The Current News this week is about the improbable. In the area of aesthetics, E-Racer Motorcycles dares to dress-up two new Zero Motorcycle models, and Docyke creates electric karts that kids can design and drive. For flexibility of use, DryCycle comes up with a covered quadricycle, Delfast dreams up a better bike for cops and cross-terrain cruisers, and a Russian ride by Milandr takes on paths and ponds with the same confidence. Cooler King creates a limited edition Cub and Segway and Sur Ron come clean about their relationship.
From Zero To E-Racer
The E-Racer upgrades to the Zero FX/S [E-Racer]It’s almost 2020 and that’s great for two reasons: 1) it’ll be kinda fun to say the year, and 2) in the spring, E-Racer Motorcycles is going to release two special edition custom collaborations based on two different Zero Motorcycles. To cruise in cafe racer style, they’ve transformed a Zero Sr/F into the EDGE, designed with an ‘essentialist’ aesthetic for a sleeker beauty and less bulk. Details such as the minimalist LED headlight, interchangeable body work and hand-stitched seat make for a classic/modern cafe racer feel, lean and mean.The streetfighter styled EDGE makes the Zero a hero.[E-Racer]E-Racer’s off-road Zero FXS also received an attitude adjustment to create the dramatically styled RUGGED Mark2. The battery charger is smartly tucked under the streamlined and hand-stitched saddle, nestled in the exposed laser-cut aluminum frame. Modifications were also made to the lighting systems, and exterior coating to improve safety and visibility.The RUGGED Mk2 looks exactly as stated. [E-Racer]Both bikes are equipped with Audio-Forceback (E-RAF), an “integrated hardware controlled by a BT App to produce high and low frequency sound waves.” This system improves safety in two ways: 1) sound waves act as early-warning signals to all other road users by indicating proximity and direction of the incoming vehicles. The waves also provide subsonic information that mimic the feel speed and performance. Lack of sound is a huge barrier to ebikes for many motorcyclists: will “sound waves save lives”?
This Kart’s (Mostly) For Kids
The new modular Docyke is a platform to create multiple styles of trike or quad from high-quality additive components. [Docyke]Not sure who first invented the first fully constructible bike kit for kids, but either way the concept is crazy cool. The DOCYKE modular mini-bike meant for younger audiences are manual but in the upper reaches of the tech-toy’s range is this 10-in-1 Racing Kit Electric Go Kart Trike. This scoot has “400W Brushless Motor and 21V 6Ah Lithium-ion Battery” mounted on an aluminum frame (that can take on a variety of permutations), with disc brakes. Surprisingly, it also has a 330lb load capacity – not clear whether that includes the battery or is part premonition, because this life-size Lego is quite likely to attract the larger kids among us.How you want to play? Like a Meccano kit, make your own, then make it yours. Looks like good clean fun. [Docyke]There is a very similar product called Infento. Same concept, slightly different execution.
DryCycle’s Odd Electric Commuter Is Clever, But..
The DryCycle is classified as a four-wheeled bicycle due to its scale and low power output. With its steel tube frame, it does provide more protection from traffic…but might need it? [DryCycle]Part pedal-power, part battery charged, the four-wheeled sit-down electric vehicle by DryCycle might have a hard time making friends. The bright yellow machine, which is 1570mm (5’2”) high and 920 mm (3 feet) wide will take up more than the usual share of bike lane space. With seemingly limited visibility and a maximum speed of 25km/h (15.5 mph) cars will likely consider it a nuisance on the roadway. Plus it’s not the least expensive EV. These wee waterproof wheels are a pretty pricey at almost $20,000 USD.The bones beneath the skin, a complex tube frame that might provide an ideal structure for small tourist vehicles or commuters. [DryCycle]Pros? It does get up to 48km (30 miles) of range on its combined 1kWh- strong battery, and you always have the pedals to get you the rest of the way to your destination. It’s also really cute, highly visible with “20 lights, and reflectors on the front, rear, sides, wheels and pedals to ensure that you stay noticed in the dark, and stand out” (wherever it is that you choose to drive), and it has proven, in a 15.5 mph crash-test, that it provides more protection than fully exposed e-bikes of all kinds. So if staying safe, dry, close to the ground and intact is important to you, and you’ve got the disposable income, this could be your ultimate commuter. It certainly looks to be a lot of fun in this video:
The Delfast electric bicycle with the hefty battery that makes long-distance riding possible. [Delfast]Delfast currently holds the record for the greatest distance traveled by electric bicycle on a single charge: 367.037 km (228.066 miles), ridden by Vitalii Arhipkin at Kiev Velodrome, Ukraine, on 12 October 2017, riding a Delfast Prime. With industry-leading performance, Delfast could probably just sit back and enjoy the fruits of their innovations. Instead, they recently released upgraded models, one meant for Police fleets and another destined for dirt.The TopCop, for police patrol work, an increasingly common sight in urban parks. [Delfast]For urban officers, the Top Cop, a modified-for-purpose Top2.0, seems perfect: it’s less expensive to purchase and maintain than the existing electric motorcycles, has a respectable acceleration, above-average battery range and all the standard police accoutrements like “siren, police lights, cargo boxes, GPS tracking, motor locking and ‘remote launch,’” which could be hilariously startling to prospective burglars or a great addition to the newest genre of police-pedal-pursuits. These Enduros also weave easily through urban traffic and have the option of tearing through any type of terrain. Off road, and off duty, the new Delfast Offroad is much the same as the Top2.0 but with 15lbs less bulk and is outfitted with “ fat, low-pressure tires, a hydraulic seat and a powerful engine.” It’s recommended by Delfast as “an excellent choice for fishermen, hunters, extreme photographers, wilderness enthusiasts, and simply uncompromising offroad lovers.” And, although the black version is mighty fierce, this beast is available in white and red as well. Simply put: 228 miles in a long way into the woods, and with a portable solar charger, who knows were you could go?
