The coronavirus shutdown may be in effect, but the electric-vehicle sector chives on with continued development and product releases. I have a whole handful of products to tell you about that range from scooter-like bikes to full-on, Energica-style superbikes with an extra dollop of “super.”
Rumble Motors
Gotta start somewhere, so let's take a look at the offerings from Rumble Motors. This Swedish marque has plans to expand into the U.S. with an assembly plant in sunny Sacramento, California, but for now, has a selection of interesting products available for consumption.
Rumble Scrambler
Someone at this company has an apparent appreciation for historical bikes, as evidenced by the Rumble Scrambler that takes design cues from the café racers of antiquity. Set it up with street tires for a café-tastic ride, or chuck on some stealth knobbies for the dual-purpose benefits of an old-school scrambler.
A 3,000 Watt hub motor and 30 Amp-hour, 72 Volt battery pushes the Scrambler to road speeds right around 60 mph with a 70-mile, single-charge range and 3-to-5 hour recharge time. Plus, it has a reverse mode for parking convenience. Bellow gaiters on the forks make for another classic detail, as do the headlight grille and bar-end mirror, but it's the tail fairing that really sells the look.
Rumble V2 & V3
Rumble also produces a couple of straight-up streetbikes in two different sizes with its V2 and V3 lines. It vexes me that I can't remember where I've seen this body style before, but I know I've seen this clean body and swingarm-steering arrangement before. Fans of Westworld with a keen eye will recognize the V3 from season 3, episode 1. with a keen eye will recognize the V3 from season 3, episode 1.
The yoke-style front end precludes the need for the usual telescopic forks and relies on a coil-over shock for support and damping duties. Like the Scrambler, the V models both come with a solo seat and a racing-style posture. A hub motor delivers the goods with a 2,000 Watt motor and a 3,000 Watt motor on the V2 and V3, respectively. The smaller bike stores enough juice for a 44-mile trip, but the larger V3 extends that to 80 miles per charge with a top speed of 55 mph to make it viable as an urban commuter. For comfort's sake, the V3 also sports a set of highway pegs so you can shift positions (no giggity) while you ride.
As for pricing, the Rumble models will rumble – literally, through a switchable noisemaker – for a tidy sum. The Scrambler rolls for $4,590 while the V2 and V3 check out for $3,490 and $4,790, respectively.
Cleveland CycleWerks
It's hard to go wrong with a café-type build; the nostalgia grabs the older riders, and the obvious class appeals to the all-important Millennial buyer base. I'd say Cleveland CycleWerks is looking to take that premise to the bank with its new Falcon 01 and Falcon BLK models that take us back to the future.
Cleveland Falcon
The low faux fuel tank and bench seat fuel tank and bench seat describe a flat flyline above a simple but efficient pipe frame and swingarm that also displays hints of the old-school geometry. As for performance, the 01 claims a top speed of 65 mph against 85 from the BLK with an 80-mile maximum range versus twice that from the top-shelf model. Range is important, but so are charge times, and the BLK will take on an 80-percent charge in 45 minutes and 100-percent at, again, twice that. You can score a Falcon 01 for $7,995, but if you want the performance of the BLK, be prepared to unass $15k.
Damon Motorcycles
If brute speed and performance are your measuring stick, then this next is for you. A burgeoning new company, Damon Motorcycles in Vancouver, Canada, just bought up some intellectual property from EV developer Mission Motors and has announced a limited production run of its inaugural effort; the Hypersport.
Damon Hypersport
Aptly named, this bike definitely falls in the stupidfast category with a top speed around 200 mph falls in the claimed 200 miles at highway speeds and a whopping 147 pound-feet of torque category with a top speed around 200 mph. The bodywork is fairly typical for the liter-size superbike with blind-spot detection, and that goes a long way toward making it blend in with a pack of smoker bikes, hence the earlier Energica reference.
Not only is it fast, but it sports an amazing range with a not and a whopping 147 pound-feet of torque. It's just these kinds of numbers we need to push the EV bikes into the mainstream, folks. The supersmart machine comes with built-in blind-spot detection, as well with force sensors, a camera, and a radar to increase rider safety and appeal to younger riders. I predict the $39,995 price tag will decidedly not be a hit with that group, however, and so Damon might find itself in the same boat as Harley-Davidson's LiveWire.
I always enjoy the EV bike bits; it seems like everything just gets bigger/better/faster/smaller with each passing month, and I begin to wonder if it's a simple lack of infrastructure keeping the EV bike sector from booming.
.