The Current News: Dec 8, 2019

The theme of this, slightly beefier new round-up? Redefinition – of style, of function, of fun. First, the newest electric SuperSport by Damon Motorcycles gets personal, the Kalashnikov café concept is classy, and Monday makes a moped. Next are a collection of sweet scooters with oodles of custom options: Turkey’s CityCoco and Berlin’s Urban Drive Style. Doinnext BO e-scooters and Nito, on the other hand, are banking on their polished pret-a-porter style to launch them in new markets. Lids off to the latest in quiet, assertive off-road rides: France’s Electric Motion celebrates 10 years and China’s Eunorau dual gets gritty. Then it’s onto larger wheelbases and some welcome charging tech.

Damon Hypersport: “Because no rider, road or situation is ever the same.”

The first thing you’ll notice about the Hypersport Pro e-bike are its looks, but – though certainly impressive – its appearance is not what sets this electric bike apart. Damon Motorcycles has imbued this machine with the ability to exchange information with its rider to better improve the riding experience and, just as importantly, increase safety.

“Just as you learn your motorcycle over time,” explains Damon’s site, “your motorcycle now learns from you. And thanks to its built-in cloud connection, it also learns from everyone else.” The more miles, the more information the bike gathers giving it the capability of anticipating and accommodating a variety of safety scenarios that will benefit all road users. This is the connected, communicative transport of the future, and it’s on two wheels!

Neeto, Nitos Launch in LA And You Could Win One

At EICMA 2019 Nito showed off its N4 concept “electric urban motard.” On Sunday December 8th in Los Angeles, Nito is celebrating the US launch of its most popular products – the N1e electric scooter and NES motor scooters – with a free fancy cocktail party, opportunities to take test rides and the chance to win a scooter!

If you’re in the Los Angeles area – there might still be time to sign up here!

Kalashnikov’s Café Is Electric, Really

It’s an enigmatic combination – a company best known for its assault rifles collaborating with fellow Russians Izhevsk Machine Building Plant (IZH), who have a long history producing motorcycles – in fact the Soviet Union’s first motorcycle in the early 1920s. But they did, and the end result is a pretty cool electric café concept. The prototype, revealed at this year’s ProyeKTOriya de Iaroslav in Russia is higher on speed than style, which is okay since that’s really what café racers are all about. With a maximum top speed and matching range of around 100km (about 62 miles) the crowds will have plenty of time to take in the round headlight, retro tubes and red detailing against an entirely blacked-out chassis and battery pack.

Le’go my Yego!!

When you build a great bike, people want them. After the successful launch of their own e-cruiser, Barcelona’s Rayvolt was asked to supply the city’s bikeshare program, YEGO, with 2,000 stand-up scooters and 2,000 e-bikes.

Rayvolt’s energy transfer design gently boosts the riding speed when it senses that the cranks are in motion, giving riders an easy acceleration for longer commutes. The specially designed e-bikes and scooters are exactly the type of diversification that the successful Barcelona-based EV share program needs to adapt to the desires of an expanding user network.

Cute, But Not For Cuddling

The BO e-scooter by Doinnext draws its unique looks equally from the vintage and the visionary, to great effect which is likely why the little two-wheeler has been doing well in the highly saturated but busy Chinese market. Now, the Shanghai “design, manufacturing, production and sales company” is spreading the good style to Europe.

The Bo’s good looks will need to attract new audiences since the technical specs are not precedent setting. Between the 800 and 1,200 W rear-hub motorized versions there is only a 2-mph speed spread – from 28mph to 30mph respectively. The range is equally unremarkable at 50-75 miles per full charge, at the scenic speed of 20mph. It does, however, hold up as well in areas of construction materials, and features: such as an anti-theft alarm, remote unlocking, GPS and APP connectivity, and perhaps competitive pricing.

Elevate Your E-Scooter

Turkish e-scooters from CityCoco are all about style. From the 250W, 7-speed Grazer, an e-bicycle which comes in 7 chassis colours, to the CityCoco Comfort which can adopt 5 different chassis colors and 22 different fender variations, this electric urbanizer, is all about variety. Although this collection of electric vehicles -the 25kph (15mph) bicycles and 40-45 kph (25-28 mph) aren’t about to set land-speeds records their looks are most surely being noticed on the streets of Istanbul. No indication that the sassy scoots will be available to purchase outside their home country but dreaming is permissible. Pop onto the site to see what you can do!

Monday Motors Make A Moped

It’s an e-bike! No, it’s a moped! Actually, it’s the newest member of the Monday Motors fleet, the Gateway. This may be a reference to its role in your motorcycle life, or just a clever way into the brand, but either way, this mini machine will certainly move you. Not too quickly, mind you. The Gateway’s 500W rear hub motor achieves top speeds of 28 mph, while the slightly more powerful Gateway Booster takes on a 1,200 W rear hub motor that tops out at 35 mph. The design is not as unique as other Monday models but the extra foot pegs and longer bench seat make it more attractive to passengers and the fatter tires add to the versatility and comfort.