This Bike Can Swim, Sort Of
The Milandr CM-250, capable of being ridden underwater! [Milandr]With a 42 kW, 150 Nm mid-drive motor creating 56 horse-power, the Moscow-based Milandr CM-250 is an electric motocross bike that has about the same peak power as a 450cc KTM, and at 128kg (282 lbs) isn’t far off from a comparable-level internal-comubustion bike measured ‘wet’. While the Milandr seems fully capable of pulling off the same tricks, flips and slides over the all terrain, it can also handle riding fully immersed in water.
Since electric powertrains don’t require an air intake to run (though maybe to keep cool), and are completely sealed against the elements (electricity and water don’t get along too well), it’s likely that many e-bikes could take on this challenge, but Milandr has it on video – even when things don’t go quite as planned.
Efesto’s 300hp Electric Panigale Hybrid Conversion Kit!
Follow small arrows to ridiculous power, Efesto’s hybrid conversion brings 300hp to Ducati’s Panigale. [Efesto]While hybrid cars tend to be, well, smart but uninspiring, the possibilities for a hybrid motorcycle are far more intriguing. France’s Efesto proves the point with an electric conversion kit worthy of a Ducati Panigale 1299: the 200Novantanove Hybrid Kit released at EICMA this year is a 2nd generation prototype that combines the existing power of a Panigale 1299 with about 80kW (108hp) of electro-juice, adding 150Nm (11 lbs-ft) of torque to arrive at a hair-raising total of 300hp with 218 lbs-ft of torque. This is not the smug neighbor’s Prius you love to hate, this is pure, unbridled insanity. But green.
The Efesto Electric hybrid kit has four power modes, each of which draws interchangeably from either the combustion or electric engines, or both. The fourth “boost” mode will press the throttles full forward, launching you into hyperspace. Like all other hybrids, the battery can be charged by either regenerative braking or by regeneration from the electric motor, meaning you don’t have to plug the beast into a wall. And yes, it’s green: Efesto’s system extends the life cycle of both energy sources, and thereby burns less fuel, except in insanity mode. All that technology adds only 57lbs to the total weight of the Panigale…and perhaps to any other bike, though that remains to be seen. For now, it’s still in the testing phase, but if all goes according to plan they’ll be offering the kits on the Panigale 959 and 1099 models, and we can’t wait to see the videos. Will the world’s fastest street bike soon be a hybrid?
Get ‘Em While They’re Hot, Before They’re Not
The Cooler King, one of the Cooler Cub ebikes. [Cooler Cub]Cooler Cub’s website doesn’t mess around: their bikes are “Cool AF”, and this latest limited run of only FIVE 250w Cooler Cub RED EDITION street legal (in the UK, at least) electric bikes are no exception. The already-awesome design of the Cooler Cub is further foxed-up with the addition of “red rims and Vee Speedster whitewall tyres,” which gives the baby badass “all the attitude of the Cooler King, but in a miniature cop-friendly package!”- a reference to their more aggressive 500 and 750W classic cruisers.The Cooler Cub mini, part of a great wave of minibikes hitting the market. [Cooler Cub]The Cooler Cub gets about 30 miles per charge, with a rear drive, brushless, DC motor powered by a 36V 10.4Ah removable lithium battery. The 30-mile electrically-powered range can be stretched by 10 kms with some pedal action (or indefinitely) before it can be re-charged within 3.5 hours, and at a max speed of 20-25 mph, people will have the chance to see how absolutey fabulous you look on this convenient little commuter. If you order it now (for about $5,500 USD) you’ll get it by December 20th….as long as you’re in the UK.
Sur Ron and Segway Make More Magic
Not your grandpa’s Segway: the gyro-scooter company goes off-road by investing in Sur Ron.[Segway]If you think Segway’s latest addition to the global electric bike scene looks familiar then you are absolutely observant. Their electric dirt bike, set to launch on November 25th 2019 by the maker of the popular public people-movers is indeed almost identical to Sur Ron’s own Storm Bee, and that’s for a really good reason: they’re now one and the same. Earlier in 2019, Segway became the largest stakeholder in Sur Ron, and in exchange for the bump in capital investment Sur Run helped Segway develop their own products.
In a statement released by Sur Ron, they clarified: “In order to conform to Segway’s brand image and product tonality of ‘science and technology/sports/leading/innovation/nature, Segway’s version of Light Bee has made a customization of the whole vehicle coating, and with Segway’s own APP interconnection, and has advanced into the North America and China market with the new model number under the ‘Segway’ brand.” So, the bikes look slightly different, and they’re part of an interconnected fleet.
