Lightning Motorcycles, the mastermind behind the ‘Strike’ superbike (a purported contender for the ‘fastest production motorcycle in the world’) is now apparently working on an off-road motorcycle – specifically, an adventure variant that they can add to their lineup.
This news comes via a report from Top Speed, which details filings recently submitted in China (where the brand’s bikes are manufactured).
A view of new concept images proving that Lightnign Motorcycles is working on an adventure motorcycle for its ranks. Media sourced from Top Speed.
Phrases like ‘off-road motorcycle,’ and ‘Dakar’ are tossed about, alongside some pretty telling concept images showing off spoke wheels, knobby tires, a sharp beak, and a tall guise – more than enough proof that Lightning Motorcycles intends to capitalize on the current trend toward off-road power.
The lightning Strike Carbon. Media sourced from Lighting Motorcycles. Photography executed by Spenser Robert.
If compared to the Strike, the images of this new unit show a taller, flatter seat and generous ground clearance, a sizeable battery tank (for potential improvements to range), with the swingarm, motor mounting point, and subframe appearing identical to the concept’s current supersport sibling.
The lightning Strike Carbon. Media sourced from Lighting Motorcycles. Photography executed by Spenser Robert.
A fully enclosed electric motorcycle is being developed by American company Lightning Motorcycles to overcome the inherently poor aerodynamics of bikes.
Recently the company applied for a patent for the design and now online electric vehicle site Elektrek has pictured a model in a scaled-down wind tunnel and videoed a prototype on the street.
Their more affordable Strike (from $US12,998/$A18,700) will be available soon.
Lightning LS-218
Lightning Strike
CEO Richard Hatfield says they have been working on “a whole series of new products” including “higher performance products and more affordable products”.
He also told Elektrek that they were working on “more exciting than the things we’ve done so far”.
Enclosed project
Patent drawing
He has now confirmed the enclosed motorcycle project to overcome the poor aerodynamics of motorcycles.
They developed it using a 3D-printed scale model in a small wind tunnel, but also have access to a full-sized wind tunnel.
Model wind tunnel
It has now been seen in prototype out on the streets, presumably near their HQ in San Carlos, California.
Prototype testing
What we really want to see is how it stays upright when stopped.
We can’t see the rider’s feet, but there appears to be a gap in the body where they may be able to put their foot down.
Richard told Elektrek he wanted to make electric motorcycles more efficient by improving the aerodynamics.
“The overall conclusion is that motorcycles are pretty poor aerodynamically. Improving the aerodynamics is perhaps the best opportunity to reduce the battery pack size while maintaining good highway range and higher speed riding,” he says.
However, it doesn;’t seem very “mororcycle-ishj” withn what l;ooks like a steering wheel.
Enclosed motorcycles are not new. The BMW C1 scooter had a roof and companies as diverse as Yamaha, Toyota and AKO have plans for enclosed leaning two- and three-wheelers.
The driving force (pun intended) for these designs is to make riding safer and more accessible to more people.
The logos feature a lightning bolt. In one it is inside two circles or a washer and in the other it goes through the letters “HD”. They could be just the simple outlines for something more elaborate, perhaps also in colour.
They are hardly in the same stratosphere as the famous Harley-Davidson orange-and-black bar-and-shield logo.
That trademarked logo is one of the world’s top most recognised corporate brands.
No doubt the filing was on course before Matt’s announcement, so it doesn’t necessarily give any clue to the future direction of the company under a new boss.
While the filing doesn’t say what the trademarks would be used for, it is pretty obvious they will be applied on their coming line of electric motorcycles, scooters and bicycles.
Yet there are already electric models without the logo, including their new range of electric kids’ bikes and, of course, the LiveWire.
However, in March 2020 they plan to unveil their first American-built bike and it will be powered by an electric motor.
It will join other American motorcycle manufacturers Harley-Davidson, Lightning Motorcycles and Zero Motorcycles in the race to win market share of this nascent market.
There is not much detail yet except the blurred image at the top of this page and this video on their Facebook page where they talk about electric bikes with another bike under a blanket in the background.
The photo and video show a light and basic street model with a sit-up-and-beg riding position, MX-style bars, upside down forks, bench seat, sprocket for chain drive, electric motor and battery forward of the footpegs and same-size road tyres front and back on spoked wheels.
We can’t see a clutch lever, so it could be twist-and-go, although they do talk about the use of a clutch on another electric bike in the Facebook video.
If it’s like their other product, it will be aimed at the bargain end of the market, not the top end like Harley, Lightning and Zero.
