

An electric motorcycle - kvprashant
https://www.mission-motorcycles.com/r
Quite expensive though and far away from being the Tesla for superbikes.
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kinofcain
The RS version has been getting rave reviews. Despite the weight, the nature
of the power delivery and lack of gears to fiddle with apparently make it
devastatingly fast: [http://rideapart.com/2013/08/rideapart-
review-2014-mission-r...](http://rideapart.com/2013/08/rideapart-
review-2014-mission-rs/)

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Shivetya
Okay, maybe I am blind, but where is the weight? Real world mileage is such a
vague term and such a silly one when discussion "superbikes". Whats my track
time? I really want to know, I am not going to ride it sedately, so whats my
real world mileage when I can't keep from twisting the throttle so hard?

could I get from Atlanta to Deal's gap and back? Nope? Well I am not a fan of
trailer queens.

Get me something that gets me to and from work like my K1300GT does and I
might be interested. Frankly I see very little point in a superbike electric
as they are natural opposites, electric implies efficiency but the riding
behavior associated with superbikes is anything but

~~~
randlet
It's 540lbs which is way to heavy to be considered a superbike [1].

For reference -- unlike Mission who presumably are hiding the weight on
purpose -- Suzuki lists their stock GSX1000R as 450lbs wet on its spec
page[2].

[1] [http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-reviews/first-
drives/2014-mi...](http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-reviews/first-
drives/2014-mission-rs-electric-motorcycle-first-ride-review)

[2]
[http://www.suzukicycles.com/Product%20Lines/Cycles/Products/...](http://www.suzukicycles.com/Product%20Lines/Cycles/Products/GSX-R1000/2013/GSXR1000.aspx#Specs)

~~~
randlet
As a counterpoint, an article[1] posted elsewhere in this thread makes it seem
like the weight is not as big a deal as it seems due to how centralized it is.
Interesting and I guess I will have to reserve judgement until I can ride one
:)

[1] [http://rideapart.com/2013/08/rideapart-
review-2014-mission-r...](http://rideapart.com/2013/08/rideapart-
review-2014-mission-rs/)

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buro9
I saw another electric motorcycle on Thursday that blew my mind as it was the
first time I'd seen one in the flesh and on the street, the Saietta:
[http://www.agilitymotors.com/](http://www.agilitymotors.com/)

Loved the design of it, somewhere between Tron and Portal.

The only thing that gets me is the range... 120 miles. That seems to be
similar to the Mission motorcycle too. Good for the city, but hard for long
rides (and both the speed and performance encourage you to enjoy leaving the
city).

~~~
untruuth
Most performance bikes have a range around 120-150 miles. Triumph Daytona 675
for example is 125 miles. Enough for a long weekend ride, or a regular commute
without too many refills a week.

If you want more... you get a tourer.

~~~
buro9
Sure, but I could top-up that Triumph and extend my range pretty much anywhere
as gas/petrol stations are everywhere.

With an electric bike, the options start to become limited and a greater range
is desired.

I couldn't see a re-charge time on the Mission site, but the Saietta cites a
3.5-8 hour full re-charge time dependant on the power supply available.

Depending on temperature/weather a ride from London to Birmingham would be
risky. Unless you'd planned in advance and left at first light so you could
ride back at dusk, you'd probably have to stay overnight even though the ride
would have only taken a couple of hours (max). That may be great if you want a
day out somewhere, but less great if you want a day out _riding_.

And this is being marketed as a "superbike". But it couldn't participate in
existing race events (even if rules permitted an electric bike), as the
distance of a race at Silverstone is 263 miles. Both the Mission and Saietta
could not complete even half the distance of a race event, and even if you
step down to track day events the electric bikes wouldn't last the event (7 x
20 minute sessions @ 80% speed is beyond the range of the bikes... you'd hope
to go faster than 80% speed anyway).

So what is the real current usage of a bike with such range and re-charge
time? Commuting.

Suddenly that's one hell of an expensive commuting bike.

~~~
untruuth
You're not wrong. From riding myself I remember many times when a ride went a
bit further, or a bit wider than expected and one of the group would need to
top up, so there would need to be a lot to make this viable and relaxing.

For commutes, it's fine. It's almost like it should be a sporty tourer, but
then that's no fun on a press release.

I think given the Formula E plan of having 2x cars per race, racing is
actually more applicable. Racing will challenge how these bikes are
recharged/replaced quickly.

The most often overlooked issue with press-release-bikes, is that many
motorcycle owners will show terror at the thought of having a no-brand bike.
The cost of parts, servicing, or replacement if it gets crashed (it will) is
so high, that it really is only a toy for the naive or rich (or both).

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jawr
Good looking design, but a superbike that doesn't make any noise? That's a
dangerous game. The noise it's part of it's presence and dare I say it,
safety.