Celebrating Ten Years Of Silence

There is much that can be (and has been) said about the growl of a trials bike, or their motocross compatriots as they roar through the air. Now imagine the same scene with only the whisper of tires on sand, stone or stump. 1,500 models later, Electric Motion of France is celebrating their 10th year of building off-road electric trials bikes with a fresh new factory, updated logo and a strong team comprised of experienced, dynamic and young. Initially built as race bikes, the frames of the Electric Motion trial series are ultra-light and the compact battery pack boasts more longevity than the riders. Add to that the incredible torque and responsiveness of an electric power train. Join them at the Epure Race Series to experience the electric thrill of silent trials competition.

Badass Berliner E-Bikes

Since 2016 Berlin’s Urban Drive Style has been making “100% life-proof & cool urban electric bikes & scooters.” The light-weight city cycles are not only available in a variety of models, but in keeping with the current consumer preference – each model is customizable both in areas of functionality and flair. Unique colours combinations of the frame, seat covers, grips or pedals, and alternate hardware options can add a personal touch. On the more practical side, the bikes can easily adapt to carry more cargo and/or passengers with additional luggage or seating, weight limits permitting. All four versions of the bikes available in the US are constructed around a “handmade ChroMo steel frame, with 750 W of legal power and one of most powerful batteries in the market.”

Why Walk Through Winter When You Could Eunorau?

Hangzhou’s Eunorau (EUrope+NORrth America+AUstralia) Electric Bike is busy. They produce an Electric Mountain Bike, Fat Bike, Beach Cruiser, Folding Bike, Cargo Bike, Pedicab, Scooter, Tricycle, and a huge selection of parts and accessories sold separately or as conversion kits.  Perhaps it’s this plethora of available products that inspired them to create the “EUNORAU 48V, 250W+350W FAT All Wheel Drive (AWD) Electric Fat tire Bike Bicycle for beach and hunting.” The all-road dual sport creation has not one, but two motors which makes it fun, fast and flexible on any terrain, including ice and snow. Where slippery or stressful conditions of any kind (gravel, rocks, sand, steep inclines) can put a greater strain on one motor, commonly causing spin outs and over-heating, two motors share the load making it easier to manoeuvre up, over and through almost any obstacle. With a maximum speed of 20mph, this isn’t the horse that’s going to throw you off, but at $1,699 it is an affordable, enjoyable option to trudging through cold, wet northern winters or taking the pressure off when the going gets rough.

The Future of Food Karts

Street food is fun. Trying to enjoy a delicious meal next to a truck that is belching exhaust, not so much. That’s part of the reason why Terabite E-karts have come up with a sustainable solution – an electric option for on-the-go gourmet dining using renewable energy. Aeronautical Engineer and “Passionate Entrepreneur” Thamim Ansari, together with Marutee Engineering Services and Savy Electric Vehicles designed the cart to “revolutionize street food commerce for the global street food market.” The electric carts would cost less to run and reduce air pollution. Anyone interested in helping Ansari and his partners reach their goal of distributing 10,000 e-karts world-wide by 2030 at a projected revenue of 1 Million USD/day can offer their support through info@terabiteekarts.in

Four Wheels Fast

Since October of this year, 4-wheeled Electric Pedelecs (like electrically assisted paddle boats on wheels) from Schaeffler Bio Hybrid GmbH have been released all around the city streets, bike paths and the campus of Nuremberg, Germany. Feedback from the users of the personal and cargo movers has been extremely positive. There is no licence required and the silent cycle solutions have just enough power and range to effectively move through the city streets, not too much size or strength to be a nuisance on bike paths.

The prototype, which has been in development since 2016 will now continue field tests in Munich and Frankfurt Am Main before entering the final stages of production. Watch the “We Move” Bio-Hybrid Stories to see what they can do from behind the controls.

TESLA CyberTruck Tacky Or Terrific?

We would be remiss not to recognize the recently-revealed Blade Runner-worthy Tesla Truck with its accompanying ATV. Accused by many as appearing impractical, we think this futuristic four-wheeler is a worthy inheritor of a seemingly lost tradition: bold prototypes that actually get built, imbued with optimism for the future. Political trickery with mandated fleet fuel mileage averages have basically exempted gargantuan toy-haulers and utility vehicles from getting decent gas mileage, and kept the prices low, which has made them especially popular in the USA. The Tesla is an attempt to address America’s need for Bigger, with an ecologically lighter alternative.

For those for whom the price may be prohibitive, watch for the LEGO model designed by BrickinNick, which at 14″ L x 6″ W x 5″ H, will also be much easier to fit inside the garage.

London’s Bike Shed Officially Plugs In

The UK’s wildly successful alternative custom bike show has made itself electric-friendly. Installing the first ever dedicated electric charging station for e-motorcycles visiting the Shed. This is in line with the show’s electric-only showroom at the 2019 edition of the event. “We believe that for electric motorcycles to succeed, it’s important that chargers are not only installed in key urban areas but also on the UK’s best riding roads,” said Miles Freeman, Head of Marketing at EO Charging, “Electric adventures will soon be best served on two wheels!” Congratulations Bike Shed.