The electric superbike is still an unattainable holy grail as the weight-range-power triumvirate restricts performance, nimbleness, and top speed. We believe startups and manufacturers would be better off preserving their R&D dollars till solid-state batteries become commercial and mainstream.
However, a practical and sporty street bike—anything up to the 250 cc class—is a very real possibility, and multiple players have been working on it for the last few years. The fruits of labor are now hitting the road.
Over the last few weeks, we have been interacting with multiple motorcycle startups that are working on street sports motorcycles. Each of them has been developing products that appear very compelling in their way. Yet they are different from each other and quite distinctive. Diversity is the name of the game, and innovation can take on different faces.
In this analysis, we discuss:
1. The Big Comparo between the Auper 600CE, Nuen N1-S, Ryvid Anthem, Land Moto District, CanAm Pulse, Black Tea Wildfire, Ultraviolette F77, Matter Aera, Raptee.HV, Vmoto Stash, Niu RQi Sport, Yadea Keeness, and Yadea Kemper
2. How do they compare across parameters like weight, motor, cooling, battery sizes, formats, etc?
3. Key Questions:
A. Wheelbase: Long or Short
B. Weight: Light or Not So?
C. Frame - What Works?
D. Motor Power
E. Liquid Cooling or Air Cooling?
F. Motor Placement
G. Complexity and Stages of Reduction in the Transmission
H. Type of Battery
I. How big a Charger?
4. Conclusion
In being distinct, motorcycle developers are answering fundamental questions in their signature ways: What should the motor, battery, and frame configuration be? Do you sacrifice weight for battery, or vice-versa? Should you compromise speed for range? What works in our target market? What works today, and what does the future look like? Are paper specs worth chasing? And so on...
They have taken different approaches to electric motorcycles, and that brings us to the question: If you, as a start-up or an established manufacturer, are planning to do a street-sports electric bike, what would be the best motor-battery-frame-components configurations to start with? In the Jell-O of motorcycle design, what part would you sacrifice to make the other parts shine?
The Big Comparo
Today, we look at some motorcycles - old and new - to identify trends that are shaping the way forward. In our list today are motorcycles that have been developed recently, while others have been around for a few years.
The motorcycles under consideration are the Auper 600CE, Nuen N1-S, Ryvid Anthem, Matter Aera, Ultraviolette F77 Recon, Land Moto District, CanAm Pulse, Black Tea Wildfire, Raptee.HV T30, Yadea Kemper, and Vmoto Stash.
To start with, these are the motorcycles we are investigating to see if there are any common traits that we can identify in their design, technology, and specifications.
