TTXGP UK: Jenny Tinmouth makes it two wins in a row at Pembrey
While the North American TTXGP championship may have wrapped up for 2010, the UK edition is still in full swing with the third of four races just having been decided. As in the previous round, Jenny Tinmouth came out on top at Pembrey Circuit after some serious battling and now leads in overall points.
![Electric motorcycle rocks one wheel
We had to call it an electric motorcycle in the title because electric unicycle just sounds lame. But the video after the break shows you that this prototype is anything but lame. It takes minimalism to the extreme when you’re talking about powered transportation. The self-balancer is reminiscent of a Segway but the rider sits astride one wheel rather than the standing form-factor that [the Woz] loves so much for gaming. Looks like Ryno Motors is trying to gather capital to put these into production. We’re not going to hold our breath until we see them in the wild, but we’d be surprised if they don’t pop up on the big screen at some point in the near future.
Hack a Day](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l7it63u5g51qzip52o1_500.jpg)
Electric motorcycle rocks one wheel
We had to call it an electric motorcycle in the title because electric unicycle just sounds lame. But the video after the break shows you that this prototype is anything but lame. It takes minimalism to the extreme when you’re talking about powered transportation. The self-balancer is reminiscent of a Segway but the rider sits astride one wheel rather than the standing form-factor that [the Woz] loves so much for gaming. Looks like Ryno Motors is trying to gather capital to put these into production. We’re not going to hold our breath until we see them in the wild, but we’d be surprised if they don’t pop up on the big screen at some point in the near future.
Hama Zero’s Solar Bike Fujin runs thanks to the sun, not on it (video)
Upon hearing the name “Solar Bike Fujin,” designed by a Japanese space rover engineer, we leaned back in our chairs and dreamed up dramatic images of a futuristic bicycle dashing across the void before cruising the turbulent surface of the sun. However, when we watched the rest of the video below we realized that the bike will instead conquer rather more terrestrial routes at speeds well short of escape velocity (72km/h, or about 45mph). It is, however, powered by the sun, able to run 220km on a full charge or, thanks to its aerodynamicaly profiled solar wings, can give itself 50km worth of juice just by sitting in the sun while you put in your 9-to-5. This is helped by incredibly low rolling-resistance wheels, the front one able to keep rotating for 20 minutes on its own with just a gentle spin, technology borrowed from creator Mr. Yamawaki’s Minerva rover that was part of the Hayabusa probe. Hopefully this bike manages to get a little further than that rover did.
BlackTrail BT-01 is the $80,000 electric bicycle of your dreams (video)
When Germany’s PG-Bikes sets out to build a cruiser, it doesn’t mess around — the contraption above may look like an electric bike, but when it goes on sale in the US this year, you may have to register it as a motorcycle. Constructed of lightweight carbon fiber, aerospace aluminum, titanium and magnesium, the BlackTrail BT-01 travels up to 65MPH with a 1.2 kilowatt motor embedded in its 44 pound frame, and can carry you across 120 miles on a single 2.5-hour charge of the leather-clad 17Ah Li-ion battery pack. Of course, those sorts of numbers don’t come cheap — the company’s marketing it to the likes of West Coast Customs, The Sharper Image and a vehicle enthusiast named Jay Leno — and each of the 667 limited pieces will cost $80,000, the better part of a Tesla Roadster and far beyond a Brammo. Still, if anyone has an offshore bank account they care to donate, we call dibs on 666 — the number of the beast. Video after the break.
Roehr Motorcycles releases the eSuperBike, the fastest electric motorcycle money can buy
Impressed by the Brammo Empulse, which just became official earlier this week? Wait ‘till you get a load of this. Roehr Motorcycles has just confirmed that its eRoehr line of bikes is now available for order, and they are quite a suite of machines. If you’re not familiar with the company, they’re about the only American manufacturer making a proper sportbike these days, and now they have a suite of electric offerings too. Full details after the break.
Brammo goes street fighting with the 100mph Empulse electric motorcycle (video)
…
There will be three models offered: the 6.0, 8.0, and 10.0. These indicate the endurance of the bikes, with the lowest managing 60 miles of “average range” and the top of the line 100 miles, each of which can be extended by keeping your right wrist in check. The 6.0 will naturally be the cheapest, starting at $9,995, the 8.0 for $11,995, and the 10.0 will go for $13,995. That’s before a whole raft of federal and state tax rebates which should save buyers at least 10 percent and, in some states like Colorado and Oklahoma, could knock multiple thousands of further
…
Update: We have some specs thanks to Hell for Leather, namely a horsepower rating of 55 with 59lb-ft of torque and a weight of 390lbs. That’s comparable to your average 600cc sportsbike and far torquier, but also a good bit down on power compared to them. Still, all that torque here will be available from 0 RPM, which should make this thing deliciously fun to ride.
Congratulations to Mission Motors, manufacturer of the sexy electric sportbike, Mission One, for securing a hunk of money to begin building its assembly facility in California. According to SEC filings, the San Francisco company with the “open door” policy has raised more than $3.35 million of a planned $4.68 million equity financing round, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission posted on Thursday, June 10, 2010. More information on the financing round, here.
Thanks to Brammo and Brammo Fans
Congrats Brammofan! I am very jealous.
It’s been a very Happy Enertia Day in Kansas City. If you’ve been following this post, then you know that my Brammo Enertia has arrived. Ride reports, videos, and pictures will follow, but first I want to emphasize that amazing days like this don’t happen by accident. I wouldn’t be able to caption that photo the way I did without some hard working people, some luck, some friends, and some major patience by my family. My biggest thank you goes to the people who made this possible: all the folks at Brammo in Ashland, Oregon. Craig Bramscher, Brian Wismann, Adrian Stewart, Aaron Bland, Bruce Gilpin, Ron Hom, Dave Lawson, Laura Frantz and a bunch of others I’m too addle-brained to recall right now. You have built a fantastic machine, a well-executed dream on wheels, and THANK GOODNESS for the fact that it doesn’t have an unlimited range, or I might never seeMs.Brammofan and the Brammokidz again.
The coming of the electric motorcycle
Hell For Leather has extensively covered electric motorcycles from an enthusiast’s perspective, but we haven’t really looked at their impact on the mainstream motorcycle industry. Luckily, bike designer Michael Uhlarik is here to break down the reasons why electrics are carving out a market niche all their own and what that could mean for companies that make a living off internal combustion. Could battery power really be the biggest thing to happen on two wheels since Japan invaded western markets? — Ed.
On Sunday, May 16, 2010 the first national electric motorcycle racing series in history kicked off at the Infineon circuit near San Francisco. The TTxGP series, based in England, hopes to run three parallel series this year, 16 events, in five countries culminating in a finals round in Albacete, Spain, to crown the first electric motorcycle world champion. On June 10 a small American firm won the second annual electric class of the famed Isle of Man TT race. These high profile events and many new electric bike product debuts over the past 12 months have highlighted the coming of a new breed of motorcycle. Detractors say the technology is unrealistic, while proponents hail them as a harbinger of a new, clean, exciting revolution. Let’s examine the joys and pain of the new electric motorcycle industry.
