
Gear Ratios (overall) 1st (*Cert) (X.XXX)

	Aluminum cast
	Aluminum cast
Front Fork	SHOWA® 43 mm Inverted Separate Function Forks – Big Piston (SFF-BP®), fully adjustable
Rear Shocks	SHOWA® Balance Free Rear Cushion Lite (BFRC-lite®), fully adjustable
Wheels, Type	Black, Split 5-Spoke Cast Aluminum
Wheels, Front Dia. / Width	17 in. (432 mm) / 3.5 in. (89 mm)
Wheels, Rear Dia. / Width	17 in. (432 mm) / 5.5 in. (140 mm)
Brakes, Caliper Type	Dual 4-piston monoblock radial mount front, dual-piston rear
Brakes, Rotor Type	Dual floating rotors (front), floating rotor (rear)
Brakes, Front Diameter / Thickness	11.8 in. (300 mm) / 0.2 in. (5 mm)
Brakes, Rear Diameter / Thickness	10.2 in. (260 mm) / 0.2 in. (5 mm)
Brakes, Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)
Suspension Travel, Front / Rear	4.5 in. (115 mm) / 4.5 in. (115 mm)
Performance
Lean Angle Testing Method
Lean Angle, Right / Left (deg)

	Lithium Ion, 12.8V , 24 Wh, 120 A

	Onboard DC to DC conversion
Lights (as per country regulation), Headlamp	All LED, low beam, high beam and signature position lamp
Lights (as per country regulation), Tail/Stop	LED with light pipe tail
Lights (as per country regulation), Front Signal Lights
Lights (as per country regulation), Indicator Lamps	High beam, turn signals, ABS, traction control, EV fault
Lights, Rear Turn Signals	LED, Amber
	4.3” WQVGA 480×272 TFT Color Display with Ambient Light Sensor, 9 warning lights, Real Time Clock and Integrated Bluetooth Connectivity to a Smartphone to provide infotainment features including turn-by-turn navigation, telephone, music, and voice recognition.
Electric Power Outlet	USB C-type; output 5V at 3A
EV Specific Content: Motor
	116Nm (86ft-lb)

	Internal Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor with Water Jacket cooling
Motor Name	Revelation®
Inverter type
Pole Count
Power (hp/kW)	105HP (78kW)
	6.69 in. (170 mm)
Stack Length	3.94 in. (100 mm)
EV Specific Content: RESS
	Lithium Ion
	15.5kWh total, 13.6kWh min usable
EV Specific Content: Charging
Charge Plug Type	SAE J1772 Combo Inlet (CCS1) / IEC 62196 Combo Inlet (CCS2)
On-board charger, charge rate
AC wall charging time (not verified)	Target – Full charge in 12.5 hrs – Capable of 12.6 miles/hour charge rate (MIC city cycle)
DC fast charging time (not verified)	Target – Full charge in 1.0 hr – Capable of 192 miles/hour charge rate (MIC city cycle)
DC to DC conversion	450W at 14.2V
EV Specific Content: Range
	146 mi (235 km)
Highway (70 mph sustained)	70 mi (113 km)
	95 mi (152 km)
WMTC (World Motorcycle Test Cycle)	98 mi (158 km)
Infotainment
Hands-free Mobile Phone – via Bluetooth
Voice Recognition Languages: Phone functions only	Via paired iOS or Android device

Voice Recognition Languages: Tuner/Media/ Navigation	Via paired iOS or Android device
	USB Type-C
	Phone/media supported
Telematics

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Motorcycle News, News

Tarform Luna is an electric pineapple express

June 28, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

The Tarform Luna electric motorcycle is claimed to be more environmentally sound as it uses non-toxic, biomaterials such as flax for body panels and pineapple material in the seat.

It was unveiled last December with the special Founder Edition costing from $US42,000 (about $A61,200).

Now the standard Racer and Scrambler models are available for pre-orders starting from $US24,000 (about $A35,000).

Tarform Scrambler Tarform Racer

Luna production starts in late 2020 for delivery in 2021.

