The Kneeslider

Doers Builders and Positive People

Hammarhead Volta 102 – Electric Royal Enfield

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Hammarhead Volta 102 electric Royal Enfield
Hammarhead Volta 102 electric Royal Enfield

Who would have thought the Royal Enfield would be such a platform for innovation? Whether it’s Aniket Vardhan building the V-Twin Musket or Fabrizio Di Bella creating the McDeeb specials, the work always starts with the humble Royal Enfield. Well, now you can add
James Hammarhead to the list of Bullet modifiers with his Hammarhead Volta 102, a Royal Enfield Bullet converted to electric drive. A clinical neuropsychologist from the University of Pennsylvania, he has a passion for old British iron, we would just call that therapy.

Hammarhead Volta 102 polished tank houses chargers
Hammarhead Volta 102 polished tank houses chargers

The Volta 102 has the look of the RE Clubman conversion but it’s missing the 500cc single cylinder engine, in its place is a 6 KW lithium iron-phosphate battery pack and an EnerTrac hub motor. The polished gas tank houses two 110-volt, 15-amp chargers that take about 4 hours to recharge the bike.

The electric conversion is actually a performance upgrade:

The Volta uses an EnerTrac hub motor. It makes 10 kilowatts (13.4 horsepower) continuous and 30 kilowatts (40 horsepower) peak. That’s a big jump over the Bullet’s 18 ponies. Both the Volta and the Bullet weigh 368 pounds, so the conversion made the bike faster. The motor is, in theory, capable of 118 mph. Hammarhead is shooting for somewhere around 100.

Hammarhead Volta 102 EnerTrac hub motor
Hammarhead Volta 102 EnerTrac hub motor

You can order one up for $18,500, his Hammarhead Industries has 3 builds available this year and 5 more next year.

Hammarhead doesn’t just build the Volta, he builds the Woodsman from the Royal Enfield Electra X and the Jack Pine from a Triumph Scrambler. I guess motorcycles really are therapy, after all, a neuropsychologist should know.

Link: Hammarhead Industries via Wired

Comments

  2. I love the union of the two worlds. It looks like a bike but it runs on electricity. What a great combo. A bit pricey is right what about building one with an electric shop motor from a say a professional table saw? Yes you have all the conversion stuff and cost of batteries to deal with but how about something in the $5,000 catagory? You could do this with any old basket case come to think of it.

    All in all a great job and a great idea lets see more.

    The Producer

  3. Nice. The Woodsman needs alloy rims otherwise.

    I’m thinking he will need 13-14 batteries to get up to 100mph. Otherwise he could add another hub to the front wheel effectively doubling the horsepower without adding voltage. This cooks controllers though (double the current). Fun project. Great juxtaposition of old and new.

    -todd

  4. A clinical neuropsychologist who makes motorcycles, and his name is Hammarhead? This is so perfect that I am getting suspicious. If it’s too good to be true . . .

    Walt

  5. From the wired.com post, “Hammarhead is a mashup of his last name and his wife’s last name, and he goes by his given name James Loughead in the academic world.”

  7. Nice job. I have seen these hub style motors used to convert bicycles to electric scooters. They are reliable and most are brushless designs. It would be nice to see someone make a production version out of lighter, modern materials that still had a classic look. As with anything else, the more you make the cheaper the individual units are.

  9. Wow. Not only is this an electric bike, but it’s far and away the best looking Bullet I’ve yet seen. Fantastic!

  10. Why would you pay 18K for something you can build in your garage for around 3K?Check out El Ninja at http://www.21wheels.com.Its not quite as fast,but it’s made for commuting, id say that freeway speeds and a 40mi. range are plenty for that.Also check out Killacycle electric dragbike,it’s running “HIGH 8″S!” in the 1/4 mi.!Now that is impressive for electric.

  11. What is so special about the Jack Pine, that it cost $16,500? It looks like a slightly modded scrambler. I must be missing something.

  12. I’m surprised by how small that hub motor looks. For all the worries about hub motors and unsprung weight issues, this one looks about the same size as a drum brake. I wonder then when Fwd or 2wd will start to become a regularity among the electrics, if hub mounting is acceptable.

