Brammo Motorsports has just raised $10 million in venture capital funding for the Enertia electric motorcycle. According to Brammo CEO Craig Bramscher, that is enough to bring the Enertia into production.

What is especially interesting is the source of part of those funds, Best Buy Capital, yep, the Best Buy you know as an electronics store. Hmm, … I wonder where those Enertia motorcycles will go on sale?

Over 100,000 people have expressed interest in purchasing the Enertia through the company website. Although that is no guarantee of actual buyers, the Smart car had a similar website campaign and they had a crush of buyers when it finally became available.

Link: VentureBeat and PEHub
Related: Enertia Electric Motorcycle by Brammo Motorsports

Remember “The Machine” from Fusion Motorcycles? Well, Will Thibeault has been hard at work on something a lot of you may find interesting, he’s designed a conversion kit that will transform your donor Buell into a custom with killer looks.

Will’s kit uses a billet T6 aluminum bolt together frame with a built in oil tank, a 60 inch wheelbase and 33 degrees of rake. The Buell Thunderstorm motor, Buell forks, Buell six piston caliper and Buell rear caliper, all come from the donor bike.

The bike shown in these photos is for a customer with a lot of custom touches, a hard carbon fiber seat (customer request, Will prefers padded), Piaa head lights..same as he used on The Machine, Will’s own stainless pipes and Fusion Motorcycles billet 18″ wheels, 240 on the rear and 130 up front. Rear turn signals are LED.

According to Will:

The future bikes will have front and rear carbon fenders, and will be totally road legal. The Frame kits will include: frame, seat, rear shock, swing arm, oil tank, and gas tank for $4,500. For less than $10,000 a person can build their own w/ the purchase of a donor Buell. We will build the complete bike “road legal” for $19,500 and there are always the options of whatever you could think of i.e. carbon wheel, S&S motors, front ends and Ti frames

There are quite a few guys building choppers and all sorts of bikes from Buell parts and pieces but, in my opinion, this kit has just the right look. There seems to be a Confederate Hellcat influence, which is a good thing since I like the Hellcat, but overall, for the money, I don’t see how you could go wrong here. Anyone with a Buell who is thinking about getting another bike, might want to consider this kit first, you get a completely different look and you already own half of the necessary parts. I like this, a lot. I have to think a lot of guys are going to start looking for a good used Buell and making a bit of work room in their garage. Nice work, Will!

UPDATE: Will Thibeault has added a few comments below about his kit

More photos and link below: Read the rest of this entry »

Some time ago, I pointed out Greg Nelson’s V-Quad engine, a pair of V-Twins joined at the hip to create a V4 with loads of power that still managed to look fairly unobtrusive. He mounted one in an old FXRS and rode around quite a bit, using it as his test bed for development. Since it worked so well, Greg built a bigger version and dropped it into a bagger.

As the pictures show, it blends in so well a casual glance would miss the 2 extra cylinders, but when you twist the throttle, there’s no mistaking it. I’m not sure of the exact specs on the engine Greg used in the bagger but the one used by the boys from OCC for the Intel chopper had 214 cubic inches and 250 horsepower. If this one has anything near that, the bagger experience just got a whole lot more lively. The prototype was 160 cubic inches.

I’m a big fan of understatement and I can’t get over how well the engine hides in there, very cool. I’d like to see the look on some sportbike rider’s face when he casually accelerates away from this big old Harley, looks in his mirror and sees the bagger is still there! Gotta love it.

UPDATE: Greg Nelson comments below about his V-Quad.

More photos and links below: Read the rest of this entry »

Yutaka Igarashi, whose 3D design skills are well above the norm, has created a gorgeous design for a turbo V-Twin motorcycle. There’s very little not to like. A few details are missing, such as gear shift and rear brake levers, but the design overall is quite impressive. A quick browse around his site reveals some other remarkable ideas, like his single seat helicopter, which look very cool. Definitely worth checking out.

Thanks, Mathieu, for the tip!

Link: Igarashi Design

Just got a question from Matt about what is going on with racing in the U.S. The Motorcycle Industry Council has issued a press release about their new USSB Championship Series. This will be a superbike and sportbike series run separate from the AMA/DMG series. As of right now, Yamaha is staying put, Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki may be going to the MIC, … or not, does anyone know for sure? Sounds like a mess.

