Church Of MO – First Impression: EMB Lectra Electric Motorcycle
With all the hoopla surrounding the Harley-Davidson LiveWire, this Church of MO feature would like to remind everyone about Motorcycle.com‘s long-standing involvement with electric vehicles. Sure this includes the early days of both Zero and Brammo, but our relationship with e-bikes stems even further back: To 1998, and an obscure machine called the EMB Lectra. About the size of a modern day Honda Grom, the Lectra is entirely outdated when compared to modern electric motorcycles. However, in the course of 16 years, electric motorcycles like the Lectra have matured from being considered toys, to becoming embraced by none other than Harley-Davidson. Read on to see just how far we’ve come.
First Impression: EMB Lectra Electric Motorcycle
See the Future, Be the Future.
By Motorcycle Online Staff Mar. 19, 1998
As with most news coverage of the three deadly “D’s” (death, disaster and decadence), a certain amount of collective hand wringing occurs in order to parcel out the blame, necessary fuel for the popular cult of victimization. The back story of El Niño is the damage capitalism and technology has done to the environment. We are the villains, collectively, Americans and their fossil fuel addiction in particular. The victim is Mother Nature, and El Niño the behavioral result of a century of physical abuse.
The centerpiece of the Lectra is its variable-reluctance brushless electric drive system. EMB’s press release states that the “absence of permanent magnets and a new patented rotor structure that combines with custom integrated control circuitry provides unique superior performance at a competitive price.” Translated, it means the bike is cheap with reasonable power delivery. It costs only $3995 USD, and can reach boulevard cruising speeds of 30 to 35 mph.
For more information on the Lectra call EMB at (707) 82E-BIKE (823-2453) or visit their website at www.electric-motorbike.com. [Don’t bother calling or clicking; EMB is long gone -TS]
Specifications:
Manufacturer: EMB Incorporated Model: LectraPrice: ,995 USDEngine: Electric, 24 vdc, 2-phase brushless design, air cooledBattery: 104 amp/hour, maintenance-free batteriesRange: 40 miles (64 km)Re-charge time: 4.25 hours standardWheelbase: 52 in (1321 mm)Front Brakes: Dual caliper, floating 190mm diskRear Brakes: Electric assisted rear 110mm rear drumClaimed weight: 340 lbs (154 kg)
Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.
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