Taras Kravtchouk, the New York founder of the Tarform Luna electric motorcycle says their bikes use “honest materials that do no harm to our environment”.

Some critics say electric vehicles are not environmentally sound because of the emissions involved in extracting the precious metals for the batteries and the toxicity of recycling material at the end of the battery’s life.

Evolution in extraction, manufacturing and recycling processes is reducing those impacts with less use of materials such as cobalt and increasing use of repurposed lithium-ion batteries.

Tarform’s electric pineapple express

However, the jury is still out on the real impact of EVs.

Reports about the whole-of-life impact of electric vehicles compared with internal-combustion-engine vehicles vary substantially.

Pineapple express

Taras hopes to improve the whole-of-life environmental impact by using biomaterials in the construction of his bike, such as pineapple in the seating.

He also claims materials have been “ethically” sourced.

Other components are not permanently glued or bonded, making upgrades and repairs easy.

Taras says his goal is to use fully recyclable materials and no petroleum-based products. Of course that will mean something other than conventional tyres.

“At Tarform we treasure the freedom to ride in nature and feel responsibility to build vehicles that do no harm to our environment,” he says.

The Tarform is powered by a 41kW air-cooled electric motor that drives the rear wheel via a roller chain and has almost 200km of city range.

The Luna uses a 10-kW lithium-ion battery pack, reaches 100km/h in 3.8 seconds and has a top speed of 150km/h.

It uses Ohlins suspension and IRS brakes.

The 3.3-kW onboard charger can charge the battery up to 80% in 50 minutes.

Tech features include blind spot detection system that vibrates the seat to warn the rider, a 180-degree rearview camera and an app to track data about the bike.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Motorcycle News, News

Electric Emula will emulate any motorcycle

June 10, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

Imagine an electric motorcycle that could emulate the sound and feel of any past or present sportsbike, whether thumper or multi-cylinder.

It’s called the Emula (short for emulate) and it promises to be a thousand bikes in one.

Emulate with McFly

The prototype bike is the product of Italian company 2Electron.

It uses what they call McFly Core technology which is a wink to Michael J. Fox’s character, Marty McFly, in the Back to the Future movies.

But rather than a “fluxcapacitor”, the Emula uses subwoofers under the seat and on the tank to match traditional bike sounds, vibration pads in the seat, bars and pegs to provide engine feedback sensations and a digital gear shifter and clutch lever.

They say customers will be able to choose “almost” any brand, make or model of motorcycle and the technology will be able to match the sound, feel and even emulate the power curve, throttle response and gear shifting characteristics.

One of the most common complaints about electric motorcycles is that they lack the sound, feel and emotion of a traditional motorcycle.

This technology is obviously geared to overcome this, but at what cost in dollars and weight?

There is no word yet on scheduled arrival, price or tech specs such as range and charging times.

Boring mode

However, they do say it has have a “Boring Mode” which turns off the noises, vibrations and reverts to twist-and-go throttle with direct drive to the rear wheel.

They also claim a 250km/h (155mph) top speed.

Since the McFly emulation software is simply downloaded into the bike’s computer, you can chose several favourite motorcycle types and swap between them on the fly (or is that McFly?).

Now that would be interesting. Imagine switching from a Mike Hailwood Ducati to a Doohan 500cc two-stroke!

It’s sort of like a bike simulator on steroids.

Is this just a gimmick, or do they really think this has the potential to come to market?

We don’t know. We contacted the company and have yet to receive a reply, but will update if/when we do.

* Meanwhile what bike would you nominate to program into this electric machine? Leave your comments below.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Motorcycle News, News

Lightning develop enclosed electric bike

June 6, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

A fully enclosed electric motorcycle is being developed by American company Lightning Motorcycles to overcome the inherently poor aerodynamics of bikes.

Recently the company applied for a patent for the design and now online electric vehicle site Elektrek has pictured a model in a scaled-down wind tunnel and videoed a prototype on the street.