Everyone involved in racing seems to have a strong opinion but, as usual, the argument comes down to different ideas about the rules. Fragmenting fans between the 2 competing events doesn’t sound like a good plan but that’s what will happen. The details of all of this will probably change a lot in the coming weeks and months so race fans and teams will be watching closely. If you’re really into racing, RoadracingWorld and CycleNews have updates about the move but here on The Kneeslider, we focus more on the machines so what this means for development in that area is the interesting part.

The Indy cars went this way for a while and finally got back together, now it’s motorcycle racing’s turn. Rules, who needs ‘em?

From the press release: Read the rest of this entry »

The report that Honda and Yamaha may be planning electric motorcycles is interesting and brings with it problems and opportunities for smaller companies trying to get into the electric motorcycle business. One commenter said, “e-bike manufacturers which are currently filling a niche market will be utterly crushed and destroyed.” That’s one possibility, but not the only one. There may be a big opportunity in conversions and kits or even custom electrics.

The Big Guys Are Coming
Anyone getting into the electric bike business today has to realize the major manufacturers will be getting in soon, either your business plan takes that into account or you’ll be closing your doors. Move fast or don’t bother would be good advice. As with cars, the Chevy Volt is coming and if the Tesla and others don’t hit the road quickly, they’re in for some tough competition.

Benefits from Competition
On the other hand, there are benefits to the big guys entering the market, like what it will do for the demand, development and cost of batteries. If the cost comes down and the design is somewhat standardized, the little guys may be better able to afford them for their own projects. Also, if their initial entries are low performers, they have a base to build on and they’ll get better faster than if those companies weren’t working in the field. The Chevy Volt will definitely accelerate electric car development, Honda and Yamaha may do the same in the 2 wheel segment.

Conversion Kits
Honda and Yamaha may be building new bikes but have you noticed all of the electric motorcycles showing up in home garages? Some look pretty good, some look a little rough but they all work, more or less, which means electric motorcycles are not extremely complex. Batteries, a controller and an electric motor mounted in place of the engine now removed and you’re in business. Some models may be well suited from a physical size and weight perspective to be converted into an electric. Suppose an enterprising little company focuses on which bikes convert well, assembles all of the parts into a kit and sells them with plans, there’s probably a waiting market of hands on do-it-yourselfers who would buy one if the cost was reasonable.

Old Builders Can Adapt
How about all of these custom bike companies that have been hit with EPA emission rules at the same time as the demand for custom choppers is in decline. They’ve been in business alongside the major companies for quite a few years which means a small builder with an eye on a changing market can supply consumers with a product they want. If they can adapt, electrics get around the emission problem and demand is about to rise. If those companies have building skills and aren’t too tied up in the chopper image and lifestyle, electrics could offer a way to move into a changing future. Either that, or it clears the way for companies who can.

Electric motorcycles are coming in one way or another. How much of the market switches to electric power remains to be seen as other alternatives compete. But when the big companies enter the segment, it brings more awareness to the average customer. If a company stays positive and keeps looking for opportunity, they’ll see it, but they have to be ready to move. Opportunities in a changing market don’t wait forever.

A news report out of Japan says both Honda and Yamaha are planning lithium ion battery powered electric motorcycles to be on sale, possibly as early as 2010 for Yamaha and 2011 for Honda. Prices will be anywhere from $1900 to $3700.

With electrics coming on the market from companies like Vectrix, Zero Motorcycles and Enertia, plus a whole group of individual builders assembling their own, it only makes sense that the major manufacturers would not be far behind. I would also expect the performance of those bikes to be equal to and more likely superior to the current products being sold by the smaller companies.

No technical details or sources were provided in the report.

The one part of this story I find a little hard to believe is the price range. Lithium ion batteries are not cheap and unless there has been some large volume price break for Honda and Yamaha, I’m not sure how these bikes can come in at that number.

Link: Bloomberg

Polaris has issued a recall for the 2008 Victory Vision for a problem with loose wires on a circuit breaker. Please read the details below.

Manufacturer: Polaris Industries, Inc.
Model Year: 2008
Models affected: Victory Vision
NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V446000
Potential Units Affected: 2444
Problem: Polaris is recalling 2,444 model year 2008 Victory Vision motorcycles. The terminal nuts that secure the main power supply wires could be loose at the circuit breaker, which can cause an unexpected loss of electrical power to the motorcycle and the current fuel ignition map pre-programmed into the electronic control module (ECM) can cause engine stalling. Either condition could cause the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a loss of control and a crash.

Corrective Action: Dealers will inspect and tighten the circuit breaker terminal nuts and re-program the ECM free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or about September 15, 2008. Owners may contact Polaris/Victory at 1-888-704-5290.