#ElectricMotorcycle

When we attended the Annual AHRMA Racing Barber Vintage Festival for the first time in 2019 with all-electric Lightfighter v1, we had almost no expectations, especially when we entered the Pro Cup Race on a whim. After the high of the Laguna Seca race round this season though, “the return” crept into our collective sub-conscience, albeit along with loftier expectations.  Taking not one, but two v2 bikes to the hallowed ground of Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama in October would be the ultimate test to see just how far we’ve come in three seasons of development. And after a successful race weekend at Laguna, we were also anxious to see how well our setup translated to a very different track layout and surface. 

All-new Model S headlines Zero’s 2024 model lineup

Racing the all-electric Lightfighter at Laguna Seca.

Erik Buell is a man that doesn't stay down. After two companies of his went down for one reason or another (and then one reemerged without any involvement from him), Buell has turned his attention to electric motorcycles, and his latest venture is this, the FUELL Fllow. Borrowing some of the ideas, principles, and engineering that went into Buell motorcycles, Erik also brought along some of his team from the past ventures, too. Together, they feel they have a revolutionary electric motorcycle at a very reasonable price. Read the full (long) press release below to find out more about the FUELL Fllow. Or you can visit the order page for even more info.

Lightfighter Racing nearly 4 years on…

S2 Del Mar is priced at $15,499 USD for the U.S. and Europe receives a Launch Edition of 100 limited edition bikes on sale April 27.

This supermoto-ish-looking thing is Aprilia‘s “vision of mobility for the youngest riders of the near future.” So, forget Millenials or even Gen Z, this Aprilia ELECTRICa project is aimed at Generation Alpha – a cohort of kids who, at the oldest end of the spectrum, are currently in junior high school.

Big news out of the Ducati camp, as the Bologna-based manufacturer has announced it has reached an agreement with Dorna to be the sole supplier for the all-electric MotoE World Cup, which races alongside MotoGP at select rounds. Ducati’s involvement will begin in 2023 through at least 2026.

By now you might have forgotten about Part 1 of the Lightfighter electric superbike saga. That’s our bad for taking so long getting this second video edited and released, but the world’s been a crazy place lately. While we certainly encourage you to click the link to catch yourself up on Part 1, the quick recap goes a little something like this: after being asked to ride and help develop version 1 of the Lightfighter LFR19 electric superbike, Brian Wismann and Ely Schless built version 2 based on my feedback. We had plenty of hopes, dreams, and intentions for the bike, but a little thing called Covid-19 threw a giant monkey wrench into those plans.

Triumph has managed to squeak by without much fanfare regarding its TE-1 electric motorcycle prototype for the past two years, partially because it has distracted us with rollouts of so many new or updated models, all with internal combustion engines. Triumph also pulled it off by releasing a press release in 2019 stating its TE-1 project… then staying virtually silent about it all this time later. The onset of a global pandemic also helped steer people’s minds away from the project, but today Triumph has announced it has completed phase 2 of its TE-1 electric motorcycle project, and the details, while still a little vague, already look very promising. It should, considering the talent behind the project. 

In between feedings for his newborn child, Motorcycle.com’s sleuth, Dennis Chung, has informed us that certification filings in Australia have given us a little bit more information about the 2021 Harley-Davidson Livewire. The first of the major manufacturers to produce a full-fledged electric motorcycle, the Livewire brings with it some cutting-edge technology and performance. Eventually, though, every motorcycle needs to get updated and the Livewire is no exception.

Back in December of 2020 I wrote about the second coming of the Lightfighter electric superbike I’ve been fortunate enough to pilot over the course of the past two seasons. For those unfamiliar, in early 2019 two electric motorcycle die-hards – Brian Wismann and Ely Schless – designed and built a battery-powered racing motorcycle in their free time focusing on a geometry-first design ethos as opposed to the battery-first design that had basically become de rigueur in the e-bike world. 

If you’ve been following me on social media at all in 2020 (I’m @motrizzle, in case you’re wondering), you’ve probably noticed my feed is littered with pics of a certain orange motorcycle. It’s not that common for a single bike to dominate my feed considering the different number of bikes I get to ride (pre-pandemic, anyway). But this one is different. Both literally and figuratively. The Lightfighter electric superbike plays such a dominant role in my feed because I have a personal stake in it. I helped develop it. And now, for version 2.0, a physical object built around my feedback would be the proof in the pudding to determine whether I have any idea what I’m talking about.

Damon Motors is making a big splash in the electric motorcycle world today with the announcement of two new models – the HyperSport HX and HyperSport SE, now available for pre-order – both centered around the company’s proprietary HyperDrive battery/motor/controller unit which comprises the central component of the motorcycle’s frame. However, while that in itself is newsworthy, Damon is further making waves with its cloud-based 360-degree CoPilot safety system and the subscription service it’s providing with the backing of FreedomRoad Financial, meaning you don’t have to worry about owning a piece of equipment that’s obsolete by the time you get home.

French motorcycle manufacturer Voxan recently set no less than eleven world records with its electric land speed racer, the Wattman. The pilot? None other than multi-time world champion Max Biaggi. The world record attempt took place over the three days spanning October 30 – November 1 on the 2.17-mile airstrip at the Châteauroux airfield in France, not far from the team (and Biaggi’s) HQ in Monaco. The team originally aimed at making its run at the Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia, the largest in the world but, well, coronavirus.