Lightning Strike

Lightning Motorcycles started building electric bikes in 2006 and in 2014 built the world’s fastest electric motorcycle, the $US38,888 (about $55,800), 150kW (200hp) Lightning LS-218, so named because it has a top speed of 218mph (346km/h).

Their more affordable Strike (from $US12,998/$A18,700) will be available soon.

Lightning LS-218

Lightning Strike

CEO Richard Hatfield says they have been working on “a whole series of new products” including “higher performance products and more affordable products”.

He also told Elektrek that they were working on “more exciting than the things we’ve done so far”.

Enclosed project

Patent drawing

He has now confirmed the enclosed motorcycle project to overcome the poor aerodynamics of motorcycles.

They developed it using a 3D-printed scale model in a small wind tunnel, but also have access to a full-sized wind tunnel.

Model wind tunnel

It has now been seen in prototype out on the streets, presumably near their HQ in San Carlos, California.

Prototype testing

What we really want to see is how it stays upright when stopped.

We can’t see the rider’s feet, but there appears to be a gap in the body where they may be able to put their foot down.

Perhaps they have outriggers that deploy at a certain speed or a gyroscope to keep it upright like the Honda self-balancing motorcycle or a gyroscope as in Harley-Davidson’s patent design.

Honda’s self-balancing motorcycle

Richard told Elektrek he wanted to make electric motorcycles more efficient by improving the aerodynamics.

“The overall conclusion is that motorcycles are pretty poor aerodynamically. Improving the aerodynamics is perhaps the best opportunity to reduce the battery pack size while maintaining good highway range and higher speed riding,” he says.

However, it doesn;’t seem very “mororcycle-ishj” withn what l;ooks like a steering wheel.

Enclosed motorcycles are not new. The BMW C1 scooter had a roof and companies as diverse as Yamaha, Toyota and AKO have plans for enclosed leaning two- and three-wheelers.

The driving force (pun intended) for these designs is to make riding safer and more accessible to more people.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Motorcycle News, News

Electric outfit for long-distance riding

June 3, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

Spanish design student Iago Valino imagines an electric future with a BMW outfit with a batteries house in the sidecar for long-distance riding.

His BMW concept drawing is not sanctioned by BMW Motorrad, but they must surely be paying some attention.

One of the biggest problems with electric motorcycles is fitting a big enough battery in such a small machine to provide suitable range.

Housing a battery in a sidecar would provide extra range for long-distance travel.

Electric outfit

Iago isn’t the first to think of an electric outfit.

Last year Russian company Ural Motorcycles built a prototype. There is no word on when — or if — the finished product will come to market.

URAL electric sidecar prototype

Like the Ural, Iago also sees the potential for not only long-distance travel, but some off-road applications.

His original project was an on-road focused model but he has also drawn one with off-road looks, without modifying ground clearance.

“Maybe, the ‘off-road’ adjective doesn’t fit quite well, but I was thinking on traveling around the world without having to avoid bad condition or dirt roads (Morocco for example), not dunes or similar pure off-road conditions,” he says.

“Either way, this was originally a really quick project and I had no time to approach technical solutions, the main proportions and front suspension system come, slightly modified, from the BMW DC Vision, an official concept, more or less as undriveable as this one could be.”

The DC Vision is the authorised BMW Motorrad vision of what their electric future may look like with its boxer-style electric motor.

BMW Motorrad Vision DC Roadster electric boxer

Not that BMW is getting close to an electric motorcycle just yet.

In 2018, managing director Stephan Schaller said electric motorcycles are “not in their immediate future”.

Yet last year the company applied for a patent for an electric motorcycle with the motor and battery making up the bulk of the frame, linked via upside down forks and a single 45-degree mono shock to the swingarm.

BMW patent drawing

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Motorcycle News, News

Soriano electric has ‘boxer’ motors

June 2, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

Italian motorcycle company Soriano Motori is making its first electric motorcycle with twin motors arranged in a twin-opposed “boxer” fashion like BMW’s famous engines.

The motors of the EV Giaguaro (Jaguar in English) work together for full power or independently for optimum range.

