6 ms·

An electric motorcycle

63 points by kvprashant 13y ago

Quite expensive though and far away from being the Tesla for superbikes.

sirtel 13y ago
This sounds really cool. But, personally, is it possible to design a "neat appearance" and more "future"? It seems no difference to other motorbikes in market. As a Superbike, it must be distinctive.
locusm 13y ago
Give me that dash on my Duc! - they also mention a HUD, scant on detail though. Pricey but they are using some of the best brakes, forks and suspension the market has to offer, best of luck to these guys.
- JoeAltmaier 13y ago
  The definition for 'HUD' must have taken a left turn somewhere. A display you look down to see, taking your eyes off the road, isn't a 'HUD' its a 'display'.
  - duck 13y ago
    It says right on the page that the HUD would be a wireless piece that attaches to your helmet.
    - JoeAltmaier 13y ago
      Sorry missed that. I just saw the 12 pictures on their main page, of a regular LCD navigation display which appears to be between the handlebars.
jlebrech 13y ago
good price, gas bikes usually start off at that price and end up a quarter of that price second hand within 3 years.
- mswe 13y ago
  The pricing is a joke http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/2013/suzuki/gsx_r/750/prices/134133/05/ http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/2013/suzuki/gsx_r/750/pric...
  - locusm 13y ago
    Yes but your comparing a VW Golf with a Tesla Model S
    - jawr 13y ago
      Tempted to argue that the gixxer is anything but a VW Golf. It can take most sports cars from standstill and probably max speed.
- amadeus 13y ago
  Wait what? A high end Aprilia costs around 20k (this is an expensive superbike, see one from the Japanese manufactures for something half the price) http://www.apriliausa.com/en-US/Model/101340/RSV4+Factory+APRC+ABS+SBK+SE/Overview.aspx http://www.apriliausa.com/en-US/Model/101340/RSV4+Factory+AP... This electric bike starting at 30k is very expensive relatively speaking.
buro9 13y ago
I saw another electric motorcycle on Thursday that blew my mind as it was the first time I'd seen one in the flesh and on the street, the Saietta: http://www.agilitymotors.com/ http://www.agilitymotors.com/ Loved the design of it, somewhere between Tron and Portal. The only thing that gets me is the range... 120 miles. That seems to be similar to the Mission motorcycle too. Good for the city, but hard for long rides (and both the speed and performance encourage you to enjoy leaving the city).
- untruuth 13y ago
  Most performance bikes have a range around 120-150 miles. Triumph Daytona 675 for example is 125 miles. Enough for a long weekend ride, or a regular commute without too many refills a week. If you want more... you get a tourer.
  - buro9 13y ago
    Sure, but I could top-up that Triumph and extend my range pretty much anywhere as gas/petrol stations are everywhere. With an electric bike, the options start to become limited and a greater range is desired. I couldn't see a re-charge time on the Mission site, but the Saietta cites a 3.5-8 hour full re-charge time dependant on the power supply available. Depending on temperature/weather a ride from London to Birmingham would be risky. Unless you'd planned in advance and left at first light so you could ride back at dusk, you'd probably have to stay overnight even though the ride would have only taken a couple of hours (max). That may be great if you want a day out somewhere, but less great if you want a day out riding. And this is being marketed as a "superbike". But it couldn't participate in existing race events (even if rules permitted an electric bike), as the distance of a race at Silverstone is 263 miles. Both the Mission and Saietta could not complete even half the distance of a race event, and even if you step down to track day events the electric bikes wouldn't last the event (7 x 20 minute sessions @ 80% speed is beyond the range of the bikes... you'd hope to go faster than 80% speed anyway). So what is the real current usage of a bike with such range and re-charge time? Commuting. Suddenly that's one hell of an expensive commuting bike.
    - 13y ago
chubs 13y ago
Range on the cheapest model is comparable to my Suzuki SV650, would be great for commuting eg you can charge every night. Plugging in at night would be much better than having to waste 15 mins at the service station every 3 days. Probably not going to ride it to the mountains and back on a long ride, though. Still - very cool! Can't wait for battery tech to get better/cheaper.
anotherbadlogin 13y ago
So… let's take an already highly efficient form of transportation and turn it into an overpriced, limited-range form of transportation? OK.
Shivetya 13y ago
Okay, maybe I am blind, but where is the weight? Real world mileage is such a vague term and such a silly one when discussion "superbikes". Whats my track time? I really want to know, I am not going to ride it sedately, so whats my real world mileage when I can't keep from twisting the throttle so hard? could I get from Atlanta to Deal's gap and back? Nope? Well I am not a fan of trailer queens. Get me something that gets me to and from work like my K1300GT does and I might be interested. Frankly I see very little point in a superbike electric as they are natural opposites, electric implies efficiency but the riding behavior associated with superbikes is anything but
- svantana 13y ago
  My thoughts exactly. Especially since one of the headlines is "More Power, Less Weight", one could expect to find that weight somewhere.
- randlet 13y ago
