Energica made e-bike waves in 2013 when it let us ride the prototype of its Ego electric superbike that reached production in 2014, the year we tested a production version of the Ego. Boasting 136 hp and 144 lb-ft. of torque with a claimed 150-mph top speed, the Italian-designed Ego was fast and thrilling, to be sure. But its claimed 584-lb weight made it really heavy for a superbike, and its $34,000 MSRP destined it only for spots in the well-stocked garages of well-heeled enthusiasts. It fitted into a niche within a niche.

Electric motorcycle maker Alta Motors is set to double its model lineup with the addition of R-spec versions of its Redshift MX motocrosser, Redshift EX enduro bike and Redshift SM supermoto.

According to filings submitted to NHTSA, Alta Motors will begin producing the Redshift MXR, Redshift EXR and Redshift SMR during this quarter. The new R models will have a slight change to the chemistry in their lithium-ion battery packs.

According to the filings, the changes are to improve the Alta Pack’s thermal properties, claiming superior performance while not having any effect on weigh or overall power. The filings also claim no effect on range, though they do indicate a slight drop in the battery’s capacity from 5.8 kWh to 5.7 kWh.

As futuristic as the future may one day be, I’ll be the guy hoarding all the loud, leaky, inefficient, fossil-fueled motors that most of the world will consider to be boat anchors and giant paperweights – call it my Redneck 401k. One day they might be considered old-fashioned, but there’s just something extremely gratifying about an internal combustion engine that an electric motor could never replicate. Mostly it’s the sound and feel, obviously, and it used to be about the performance, but electric motorcycles have evolved and come a long way in recent years.

One company that’s leading the charge (get it? …charge?) is Alta Motors with its Redshift line of bikes that includes an Enduro, Motocross and Supermoto variant. All three bikes feature the same water-proof battery that crams 5.8 kWh into 30.8 kilos (67.9 lbs) with a maximum of 350V providing a claimed 40 hp and 120 lb-ft of torque. Range varies with output map selection, but Alta says to expect approximately three hours of continuous use depending on how hard you’re twisting the throttle. Recharging is said to take four hours at 120V and just two and a half at 240V. From there, the weight, suspension, wheels and geometry differ from model to model to tailor the bikes to perform best for their respective purposes.

After first announcing the Vespa Elettrica project at EICMA a year ago, the electric Vespa is now ready for production, with Piaggio confirming it will be available worldwide, with orders being accepted in the spring.

The 2018 Vespa Elettrica will be offered in two versions, the standard model which offers a range of 100 km (about 62 miles) or the X model which uses a gasoline-powered generator that increases the maximum range to 200 km (124 miles).

The Elettrica is propelled by an electric motor claiming peak output of 5.3 hp (with a continuous output of 2.7 hp) and more than 147.5 lb-ft. of torque, which Piaggio says is superior performance to a traditional 50cc gasoline-powered scooter. The Elettrica offers to operating modes, ECO and Power. In ECO mode, acceleration is more gradual and the top speed is capped at 30 kph (about 18.6 mph), while Power mode offers full speed and acceleration. The electric scooter also has a reverse mode.

Are we in the future, or what? We can buy groceries from Beijing while we video chat with family in Baltimore, carry supercomputers around in our pockets, and doctors can make new human body parts in a Petri dish. We don’t have jet packs or hoverbikes, but we may have the next best thing: practical electric motorcycles, motorcycles that ranges of 100 miles or more.

The problem is those bikes can cost close to $20,000. The cheapest brand-new, street-legal electric motorcycle is Zero’s FXS – and it’s almost $9,000 new. What if you only have five grand to spend?

Honda announced new electric and hybrid versions of its PCX scooters at the Tokyo Motor Show. Both are scheduled to go on sale as 2018 models in Asia, including Japan. For now, the only PCX in North America remains the PCX 150.

The PCX ELECTRIC is an electric scooter equipped with a high-output motor developed independently by Honda, as well as the Honda Mobile Power Pack, a detachable mobile battery pack. Where there’s no charging station available, you simply whip the batteries out and bring them to the electricity.

KTM North America decided to let us know they would be live streaming the global launch of the 2018 KTM Freeride E-XC and the company’s vision of E-Mobility as a whole from Austria at about the same time I was searching for a topic for this week’s Top 10 list. Thankfully, the presentation was full of interesting information that I shall now parse out for you in 10 easy-to-read slides. Grab yourself a cold Steigl and enjoy.