Soriano Design and Product Development Director Sergio Moroni says the project is a “passionate labor of love”.

“We are already building the prototype (or better “frame no. 1”) near Milan, close to Lake Como,” he told us.

Giaguaro V1R

“Full production will go into gear right after EICMA (motorcycle show in Milan in November) and the first deliveries will be in the first quarter of 2021.

“For this model and series we will only build an exclusive limited series of 100 numbered and signed motorcycles.”

Prices start at €25,500 for the V1R and up to €32,500 for the Gara. “Maybe more, depending on selection of accessories,” Sergio says.

Gara

Boxer electric

“What is interesting and we think it is a game changer to a degree is the fact that we have a ‘boxer’ solution with two electrical engines with shift and gear that actually helps in the way the bike handles and it responds in starting, cruising and accelerating,” Sergio says.

“The two engines work either independently and/or together (smaller for city use, larger – and/or both together – for highway cruising and/or fast acceleration) to achieve more efficiency also with the help of the gears.”

However, they are not the first to think of the boxer idea for an electric motorcycle.

In June 2019, BMW Motorrad unveiled their plans for an electric motorcycle that looks like a traditional Boxer-powered bike.

BMW’s Vision DC Roadster electric concept

However, there is no word from the Big Bavarian on when or if it will ever be produced.

The Soriano bikes will have a minimum of 150km range at a regular cruising speed with up to 200km on city range with a top speed of more than 180km/h.

Soriano EV Giaguaro V1S and V1R

The battery will take an average of four hours to charge.

“We are definitely working on a fast charger,” Sergio says.

“This part is already developed but we are actually looking at a couple of solutions that could improve both charging times and range.”

Other interesting design and engineering facets are girder forks, a three-speed gearbox and peripheral brake discs as used by Erik Buell.

Soriano history

The Soriano brand began in 1919.

Soriano Motori was founded in Madrid in 1941 by engineer Ricardo Soriano Hermensdorff von Scholtz, Marquis of Ivanrey.

In 2020, family heir Marco A. Soriano revived the brand in New York as a boutique motorcycle brand.

However, Sergio says the “heart and soul of the company is in Italy”.

Tech specs

Motors: Liquid-cooled, brushless Duo-flex
Power: 60kW
Torque: 144.8Nm
Clutch: Manual hydraulic, three ratios
Batteries: 15kW/h lithium-ion
Wheelbase: 1550mm
Seat: 820mm
Suspension: Aluminium girder forks; progressive, triangular rear
Brakes: 420mm peripheral “batflay” disc, radial 6 piston clipper; 250mm peripheral “batflay” disc, radial 4 piston clipper
Wheels: OZ Racing 17” x 3.5”; 17” x5.5 /6”

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Motorcycle News, News

Electric Savic on track after virus setbacks

May 21, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

Australia’s first full-size electric motorcycle, the Savic C-Series, is on track for their first customer delivery this year after coronavirus pandemic setbacks.

Savic Motorcycles founder Dennis Savic (pictured above) says bike development is “going relatively well”.

“We have some new suppliers and it’s driving a significant, but positive, redesign of the powertrain unit which will be key to our success.

“The new design has been refined slightly and we’re keeping it under warps.

“The under bodywork will be completely different, but the overall aesthetic will be the same.”

Setbacks

This is despite some minor setbacks caused by the pandemic lockdown.

“Our biggest hit was a delay in investment as some of our investors removed their initial commitments as a result of the virus,” he says.

“They run their own businesses and need to conserve cash.

“Getting any kind of funding at the moment is challenging as a lot of risk capital has dried up.

“Many companies and funds are conserving cash to weather the COVID-19 financial storm.

“We’re lucky enough to have secured our seed funding this month, and are about to hire a few people so that we can get to work on building the production prototype.”

Production and orders

Denis Savic with his Aussie electric motorcycle

Dennis says most of their supply base for pre-production parts from suppliers in Taiwan and China are “back up and running” after the lockdown.

“We’re still receiving orders from excited customers which is great for the team,” he says.

Dennis hopes to have the first customer bike delivered late this year.