  It's 540lbs which is way to heavy to be considered a superbike [1]. For reference -- unlike Mission who presumably are hiding the weight on purpose -- Suzuki lists their stock GSX1000R as 450lbs wet on its spec page[2]. [1] http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-reviews/first-drives/2014-mission-rs-electric-motorcycle-first-ride-review http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-reviews/first-drives/2014-mi... [2] http://www.suzukicycles.com/Product%20Lines/Cycles/Products/GSX-R1000/2013/GSXR1000.aspx#Specs http://www.suzukicycles.com/Product%20Lines/Cycles/Products/...
  - randlet 13y ago
    As a counterpoint, an article[1] posted elsewhere in this thread makes it seem like the weight is not as big a deal as it seems due to how centralized it is. Interesting and I guess I will have to reserve judgement until I can ride one :) [1] http://rideapart.com/2013/08/rideapart-review-2014-mission-rs/ http://rideapart.com/2013/08/rideapart-review-2014-mission-r...
jawr 13y ago
Good looking design, but a superbike that doesn't make any noise? That's a dangerous game. The noise it's part of it's presence and dare I say it, safety.
- geoka9 13y ago
  Maybe _some_ noise, yes. But god aren't most bikes noisy; I almost feel my ear drums burst whenever one passes by. I think there should be a noise limit, in addition to the speed one, at least in the cities.
  - mikestew 13y ago
    Bikes don't come out of the factory noisy, there are EPA limits in the US. They become noisy when some dork sticks an aftermarket pipe on it. There are also noise limits everywhere that I am aware of, those laws are just rarely enforced. Why that is, I have no idea. Seems like easy ticket money on a sunny day. As for the parent, if you're relying on your bike's noise to keep you out of trouble, you're an accident waiting to happen. Loud pipes don't save lives, paying attention and not riding like an ass does.
    - dbuder 13y ago
      Loud pipes do save lives, you can't control where the SUV driving, mobile phone texting crowd go on the road but you can make enough noise that they are less likely to blindly merge lanes into a motorcycle. The lack of noise was an issue that was brought up when electric cars started to appear, basically the current solution is to have a speaker and a synth make it sound like an engine, but a little bit quieter than a real one. Most people fit aftermarket pipes for more power, that doesn't make them dorks. That harley that went past you and sounded like a 747, well that's another story.
    - jawr 13y ago
      Coming up a blind bend in poor visibility on a bike that makes absolutely no noise and someone decides to do a u-turn from a parked position... I'm not suggesting that the noise of the bike is going to get you out of trouble every single time, nor is it an excuse to ride like an idiot. However you're clinging on to an engine attached to two wheels and I want all the presence I can get because I can only account for my driving and not the driving of others.
baudehlo 13y ago
As a keen rider (S1000-RR) I would love this. I mostly commute on mine and in the hot Toronto summers the heat is what kills you. I'm pretty sure this thing would run way cooler.
newsign 13y ago
Just wondering whether there is any REGULAR electric bike (100cc-200cc engine) - that would be an instant HIT in the developing countries like India and China ....
- MattBearman 13y ago
  Yamaha make the EC-03 http://www.yamaha-motor.eu/uk/products/electric-vehicles/commuters/ec-03.aspx http://www.yamaha-motor.eu/uk/products/electric-vehicles/com... No idea what it's like though
  - JoeAltmaier 13y ago
    That's a terrible website. Sigh. I went there and I still don't know anything about it, except its marketed at women only. And I can't tell if they have any other electric bike - their links are broken.
  - shortlived 13y ago
    That's not a motorcycle, it's a moped...
    - MattBearman 13y ago
      In India and China, most people ride mopeds, so the Yamaha could well fit the bill. I ride a Kawasaki Versys 650, so I am aware of the difference between motorcycle and moped :)
kinofcain 13y ago
The RS version has been getting rave reviews. Despite the weight, the nature of the power delivery and lack of gears to fiddle with apparently make it devastatingly fast: http://rideapart.com/2013/08/rideapart-review-2014-mission-rs/ http://rideapart.com/2013/08/rideapart-review-2014-mission-r...
gregpilling 13y ago
If you like that one, then you should have a look at this one too. The Lightning electric bike won the Pikes Peak race this year, including the gas powered bikes . 218 mph top speed. http://www.lightningmotorcycle.com/ http://www.lightningmotorcycle.com/
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
samatman 13y ago
I have a 3kW electric scooter, which can and does hit 45 mph / 75 kph on the flats. I'm trying to picture having 40 times the torque, and just failing. What an incredible world.
- duck 13y ago
  What type of scoot do you have?
  - samatman 13y ago
    An Xtreme Scooter XM-3150, which is identical to (many? most? all?) Zapinos.
Tloewald 13y ago
Live fast, die young, leave a nice planet.
pkulak 13y ago
I've been waiting for someone to step up and become the Tesla of motorcycles: ie, hell with the costs, we're just going to make the greatest bike possible. Very cool to see it. That dash is both awesome and scary as hell. Stravassholes on bicycles are annoying; I can't imagine one on a motorcycle with 120 ft-lbs of torque.
- __--__ 13y ago
  What's funny is they came up with the design 3 years ago. Made a prototype, raced it, set a bunch of records then shelved it. At the time, a production version would have cost $60k and they didn't think that was viable. Now it's 30k and there are rumors about a 15k version in the next few years.