BMW has brought its C Evolution electric mid-sized scooter to AIMExpo, and although we had information from BMW about the U.S. specifications of the C Evolution at the end of July, BMW tells us the electric scooter is now available for sale at select California dealers as a 2018 model with an MSRP of $13,750. We should see availability around the country in the months to follow.

A veterinary superhero by day and engineering extraordinaire by night, when Dr. Alan Cross isn’t performing orthopedic surgery helping animals, he’s in his garage at home in Atlanta designing and engineering his next creation. Pictured here is what he calls the ExoDyne. This is what you get when you cross a motivated doctor with an engineering degree and a passion for motorsports! And that’s not to mention the metalworking and fabrication skills he’s learned on his own.

The ExoDyne is just one example of Dr. Cross’ long list of accomplishments. He has a passion for restoring vehicles and even built a race-spec Mazda RX-8 that he competes in on weekends. It took nine months of research, design and fabrication to complete the ExoDyne. Cross did all the work himself with the exception of the seat upholstery and powder coating.

Don’t know about you, but one of my favorite ways to attempt to keep my personal bore-to-stroke ratio reasonably undersquare is to pedal around on my bicycle, and I know I am not alone. Many motorcyclists are also big on bicycling, which makes Yamaha’s entry into the US e-bike industry kind of a big deal. Correct, they’re not motorcycles, but we think we like Yamaha’s new e-Bikes anyway. It announced four new models this morning at the big Interbike show:

•UrbanRush, balance of power, stiffness, and speed in a sleek road bike chassis.

If your idea of off-road riding is busting big air over triple jumps, the Freeride-E will disappoint. But KTM’s electric-powered off-roader broadens the scope of what’s possible in a dirtbike built to quietly conquer trails of fun.

KTM is bringing its Freeride E-XC electric motorcycle to the U.S. in an initial pilot program. The E-XC enduro, along with its off-road-only X-SX sibling, have been available in Europe since 2015, and KTM is now ready to bring its electric motorcycle technology to North America.

For the pilot program, the Freeride E-XC will only be available in limited quantities at 11 dealerships across the country, each undergoing the required certification for KTM’s high voltage technical training program so they can service these electric bikes. The Freeride E-XC will be priced at $8,299; by comparison, the gas-powered KTM Freeride 250R dirtbike is priced at $7,999.

Blessed with beautiful weather year round, weekend mornings at the Rock Store of southern California can rival the best bike shows around the globe. Eclectic characters come out of the woodwork every weekend to enjoy riding through some of the tightest, twistiest, off-camber, up- and downhill roads motorcyclists dream of. Their owners are pretty interesting, too. It’s not uncommon to see Jay Leno on one of his bizarre and rare machines or other celebrity motorcyclists such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Matt LeBlanc or Laurence Fishburne.

And while tourists and visitors may be enthralled with the celebrities, to locals there is nothing more enjoyable than an early morning cruise up Pacific Coast Highway, heading into the canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains followed by a hot cup of coffee at one of motorcycling’s most famous locales. That brisk early morning chill while moisture hangs in the air. The sunlight peeking its way through the oak trees as it rises in the east. The way the light hits the Rock Store just perfectly through the trees.

With a consistently heavy volume of new stories and news items appearing daily on the Motorcycle.com homepage, it can become difficult to catch everything you’re interested in. MO‘s newsletter helps to solve that issue by delivering a digest of the latest bike reviews, comparison tests, and motorcycle news straight to your inbox every couple of days.

Dunlop Roadsmart III Performance-Touring Tire Review

In case that isn’t reason enough all by itself to sign-up for our newsletter, Dunlop Tires has stepped up to potentially make it even more worth your while. For a limited time, readers who sign-up to receive MO‘s newsletter will also be entered to win a new set of Dunlop ROADSMART III sport touring tires courtesy of Dunlop. So what are you waiting for? Get on the list and maybe get your baby some new dancing shoes in the process!

Click HERE to sign-up for the MO Newsletter and to be entered to win a new set of Dunlop ROADSMART III tires!