~~~
geoka9
Maybe _some_ noise, yes. But god aren't most bikes noisy; I almost feel my ear
drums burst whenever one passes by. I think there should be a noise limit, in
addition to the speed one, at least in the cities.

~~~
mikestew
Bikes don't come out of the factory noisy, there are EPA limits in the US.
They become noisy when some dork sticks an aftermarket pipe on it. There are
also noise limits everywhere that I am aware of, those laws are just rarely
enforced. Why that is, I have no idea. Seems like easy ticket money on a sunny
day.

As for the parent, if you're relying on your bike's noise to keep you out of
trouble, you're an accident waiting to happen. Loud pipes don't save lives,
paying attention and not riding like an ass does.

~~~
jawr
Coming up a blind bend in poor visibility on a bike that makes absolutely no
noise and someone decides to do a u-turn from a parked position... I'm not
suggesting that the noise of the bike is going to get you out of trouble every
single time, nor is it an excuse to ride like an idiot. However you're
clinging on to an engine attached to two wheels and I want all the presence I
can get because I can only account for my driving and not the driving of
others.

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baudehlo
As a keen rider (S1000-RR) I would love this. I mostly commute on mine and in
the hot Toronto summers the heat is what kills you. I'm pretty sure this thing
would run way cooler.

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chubs
Range on the cheapest model is comparable to my Suzuki SV650, would be great
for commuting eg you can charge every night. Plugging in at night would be
much better than having to waste 15 mins at the service station every 3 days.
Probably not going to ride it to the mountains and back on a long ride,
though. Still - very cool! Can't wait for battery tech to get better/cheaper.

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pkulak
I've been waiting for someone to step up and become the Tesla of motorcycles:
ie, hell with the costs, we're just going to make the greatest bike possible.
Very cool to see it.

That dash is both awesome and scary as hell. Stravassholes on bicycles are
annoying; I can't imagine one on a motorcycle with 120 ft-lbs of torque.

~~~
__--__
What's funny is they came up with the design 3 years ago. Made a prototype,
raced it, set a bunch of records then shelved it. At the time, a production
version would have cost $60k and they didn't think that was viable. Now it's
30k and there are rumors about a 15k version in the next few years.

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sirtel
This sounds really cool. But, personally, is it possible to design a "neat
appearance" and more "future"? It seems no difference to other motorbikes in
market. As a Superbike, it must be distinctive.

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locusm
Give me that dash on my Duc! - they also mention a HUD, scant on detail
though. Pricey but they are using some of the best brakes, forks and
suspension the market has to offer, best of luck to these guys.

~~~
JoeAltmaier
The definition for 'HUD' must have taken a left turn somewhere. A display you
look down to see, taking your eyes off the road, isn't a 'HUD' its a
'display'.

~~~
duck
It says right on the page that the HUD would be a wireless piece that attaches
to your helmet.

~~~
JoeAltmaier
Sorry missed that. I just saw the 12 pictures on their main page, of a regular
LCD navigation display which appears to be between the handlebars.

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newsign
Just wondering whether there is any REGULAR electric bike (100cc-200cc engine)
- that would be an instant HIT in the developing countries like India and
China ....

~~~
MattBearman
Yamaha make the EC-03 [http://www.yamaha-motor.eu/uk/products/electric-
vehicles/com...](http://www.yamaha-motor.eu/uk/products/electric-
vehicles/commuters/ec-03.aspx)

No idea what it's like though

~~~
shortlived
That's not a motorcycle, it's a moped...

~~~
MattBearman
In India and China, most people ride mopeds, so the Yamaha could well fit the
bill.

I ride a Kawasaki Versys 650, so I am aware of the difference between
motorcycle and moped :)

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gregpilling
If you like that one, then you should have a look at this one too. The
Lightning electric bike won the Pikes Peak race this year, including the gas
powered bikes . 218 mph top speed.
[http://www.lightningmotorcycle.com/](http://www.lightningmotorcycle.com/)

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samatman
I have a 3kW electric scooter, which can and does hit 45 mph / 75 kph on the
flats.

I'm trying to picture having 40 times the torque, and just failing. What an
incredible world.

~~~
duck
What type of scoot do you have?

~~~
samatman
An Xtreme Scooter XM-3150, which is identical to (many? most? all?) Zapinos.

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jlebrech
good price, gas bikes usually start off at that price and end up a quarter of
that price second hand within 3 years.

~~~
mswe
The pricing is a joke
[http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/2013/suzuki/gsx_r/750/pric...](http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/2013/suzuki/gsx_r/750/prices/134133/05/)

~~~
locusm
Yes but your comparing a VW Golf with a Tesla Model S

~~~
jawr
Tempted to argue that the gixxer is anything but a VW Golf. It can take most
sports cars from standstill and probably max speed.

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Tloewald
Live fast, die young, leave a nice planet.