63 points by kvprashant 13y ago

Quite expensive though and far away from being the Tesla for superbikes.

This sounds really cool. But, personally, is it possible to design a "neat appearance" and more "future"? It seems no difference to other motorbikes in market. As a Superbike, it must be distinctive.

locusm 13y ago

Give me that dash on my Duc! - they also mention a HUD, scant on detail though. Pricey but they are using some of the best brakes, forks and suspension the market has to offer, best of luck to these guys.

JoeAltmaier 13y ago
The definition for 'HUD' must have taken a left turn somewhere. A display you look down to see, taking your eyes off the road, isn't a 'HUD' its a 'display'.
- duck 13y ago
  It says right on the page that the HUD would be a wireless piece that attaches to your helmet.
  - JoeAltmaier 13y ago
    Sorry missed that. I just saw the 12 pictures on their main page, of a regular LCD navigation display which appears to be between the handlebars.

jlebrech 13y ago

good price, gas bikes usually start off at that price and end up a quarter of that price second hand within 3 years.

mswe 13y ago
The pricing is a joke http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/2013/suzuki/gsx_r/750/prices/134133/05/ http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/2013/suzuki/gsx_r/750/pric...
- locusm 13y ago
  Yes but your comparing a VW Golf with a Tesla Model S
  - jawr 13y ago
    Tempted to argue that the gixxer is anything but a VW Golf. It can take most sports cars from standstill and probably max speed.
amadeus 13y ago
Wait what? A high end Aprilia costs around 20k (this is an expensive superbike, see one from the Japanese manufactures for something half the price) http://www.apriliausa.com/en-US/Model/101340/RSV4+Factory+APRC+ABS+SBK+SE/Overview.aspx http://www.apriliausa.com/en-US/Model/101340/RSV4+Factory+AP... This electric bike starting at 30k is very expensive relatively speaking.