BMW revealed a new electric scooter concept illustrating the concepts of digital connectivity and future urban mobility. Dubbed the BMW Motorrad Concept Link, the concept scooter will be displayed at this weekend’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este at northern Italy’s Lake Como.

“The BMW Motorrad Concept Link stands for a new understanding of urban mobility. It links the digital and analog world and places the focus on the rider and his mobility needs,” says Edgar Heinrich, Head of Design of BMW Motorrad “In the way it links functionality and digitalization it performs both as a means of transport as well as a communication device.  For me the BMW Motorrad Concept Link, with its timeless and reduced style, is more than a concept – it is rather a symbol for a new era.”

Last month we reported on Chinese electric motorcycle manufacturer Evoke and the company’s intention of entering the United States with its Urban S model by this summer. Now, rumblings from Bangalore suggest two new electric motorcycle companies, Tork Motors and Emflux Motors, are preparing to launch in India, and eventually the world.

The Tork T6X and its corresponding website are apparently much further down the path of offering an actual production bike, while Emflux and its Model 1 appear to be in the final stages of adapting and testing its electric motor within a KTM RC390 chassis. It’s been reported that the production version of the Emflux (picture above a teaser of the production version) will break cover at India’s Auto Expo in February of 2018, while orders are currently being taken on the T6X, however, no delivery date is mentioned.

Team Mugen presented the latest version of its TT Zero-winning electric racebike at the 2017 Tokyo Motorcycle Show. John McGuinness, and Guy Martin will ride the Mugen Shinden Roku (“roku” meaning “six”) in this year’s race.

Mugen has won the last three TT Zero races with McGuinness winning the TT Zero in 2014 and 2015 and Bruce Antsey victorious in 2016. McGuinness owns the lap record with a time of 18:58:743 on the Isle of Man’s Mountain Course set in 2015.

Scooter fans looking for an alternative to the classic Vespa-style design have another option with the rebirth of a classic Czech brand as a British ex-pat is reviving the torpedo-shaped Čezeta.

The original Čezeta (pronounced Chuh-zeh-tuh) Type 501 was introduced by CV in 1957, with its signature design that has been compared to the shape of a torpedo or a pig. The 501 was followed by the Type 502 and Type 505, before production ceased in 1964.

According to various sources, President Trump was scheduled to sign more executive orders today at Harley-Davidson headquarters in Milwaukee. However, the visit was apparently canceled at the behest of the Motor Company due to concerns of social blowback by crowds of protesters. According to a post on the Milwaukee Independent website, the Milwaukee Coalition Against Trump (MCAT), is the organization taking credit for influencing Harley-Davidson’s decision to cancel the visit.

The Milwaukee Indepent quoted a person from the MCAT saying, “Today, Milwaukee let the world know that Trump is not welcome here. The Milwaukee Coalition Against Trump is thrilled that Trump has been forced to cancel his visit to Milwaukee, one of his first press events outside of Washington D.C.”

CNN reported that the visit was not public knowledge, but in advance of the event the White House had people in Milwaukee preparing for the President’s arrival. A statement issued by Harley-Davidson last night denies any planned visit by the President saying they “don’t have, nor did we have, a scheduled visit from the President this week at any of our facilities.”

Most likely this is a bid by H-D to remain politically neutral and not upset Harley-Davidson owners regardless of political affiliation.

BMW announced an updated version of its C Evolution electric scooter, claiming a 60% increase in range. And more notably for American consumers, BMW confirmed the C Evolution scooter will finally be available in the U.S.A.

The C Evolution was first in introduced in 2014 for European markets. The original model used an 60 Ah lithium-ion battery that BMW claimed gave the C Evolution a range of 100 km (62 miles). For 2017, the C Evolution gets a new 94 Ah battery (the same used in BMW’s i3 electric car), with BMW claiming a range of 160 km (99.4 miles).

I hate to break this to you, regular Motorcycle.com reader, but you might be the wrong audience for the GenZe 2.0 electric scooter. How do I know? Well, if you’re here then you appreciate the speed, the sound, and the power (both mechanical and personal) motorcycling provides. The triple threat is an addictive combination to stir the emotions. The GenZe 2.0 doesn’t have any of that.