  13. @pabsyboots: Just from the above article and a bit of experience I will try to pull something out of…well…you know…
    My Rebel 250 (dead now) had about 17 horsepower (~13KW) and topped out (without a truck in front) at about 70mph (I am not small).
    So cruising at 70 we will be generous and say only 10 KW are being used, 90% battery to motor efficiency (yeah right), and a fully charged 6kWh (he said 6KW, but I am pretty sure that’s what he meant). So…. (0.9/10KW)(6KWh)(70miles/hour)=37.8 miles.
    Of course based on where this came from YMMV. 🙂

  14. In my mind, electrics bikes are the future. I don’t like it, but I fear that’s the way it will be. So, the more electric bikes in different versions that get built, the faster the technology will advance. Eventually, and sooner than later, someone will come up with a good looking one. I haven’t seen it yet. Either too wacky “Futuristic” or a cobbed together throw-back.

    What I’d really like to see someone sell to the masses is a few versions of complete power/drivetrains for building whatever. Meaning different sized motors, energy storage and controllers. Then you build whatever you want. Go-Kart, sportbike, commuter, car or boat. Then I could build a flattrack race bike without having to get a degree in eletronics. Everyone I know who has built an electric bike, spent thousands on development. That’s the downside I believe.

  16. I would be a drooling giggling hoon if I had an electric Mule urban-commando bike.

    Please, sir…can we have an eMule?

  17. I would prefer a cruiser version, but great proformance from an electic bike. I see a lot of potenial for a electric bike but remember they are not truly green, just not seeing carbon fuels exhaust coming from the back of the bike.

  18. Chris that is a solid point. I just pulled up to a stop light beside a Tesla a few minutes ago. The thing was slick and quick. The driver told me that it would go 240 miles between charges (?). These pioneering efforts go a long way to convert us doubters. I still want to see the environmental audit before I become a wholesale convert, however.

  19. Paulinator- I think without even seeing the enviromental audit, that there is no question they will be cleaner. Concerns longterm? Of course there is. There is no free lunch with any type of energy. Even horses and people have to be fed to do work.

    The most exciting aspect is the search for trick batteries and energy storage. People in the field are really going berserk in battery development. It’s gonna be cool!

  21. Awe-inspiring. These are the sort of bikes that need to be built. Short-run production with a very high cool factor! The more and more these types of projects are taken on, the more the knowledge base and general acceptance increases. It’s not just a cool bike but a cool electric bike. I bet you couldn’t ride to the 7-11 without talking to 5 or 10 gawkers!

  22. Great idea with the motor in the hub – I guess this is the future..
    The fairing is there to hide the ugly looking battery box – maybe take the fairing off and have a photo of your favourite engine on the side!!
    and why stop there? the Pruis’s are so quiet here down the leafy lanes of sleepy Dorset that the pedestrians don’t hear them coming.. so an engine noise could be ‘built in’ OR have a peg and bit of card on the rear wheels spokes (like I used to do when I was 8)
    Taking the mickey slightly..

  24. Later this year HHI ( hammarhead.com ) and EnerTrac Corp ( enertrac.net ) will release a naked volta with lower price point, upright ergonomics and same vintage vibe.

  25. Tom, the downside of diesel is that it’s the most expensive fuel to buy. I bought a big diesel truck last year and it costs $100.00 to fill it up. Diesel is nothing more than petroleum mud and the cheapest crap in the barrell. Why does it cost so much. Demand.

  26. About the noise of Prius’s and electric cars being too quiet – that’s utter bullcrap. Unless you are comparing a 1960’s milk float to a Fiat of a same era.

    On my daily cycle/walk (I live in Belgium in a medieval city – I use the car on weekends) i have been waiting for cars at the redlights and only turning my head when I can hear a car. Well sorry folks, the only cars that roll up without a sound are big Benzes, Lexuses, WW’s, BMW’s and Audi’s. There are loads of Priuses here and they make a engine whine/ventilator sound (similar to a petrol car with the radiator fan on) and rolling noise (probably the hard tyres).

    The noisiest are small diesels…