buro9 13y ago

I saw another electric motorcycle on Thursday that blew my mind as it was the first time I'd seen one in the flesh and on the street, the Saietta: http://www.agilitymotors.com/ http://www.agilitymotors.com/ Loved the design of it, somewhere between Tron and Portal. The only thing that gets me is the range... 120 miles. That seems to be similar to the Mission motorcycle too. Good for the city, but hard for long rides (and both the speed and performance encourage you to enjoy leaving the city).

untruuth 13y ago
Most performance bikes have a range around 120-150 miles. Triumph Daytona 675 for example is 125 miles. Enough for a long weekend ride, or a regular commute without too many refills a week. If you want more... you get a tourer.
- buro9 13y ago
  Sure, but I could top-up that Triumph and extend my range pretty much anywhere as gas/petrol stations are everywhere. With an electric bike, the options start to become limited and a greater range is desired. I couldn't see a re-charge time on the Mission site, but the Saietta cites a 3.5-8 hour full re-charge time dependant on the power supply available. Depending on temperature/weather a ride from London to Birmingham would be risky. Unless you'd planned in advance and left at first light so you could ride back at dusk, you'd probably have to stay overnight even though the ride would have only taken a couple of hours (max). That may be great if you want a day out somewhere, but less great if you want a day out riding. And this is being marketed as a "superbike". But it couldn't participate in existing race events (even if rules permitted an electric bike), as the distance of a race at Silverstone is 263 miles. Both the Mission and Saietta could not complete even half the distance of a race event, and even if you step down to track day events the electric bikes wouldn't last the event (7 x 20 minute sessions @ 80% speed is beyond the range of the bikes... you'd hope to go faster than 80% speed anyway). So what is the real current usage of a bike with such range and re-charge time? Commuting. Suddenly that's one hell of an expensive commuting bike.
  - 13y ago

chubs 13y ago

Range on the cheapest model is comparable to my Suzuki SV650, would be great for commuting eg you can charge every night. Plugging in at night would be much better than having to waste 15 mins at the service station every 3 days. Probably not going to ride it to the mountains and back on a long ride, though. Still - very cool! Can't wait for battery tech to get better/cheaper.

anotherbadlogin 13y ago

So… let's take an already highly efficient form of transportation and turn it into an overpriced, limited-range form of transportation? OK.

Shivetya 13y ago

Okay, maybe I am blind, but where is the weight? Real world mileage is such a vague term and such a silly one when discussion "superbikes". Whats my track time? I really want to know, I am not going to ride it sedately, so whats my real world mileage when I can't keep from twisting the throttle so hard? could I get from Atlanta to Deal's gap and back? Nope? Well I am not a fan of trailer queens. Get me something that gets me to and from work like my K1300GT does and I might be interested. Frankly I see very little point in a superbike electric as they are natural opposites, electric implies efficiency but the riding behavior associated with superbikes is anything but

svantana 13y ago
My thoughts exactly. Especially since one of the headlines is "More Power, Less Weight", one could expect to find that weight somewhere.
randlet 13y ago
It's 540lbs which is way to heavy to be considered a superbike [1]. For reference -- unlike Mission who presumably are hiding the weight on purpose -- Suzuki lists their stock GSX1000R as 450lbs wet on its spec page[2]. [1] http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-reviews/first-drives/2014-mission-rs-electric-motorcycle-first-ride-review http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-reviews/first-drives/2014-mi... [2] http://www.suzukicycles.com/Product%20Lines/Cycles/Products/GSX-R1000/2013/GSXR1000.aspx#Specs http://www.suzukicycles.com/Product%20Lines/Cycles/Products/...
- randlet 13y ago
  As a counterpoint, an article[1] posted elsewhere in this thread makes it seem like the weight is not as big a deal as it seems due to how centralized it is. Interesting and I guess I will have to reserve judgement until I can ride one :) [1] http://rideapart.com/2013/08/rideapart-review-2014-mission-rs/ http://rideapart.com/2013/08/rideapart-review-2014-mission-r...

jawr 13y ago

Good looking design, but a superbike that doesn't make any noise? That's a dangerous game. The noise it's part of it's presence and dare I say it, safety.