To keep it technically classified as a moped, 30 mph is the fastest it’ll go. Since it’s electric, it hardly makes a sound. And, according to GenZe, with a 170-lb rider it’ll take 10 seconds for the aluminum scoot to hit 30. So, power is scant, too. Actually, that’s not entirely accurate – the GenZe 2.0’s motor is rated to produce max torque of 74 lb-ft. It’ll easily go faster than 30, but it’s electronically governed to stop there. Any more and Uncle Sam will want GenZe to meet homologation standards and Johnny Law will require you to get a motorcycle license. As it stands, in many states if you have a license to drive a car then you can ride this scooter. In California, however, you’ll need an M2, or moped license.

Victory revealed a new electric sportbike prototype featuring an all-new battery module from Brammo. Described as a test bed for the company’s future powertrains, the new Victory RR will make its racing debut in the TT Zero class in the 2016 Isle of Man TT beginning May 28.

Duke’s Den – Victory Motorcycle’s New Performance Focus

The Victory RR will be ridden by William Dunlop who was originally tabbed to ride the Victory Empulse RR in last year’s TT Zero but withdrew with an injury. His replacement, Guy Martin, finished fourth, right behind teammate Lee Johnston.

If you’ve been keeping tabs, we’ve ridden the Zero FX quite a lot. First in 2013 when I rode one to the top of Pikes Peak, during the 91st running of the iconic event. Later that year I was fortunate enough to be drafted onto a team that raced another FX twice around the clock, making history as the first electric motorcycle to do so. In 2014, Zero’s VP of Global Marketing, and off-road racing legend, Scot Harden, invited E-i-C Kevin Duke and myself to his backyard track to get a taste of the FX in its natural (dirt) environment. Following that, Editor Roderick and I took another FX to Adams Motorsports Park to put it head-to-head with a Suzuki DRZ-400SM, for a gas vs. electric supermoto face-off – where it won! And, because I hadn’t had enough of the FX, in early 2015, I had the bright idea to take one to the short track at Del Mar to try my hand at flat track “racing” (in quotes because I had no idea what I was doing). So, with no less than five Zero FX stories in our archives, a natural next question might be: “Another Zero FX review?!”

I still remember how wide my eyes were the first time I twisted the e-throttle on Zero’s new-for-2014 SR. Any word associations I had prior to “electrics” and “slow” were well and truly shattered. With a claimed 106 lb-ft of torque – more than a Suzuki Hayabusa – available at an instant from its high-output motor and 660-amp motor controller, and no clutch or gears to finesse, there are few things that can beat it in a stoplight-to-stoplight dash.

I’m tucked in behind the bubble of an authentic Isle of Man TT racer watching numbers roll past 140 mph on the speedometer, but there’s not even a whisper from the engine. That’s because this Victory doesn’t have an engine – it uses an electric motor.

Victory/Brammo Race Isle of Man TT Zero

Yep, this is the same bike TT ace Lee Johnston rode to a podium finish in the 2015 IoM TT Zero race, lapping the legendary public-road course at an average speed of 111.62 mph. The bike is based on a Brammo that raced the TT Zero in 2014, but it’s been further developed since Victory purchased Brammo’s motorcycle business in January 2015. More info about the changes Victory made to the bike can be found here in Troy Siahaan’s article.

We’ve tested plenty of electric motorcycles over the years here at MO. In the process, we’ve been able to witness firsthand how rapidly e-bikes have evolved. Through it all, however, we get asked the same questions over and over: 1. How far will it go on a charge? and 2. How long will it take to recharge the batteries? There used to be a third question – how fast will it go? – but through our testing and experiences with the greater e-bike community, speed no longer seems to be a concern amongst the critics.

2014 Zero SR Review

In the quest to satisfy curiosity surrounding the first two questions, we ordered up a 2015 Zero SR and lived with it for two months. We used it as a daily driver, its intended environment, to experience just what it’s like to ride a bone-stock electric bike in the everyday. As you can see from the photos, ours came with a few choice accessories, which we’ll cover later on. For now, let’s tackle the two aforementioned questions head-on.

Remember the mega splash Harley-Davidson made last summer with its electric LiveWire? No one expected the usually stodgy Motor Company to veer so sharply into the future, and the stylish e-bike was prominently featured across mainstream media outlets. Never before had electric motorcycles made such a huge impression on the general public.