This is the official Cleveland CycleWerks announcement:
A New Concept in E-Mobility, to be released live to the world 03-20-2020 @ the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in Cleveland Ohio.
This will be our first made in the USA product, which is exciting in itself.
This will be the first bike we have ever run pre-orders on, which will come soon. The project’s code name Falcon Rising represents our brand’s rise in the E vehicle space. It also brings a new chapter to our company, looking inward and local to grow globally. We have wanted to product bikes ourselves, here in Cleveland for 10 years. The time is now, and we are seizing the opportunity.
This vehicle represents 10 years of consumer insight, feedback from loyal customers, and a unique take on the market, that Cleveland has always had.
Electric motorcycles may be poised to become the next big thing, but the much-anticipated Lightning Strike strikes out three times as a big disappointment.
There was much anticipation that Californian electric startup Lightning Motorcycles would make an attractive and affordable version of its $US38,888 LS-218 which at 350km/h (218mph) is the world’s fastest electric motorcycle.
Instead, the Strike strikes out as a disappointment in style, price and specifications.
Style strikes out
After all, it’s just another sports bike in a world where sports bikes are on a fast downhill slide in popularity.
We expected it might be a more utilitarian bike with an upright riding stance and styling that would appeal to a mass market.
The Strike just looks like any petrol-powered sports bike. It’s ok, but nothing spectacular or appealing to a wider group of buyers that might consider an electric alternative.
Prices start at $US12,998 ($A18,300) and rise to $19,998 ($A28,200). Those prices do not include on-road costs.
The basic model sounds like a reasonable price and it’s comparable to some of the Zero models which ranged from $A18,000 to $A25,000 on the road when they were last available in Australia in 2017.
However, the devil is in the detail of the specifications.
Spec strikes out
The base model costs around the same as the base model Zero, but only has range up to about 160km while the Zero has about 275km.
Zero SR/F
If you want better range, you have to buy the Strike Carbon Edition which has up to 320km of range.
That surpasses the flagship Zero SR/F with 130km highway range and 260km city range and a top speed of 200km/h.
The Strike has higher top speeds of 217-240km/h.
But top speeds are beside the point. You can’t do those speeds on our highways and we can guarantee that if you did them on the race track, range would be dramatically reduced to just a few laps of your favourite circuit.
Then it would be time to recharge the bike.
Once again, the Strike strikes out.
The standard bike’s 10kWh battery takes up to three hours to charge with the 3.6kW onboard charger.
You can drop that time by about an hour if you buy the $US1500 ($A2100) 6.6kW onboard charger.
The Strike Carbon Edition has a 20kWh battery and standard 6.6 kW charger and you can buy a Level 3 DC fast charger to bring charging time down to about 35 minutes.
There is no word on how much the charger would cost, but it’s probably about double the 6.6kW charger.
However, fast charging is not good for the life of your battery and should only be done occasionally.
Fast charging will also only charge a battery to 80% of its capacity. To completely charge a battery, you need to do a full charging cycle.
Conclusion: 3 strikes – you’re out!
Lightning Strike scores third strike
Lightning Motorcycles plans to release the Strike for sale in the US in July with no announcement yet for the rest of the world.
It will not become a big player in the market and it will not be the spark that ignites the electric revolution.
The world’s fastest electric motorcycle, the 351km/h Lightning LS-218, will soon have a mass-market brother called the Strike that beats Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire electric.
A teaser photograph of the Strike above) shows a Ducati-esque set of headlights.
It will start at $US12,998 (about $A18,000) when it is released in March, compared with the LS-218 at $US38,888 (about $A51,150).
That’s even cheaper than the Zero SR at $US16,495 (about $A23,000).
When the company pulled the plug on importing to Australia in 2017 their prices ranged from $18,000 to $25,000 on the road.
When it comes to tech specs, the Strike is also a lot more electric bike than the LiveWire.
Harley promises just 177km of range, a top seed of 190km/h and 0-100km/h in “under 3.5 seconds”.
In its photographic teaser of the Strike’s headlights, Lightning Motorcycles claim the bike will have 150 miles of range (about 240km) and a top speed of 150mph (240km/h).
Lightning Motorcycles say the Strike will charge in just 35 minutes on a DC fast charger.
Lightning Motorcycles does not yet import to Australia and is a small-scale company.
However, its price and tech specs should cause concern to both electric newcomer Harley-Davidson and the world’s biggest electric bike company, Zero Motorcycles.
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Patent drawing
Model wind tunnel
Prototype testing
Honda’s self-balancing motorcycle
Controversial mural