geoka9 13y ago
Maybe _some_ noise, yes. But god aren't most bikes noisy; I almost feel my ear drums burst whenever one passes by. I think there should be a noise limit, in addition to the speed one, at least in the cities.
- mikestew 13y ago
  Bikes don't come out of the factory noisy, there are EPA limits in the US. They become noisy when some dork sticks an aftermarket pipe on it. There are also noise limits everywhere that I am aware of, those laws are just rarely enforced. Why that is, I have no idea. Seems like easy ticket money on a sunny day. As for the parent, if you're relying on your bike's noise to keep you out of trouble, you're an accident waiting to happen. Loud pipes don't save lives, paying attention and not riding like an ass does.
  - dbuder 13y ago
    Loud pipes do save lives, you can't control where the SUV driving, mobile phone texting crowd go on the road but you can make enough noise that they are less likely to blindly merge lanes into a motorcycle. The lack of noise was an issue that was brought up when electric cars started to appear, basically the current solution is to have a speaker and a synth make it sound like an engine, but a little bit quieter than a real one. Most people fit aftermarket pipes for more power, that doesn't make them dorks. That harley that went past you and sounded like a 747, well that's another story.
  - jawr 13y ago
    Coming up a blind bend in poor visibility on a bike that makes absolutely no noise and someone decides to do a u-turn from a parked position... I'm not suggesting that the noise of the bike is going to get you out of trouble every single time, nor is it an excuse to ride like an idiot. However you're clinging on to an engine attached to two wheels and I want all the presence I can get because I can only account for my driving and not the driving of others.

baudehlo 13y ago

As a keen rider (S1000-RR) I would love this. I mostly commute on mine and in the hot Toronto summers the heat is what kills you. I'm pretty sure this thing would run way cooler.

newsign 13y ago

Just wondering whether there is any REGULAR electric bike (100cc-200cc engine) - that would be an instant HIT in the developing countries like India and China ....

MattBearman 13y ago
Yamaha make the EC-03 http://www.yamaha-motor.eu/uk/products/electric-vehicles/commuters/ec-03.aspx http://www.yamaha-motor.eu/uk/products/electric-vehicles/com... No idea what it's like though
- JoeAltmaier 13y ago
  That's a terrible website. Sigh. I went there and I still don't know anything about it, except its marketed at women only. And I can't tell if they have any other electric bike - their links are broken.
- shortlived 13y ago
  That's not a motorcycle, it's a moped...
  - MattBearman 13y ago
    In India and China, most people ride mopeds, so the Yamaha could well fit the bill. I ride a Kawasaki Versys 650, so I am aware of the difference between motorcycle and moped :)

kinofcain 13y ago

The RS version has been getting rave reviews. Despite the weight, the nature of the power delivery and lack of gears to fiddle with apparently make it devastatingly fast: http://rideapart.com/2013/08/rideapart-review-2014-mission-rs/ http://rideapart.com/2013/08/rideapart-review-2014-mission-r...

gregpilling 13y ago

If you like that one, then you should have a look at this one too. The Lightning electric bike won the Pikes Peak race this year, including the gas powered bikes . 218 mph top speed. http://www.lightningmotorcycle.com/ http://www.lightningmotorcycle.com/

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

samatman 13y ago

I have a 3kW electric scooter, which can and does hit 45 mph / 75 kph on the flats. I'm trying to picture having 40 times the torque, and just failing. What an incredible world.

duck 13y ago
What type of scoot do you have?
- samatman 13y ago
  An Xtreme Scooter XM-3150, which is identical to (many? most? all?) Zapinos.

Tloewald 13y ago

Live fast, die young, leave a nice planet.

pkulak 13y ago

I've been waiting for someone to step up and become the Tesla of motorcycles: ie, hell with the costs, we're just going to make the greatest bike possible. Very cool to see it. That dash is both awesome and scary as hell. Stravassholes on bicycles are annoying; I can't imagine one on a motorcycle with 120 ft-lbs of torque.

__--__ 13y ago
What's funny is they came up with the design 3 years ago. Made a prototype, raced it, set a bunch of records then shelved it. At the time, a production version would have cost $60k and they didn't think that was viable. Now it's 30k and there are rumors about a 15k version in the next few years.