Astute e-bike fans might remember the name BRD, the group setting out to make an electric motocross (and supermoto) competitor from the ground up, called the Redshift, with an emphasis on performance. As we found out at the AIMExpo recently, 2015 brings the bike and the company a few surprises.

For starters, BRD is no more. Presenting those in attendance with a Photoshopped Chef Boyardee logo as some sort of cryptic reason for the name change, the company now goes by Alta Motors, in reference to “Alta California,” the geographic location of its San Francisco, CA headquarters back when the land was under Mexico’s rule.

Name changes aside, the Alta Motors Redshift is making waves as a potentially groundbreaking electric motorcycle. It’s designers and engineers never set out for the title of best electric motorcycle, instead setting the bar higher and working towards a machine that could go toe-to-toe with gas bikes in the competition arena. While we have yet to ride the Redshift MX or its street-legal supermoto variant, the bike is nonetheless interesting.

Today at Intermot 2014, KTM took the wraps off the latest in its electric Freeride lineup, the Freeride E Supermoto. The supermoto version of KTM’s Freeride E-SX and E-XC, the E-SM is designed to be an electric city slicker, able to dash through congested cities with ease, all on battery power.

All Freeride E models are powered by permanent magnet synchronous electric motors claiming a peak output of 21.5 hp and 31.0 ft-lb. of torque, which KTM says is on par with similar-sized gas-driven motorcycles. The engine and engine control unit are water-cooled to maintain optimal performance. KTM’s PowerPack houses 360 lithium-ion battery cells and the battery management system. According to KTM, about an hour of ride time is available, depending on conditions and riding habits. That kind of ride time is rather short for most enthusiasts, but PowerPacks are easily interchangeable by loosening four bolts under the seat and swapping out batteries. KTM says the powerpack can get a full charge in 80 minutes while a 50-minute charge will  suffice for an 80% charge.

Zero made a splash last year with the introduction of the Zero SR, the hot-rodded version of its flagship S model. This year’s news is a little more subdued, but is still highly relevant all the same. Three big improvements will be seen across the entire Zero line for 2015: Showa suspension will now become standard, as will Bosch switchable ABS and Pirelli tires.

The 41mm Showa fork comes in 2mm smaller diameter than the unit it replaces, but otherwise it and the rear shock will feature the same full adjustability and suspension travel as before (6.25in. front/6.35in. rear for the S and SR, 7.0in. front/7.3in. rear on the DS). Front brake rotors on the S, SR and DS increase to 320mm (from 313mm), but interestingly Zero chose to ditch the Nissin twin-piston calipers in favor of J-Juan units. Other than the addition of ABS, the rear 240mm disc and J-Juan single piston caliper remain the same.

I receive a lot of notifications about crowd-funding programs related to motorized recreation looking for a little promotion. Most are easily ignored, but once in a while one catches my attention. Recently I received an email about an off-road electric bike that stood out from the crowd – the Daymak Beast.

As luck would have it, Daymak headquarters is not far from my house in Toronto, so I arranged to take some prototypes out for a brief test ride.

With looks that bring the Honda Ruckus to mind, the Beast is unlike any electric bike we’ve seen. It’s far more bicycle than motorcycle, as Daymak is aiming to make it street legal without a license. This means a top speed of about 20 mph and a set of working pedals. This is standard stuff for electric bikes, but a few things set the Beast apart.

The announcement of Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire electric motorcycle sent shockwaves through the moto industry and even made headline news in the general media. Harley’s products, perhaps more than any other vehicle manufacturer, are steeped in tradition, so building an e-bike just seemed so unlikely for the hidebound company.

And yet, there was a row of LiveWires ready to ride in NYC last week, looking sharp and production-ready even if they are actually technology demonstrators and aren’t yet available for sale. The LiveWire is a huge departure from H-D’s traditional market, but the bike’s stance and appearance give it a strong visual presence.

Harley-Davidson LiveWire First Ride

You can read more about the LiveWire in the link above. This week we’re giving you a LiveWire experience on video, including on-board riding footage and interviews with the key personnel behind this unexpected project.

Harley-Davidson’s electrically-powered LiveWire has sent shockwaves throughout the moto industry – and also through the general public. I don’t recall the last time Harley made a bigger splash in traditional media than the news of this electric motorcycle, which I got to ride yesterday on the streets of New York City.

