Lightning Motorcycles Officially Opens US Reservations For All-New Strike
Lightning Motorcycles is seemingly taking a page out of the Tesla playbook, and today declared it has officially opened reservations for its newest model, the recently announced Lightning Strike. Lightning says it has made this move based on an “unexpectedly high” number of customer requests after news of the Strike went public (of course, we’d like to say Motorcycle.com had a small part in that). Similar to the Tesla model of offering fully refundable reservations for the Model 3, Lightning is following suit and offering U.S. customers a chance to place reservations for the Strike – which will be available in two versions. The reservation structure will look like this:
Strike Carbon Edition Reservation
- Reserves first-in-production Strike Carbon Edition
- Strike Carbon Edition is fully configured with every available option included
- $10,000 fully refundable reservation deposit
Strike Standard Reservation
- Reserves standard Strike – starts production after Strike Carbon Edition
- Standard Reservation Strike has a $12,998 starting price and is configurable with options
- $500 fully refundable reservation deposit
Of course, the Carbon Edition Strike is newsworthy in its own right, but in our attempts to get more information – any information – out of Lightning, company reps were tight-lipped. What we do know, apart from the teaser info from Lightning in the original announcement link, is the high-spec (we assume) Carbon Edition will be the first of the two versions rolling off the production line, and it will come with every option in the Lightning playbook. Lastly, we know entry to this party will cost you a fully refundable reservation of $10,000.
From here, anything else the Carbon Edition may or may not have is strictly guesswork on our part. However, as the name would imply, expect the Carbon Edition to have plenty of the material everywhere. We’d expect the bodywork to be composed of carbon at the very least. Maybe wheels, too, but it’s highly unlikely any major chassis components will be carbon.
Meanwhile, the standard Strike will begin its production after the Carbon Edition. Starting price will be $12,998 and the customer can configure the bike with various options after. Interestingly, the refundable reservation amount for the standard model is only $500. No, that’s not a typo.
That’s all we know about the new Lightning Strike for now. Full product details will be given at the official launch and unveiling of the Strike, taking place March 2019.
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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If the Strike offers 12-15 kwh and around 90 hp, it will be a hell of a deal at $13k. I'll put $500 down on one if the specs are in that range. I've wanted an electric bike for years and it seems like the tech and price have finally converged to a point where it makes sense to buy one.
Lightning must be pleased that HD benchmarked the market with the LiveWire...a very easy bar to hurdle. Even if the Strike does nothing more than match the El Dub's specs it will still be a win at half the price. I can't wait for March to come.
Lightning is trying to get ahead of the curve in a hurry, just like Zero. HD has lit a fire under the remaining electric bike companies. Innovate or be annihilated.