“The delay in funding is pushing the time lines back a bit,” he says.

“Our objective is delivering the first bike this year if we can manage it and pending the international situation. I like to over achieve.”

Savic C-Series

2019 Savic electric motorcycle prototype orders

Savic Motorcycles will make 49 C-Series cafe racer electric motorcycles available from November in three variants.

Specification	Alpha	Delta	Omega
Power	60kW	40kW	25kW
Torque	190Nm	TBC	TBC
Range	200km	TBC	TBC
Charge time	4-6 hours	TBC	TBC
0-100km/h	3s 900ms	TBC	TBC
Price (+ORC)	$22,999.00	$15,999.00	$10,999.00

That’s much cheaper than the Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycle which launched last year in the US at about $US30,000 ($A44,000). It was expected to be available in Australia late next year, but delivery may be delayed by the pandemic. Pricing is also yet to be confirmed.

Denis says he hope to make his bikes available for test rides at the Australian Motorcycle Festival in Wollongong in November, if it still goes ahead.

Buyers of the first production models will also receive:

Exclusive company updates first;
Lifetime membership providing exclusive discounts for all future Savic rider gear; and
Live updates and images of their bike build as it happens.

Each model comes with several battery pack options. The largest offered in the Alpha will provide range of up to 200km, while the smallest option in the Omega is expected to have about 50km range.

Like all electric vehicles, peak torque is instantaneous and the Alpha will accelerate from 0-100km in 3.9 seconds.

By comparison, the LiveWire has city range of about 235km and highway range of about 150km and reaches 100km/h in three seconds.

Savic customers will be able choose a range of options in brakes, suspension, wheels, tyres and three colours – Spectre, Stealth, and Rustic.

Aftermarket upgrades will also be offered.

The bikes feature a fully integrated, stressed, liquid-cooled motor and energy storage system.

Depending on the model and battery pack a customer selects, a single charge can provide up to 11kWh. That costs only $3 compared with about $15 for a petrol bike to travel 250km.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Motorcycle News, News

RGNT No. 1 bike tracks your location

May 18, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

The Swedish RGNT No. 1 electric bike has a 4G connection for real-time data logging, tracking your bike’s location and automatically downloading software updates.

Given the reticence of riders to download the COVIDSafe app, we wonder how many riders would approve of their bike being connected to the internet so authorities can track you!

The “Internet of Things” bike is the idea of Swedish company, RGNT Motorcycles.

Their RGNT No. 1 electric bike will also have Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) that transmits positioning and timing data to GNSS receivers to determine location.

RGNT believes this is a good idea so riders can stay connected and it would certainly have safety and security benefits.

However, some riders may be concerned the authorities could track where you are and how fast you’re riding!

We asked how they will protect user privacy and will update if/when they reply.

RGNT call it a Human Machine Interface (HMI) module which was designed in partnership with communication and radar company Qamcom and computer development company EvolveLab.

Evolve Labs boss Joakim Guston says RGNT Motorcycles approached them and Qamcom to help build and design the ho-tech bike.

Hi-tech features will include over-the-air fleet firmware update, cloud-based bike data management and navigation.

RGNT No. 1

The lightweight 142kg bike is powered by a 11kW electric hub motor with a 7.7kWh battery which give sit rage of 150km and a top speed of 125km/h.

The battery take 4.5 hours to fully charge, but a fast charger is being developed and is expected to be offered in 2021.

It has a steel-chassis, disc-brakes, LED lights and all cost €10,500 (about $A17,675) for the standard edition with a two-year warranty.

Deliveries start in July/August 2020 with free shipping to dealerships in European countries where they have dealers.

The fact that it is called No. 1 indicates there will be future models.

Qamcom spokesman Johannes Wiig says the RGNT No1. is “revolutionising the way we drive on two wheels by combining the vintage design look and feel with a high-performance electric driveline and user experience expected by our tech-savvy riders”.