The LiveWire impresses even before riding, as Harley engineers have clearly put a lot of effort into making this an e-bike that pleases the eyes. It borrows some elements from H-D’s dirt-track heritage, with a low, flat faux fuel tank and abbreviated tail section. Also low is the seat height, about 30 inches. A sand-cast, perimeter-style aluminum frame wraps around the batteries, while the electric motor is proudly on display at the bottom end of the bike. Harley designers describe the longitudinally mounted motor with its billet aluminum housing as a highlight of the LiveWire.

In a bombshell that would seem to be an April Fools joke, we believe Harley-Davidson will be building a production motorcycle powered by electric power, named “Livewire.” Harley filed a trademark application for the name on Nov. 1, 2012 with the USPTO, then also filed for a trademark in the EU on Nov. 2, 2012 which was approved March 13, 2013. This is potentially game-changing news, and if this indeed turns out to be true, it will give a whole new meaning to “The Motor Company.”

UPDATE: Harley-Davidson released a new teaser video that supports our theory:

Monumental! That’s what this is. MO’s first electric vs. gas, head-to-head supermoto comparison. A bare-knuckle brawl between the embedded establishment and the harbinger of an electrified future. Yep, this shootout is unique, but it’s also the proverbial tip of the iceberg. With the exponential rate at which electric motorcycle technology is improving, there’s a heap load more of this kind of comparison to come.

While we’ve ridden just about every consumer available electric motorcycle currently on the market ( Brammo, Energica, Lightning, Zero) these have either been single bike reviews or a shootout pitting one electric against another ( 2013 Brammo Empulse R Vs Zero S). Only once have we compared an e-bike to an internal-combustion engine (ICE) motorcycle.

Gas vs. Electric Dual-Sport Shootout: Yamaha WR250R vs. Zero DS

This is, therefore, an historical report, to be regarded by future generations, living in a world of depleted fossil fuels, as laughable. But for us in the here and now, residing through this slow-grinding transitional period – from cheap dinosaur power and deficient battery proficiency to the demise of OPEC and the world domination of Duracell – these types of shootouts are about to become commonplace.

We say it every time we test one of these things, but electric motorcycle technology really is advancing at an astonishing pace. For proof of this, look towards the Isle of Man TT, where the fastest e-bikes are averaging more than 100-mph laps – something impossible just five years ago. In fact, it took gas bikes over 50 years to do a “ton up” lap. E-bikes? Four. How’s that for progress?

Forget the golf cart analogies; Energica’s Ego is a bona fide sportbike that just happens to be powered by electricity.

The electric motorcycle race is marching on at a rapid pace, and the 2013 Zero S is the latest example of how far the performance gap to gas bikes is closing. Last year, the Zero S/DS duo was the first legitimate entries we could even remotely compare to a gas counterpart in terms of performance. For 2013, however, there’s no question a Zero’s performance is on par with 250cc gas bikes, and perhaps even better.

A bigger motor coupled with a larger battery give it more power and longer range, while advancement in charging systems means the new bikes fill up 25% faster when using a standard wall outlet. For even quicker charging, the Zero can be filled to 95% capacity in under an hour at a CHAdeMO station which, granted, are few and far between.

While still not as quick as what’s possible, this battery technology is enabling many riders to shed their range anxiety while performing their usual daily routine. Don’t be surprised to see real-world mileage figures near 80 under normal operating conditions. Take advantage of Zero’s ingenious smartphone app, and the performance of the machine can be custom tailored to your needs. Each year the e-bike manufacturers make massive improvements from the year before, and Zero has thoroughly impressed in 2013. We can’t wait to see what’s still to come.

Read More:
2013 Zero S Review
2012 Zero DS Review – Video
2013 Brammo Empulse R Vs Zero S ZF11.4 – Video
2013 Zero Motorcycles Lineup

Best Electric Motorcycle Honorable Mention: Brammo Empulse

In May we published on the Motorcycle.com news blog about Mission Motorcycles coming to market with a production version of the Mission R and Mission RS electric superbikes – virtually the same motorcycles Steve Rapp rode to a convincing victory during the TTXGP races at Laguna Seca two years ago, setting a lap time just 10 seconds slower than a MotoGP machine.