Each RGNT No.1 motorcycle will have its own user profile which can be reached through the app or a computer.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Motorcycle News, News

AKO tests tilting trike prototype

May 15, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

Lithuanian start-up AKO is now testing its electric-powered tilting trike prototype which is somewhere between a motorcycle, trike, car and plane.

Like the Piaggio and Yamaha leaning scooters, the Yamaha Niken leaning motorcycle and the non-leaning Can-Am Spyder roadster, it has two wheels up front and a single wheel at the back.

But the most interesting departure is the steering system which is somewhere between an aircraft yoke, car steering wheel and motorcycle handlebars.

Riders turn the bars/wheel the same as a motorcycle to steer, but can also move the steering column side to side to tilt the machine up to 30°.

AKO leaning electric trike

The hefty 500kg AKO is powered by a 26kWh battery and electric motor driving a shaft to the single rear wheel.

Output is 200kW with 600Nm of torque.

Range is claimed to be more than 300km with a top speed limited to 240km/h.

That compares with the Harley-Davidson LiveWire with 150km of highway range and 235km of city range. It will arrive in Australia later this year costing probably more than $40,000.

MBW tests the LiveWire in the US

AKO applied for the patent in July 2019 and is now in the prototype testing phase so production is be a long way off yet.

The company is now asking for manufacturers interested in production to contact them via their website: akotrike.com.

Tilting into the future

Several other companies are also working on tilting three wheelers.

Yamaha is particularly keen on a leaning trike future and has applied for several patents.

Yamaha patent drawing

Honda was the only one that has applied for a leaning trike patent with an electric motor until the AKO.

Honda patent

And late last year, Kawasaki applied for a patent for a tilting trike.

Kawasaki leaning three-wheeler patent drawing

We can see the advantages of a tilting three-wheeler:

More front contact patch means great cornering confidence;
Better braking performance from the extra contact patch;
Safer and therefore attractive to more people; and
No need for a side stand or to put your foot down when stopped.

There are also disadvantages compared with a traditional two-wheeled motorcycle or scooter:

Costlier and more complex suspension;
Less lean angle;
Wider footprint and less ability to lane filter;
Heavier and therefore higher fuel/power consumption; and
Greater tyre replacement costs.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Motorcycle News, News

Fuller electric has transparent wheels

May 11, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

This electric bike from Fuller Moto features transparent wheels, a super-slim body and 3D-printed titanium parts, but it has a century-old body design.

As LA bike designer Roland Sands says, electric bikes don’t have the constraints of traditional motorcycles (engines, petrol tank, exhaust pipe), so they can be quite revolutionary in design.

The Fuller 2029 Majestic certainly is revolutionary even if it is based on the French 1929 Majestic with similar sleek body and hub steering.

Majestic 1929

Incidentally, a 1930 Majestic outfit will be a highlight of a special exhibition in Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) later this year.

1930 Majestic 350 (Photographer: Olivier de Vaulx)

The Motorcycle: Design: Art, Desire exhibit will be a “one-off, world exclusive” at GOMA from 28 November 2020 to 26 April 2021.

Fuller Majestic 2029

Like the 1930 Majestic, the only place you will be able to see the Majestic 2029 is in a museum as it was commissioned by the Haas Moto Museum and Sculpture Gallery.

Bryan Fuller at work

Designer Bryan Fuller has put a lot more 2029 than 1929 into his electric bike including a Zero Motorcycles FXS electric drivetrain, 3D-printed titanium parts, CNC machining and transparent polycarbonate 23-inch wheels.

He also inverted the FXS chassis and repositioned the batteries.

“I was inspired by 3-D printing, allowing my creativity to run wild and create organic shapes that are nearly unmakeable by traditional means,” Fuller told Robb Report.

“With no limits to design, I was able to create something unique that could only exist in the space between craft and the innovation of technology.”

The Zero FXS pumps out 34kW of power, 106Nm of torque, has a top speed of 137km/h and 161km of range.

There are no tech specs yet on the Majestic 2029, but it should be a lot more than the 1929 version with a meagre 10kW of power and top speed of 90km/h.

Fuller Majestic 2029 gallery

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

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