Znug Design introduces the zecOO, a new electric scooter boasting an innovative and futuristic design that makes it look like a motorcycle from some sci-fi movie. The model is the brainchild of former Toyota designer Kota Nezu, who needed just 6 months to get from the graphic concept of his own vision of a futuristic scoot to the actual prototype, which was built by Tokyo’s custom workshop Suehiro.

The most striking feature of this prototype is obviously its flashy bodywork, that includes parts in wood and alloy and might actually be an anticipation of the electric maxi-scooter of the future. At the front, in place of the usual forks, the zecOO adopts a central hub system, while the cantilever rear wheel is belt driven. The model also comes with single sided swing arms at both front and back, but looking at the pics there are plenty of interesting solutions that, in terms of sheer design, are pretty interesting and original.

At the moment there are no official specs to talk about, but Znug Design said that the performance of the zecOO will live up to its jaw-dropping aesthetics. However, a few rumors circulating on the internet reported of a quite unimpressive output of 28 hp and 67 Nm as well as an overall weight of 245 kg, which surely wouldn’t have this bike winning any sort of speed contest. The first tests of the zecOO will begin this spring, but it is not clear when it will actually hit production. Accordingly to a few sources, the price for the zecOO would be something in the 8,000,000 $ area, but we would find it hard to believe. Maybe something got ‘lost in translation’ and that is actually 8 million Yen (roughly 75.000 € / 100.000 $), but if that’s the actual price, we might actually go for a dozen of something else instead, and keep the spare change.

View the full zecOO by Znug Design photo gallery

Continue reading: zecOO by Znug Design: a futuristic electric scooter from Japan

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The next 8th of May is the day chosen by Oregon-based manufacturer Brammo to launch the long awaited street legal version of the Empulse, an all-electric naked bike based on the Empulse RR racer that won the 2011 North American TTXGP Championship and has been a ‘regular’ at the Isle of Man TT Zero since 2009.

The video above thoroughly explains the main features of the model, whose highlights are a water cooled engine, a top speed of 100 mph (160 km/h), 100 miles (160 km) of range and the innovative IET 6-speed transmission. This last one in particular stirred up quite a few critics over the internet as many people think there’s no need for such a device on an electric bike - slamming it as a mere commercial gimmick - but it might work out well too, so that’s one thing that this bike is going to show us.

Even though some early versions of this bike have been spotted here and there throughout the years (for instance, the one featured in the photo gallery below is from 2010), rumor has it that the definitive look of the Empulse is going to be quite different from what we have seen so far. The first images of the Empulse will be released in May, but the official specs of the model will become available a little earlier, the next April 18.

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During the Paris round of the FIM X-Trial championship earlier this month Christophe Bruand apparently executed the first ever backflip in front of a public audience on an electric motorcycle. We say apparently, because we’ve haven’t previous news that anyone else has done it before, but if we’re wrong please correct us.

Bruand is riding an electric trials bike dubbed EM 5.7 and has a chassis that is designed and produced by French company Electric Motion run by former Scorpa president Philippe Aresten. The electric drive system uses an electric motor developed to EM’s specifications running at 48 Volts battery pack built with 25 Ah of Kokam Lithium Polymer cells and Electric Motion has threed other models in development.

Check out another video of Bruand in action on the EM 5.7 after the jump.

Continue reading: Christophe Bruand performs back flip on electric trials bike (w/video)

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Right from the first glance, it is not hard to figure out what that ‘E’ in front of the glorious Ossa name stands for. The resurrected Spanish brand comes up with this brand new electric prototype called ‘Monocasco’ - designed by renowned Barcelona-based studio Art-Tic - which can be considered as the first racer carrying an Ossa badge since the early 70s. The model is also meant to be a tribute to the successful Ossa GP racer of the late 60s/early 70s - ridden by the late and great Santiago Herrero - which was able to clinch 4 wins in the 250cc class.

As for now, this pretty original model is just a concept bike, but the manufacturer believes that the E-Ossa Monocasco could actually evolve into a proper electric race bike at a later time. Moreover, Art-Tic is probing the web to find out what sort of reaction the model is generating among motorists, and to do that they have launched an on-line survey to see which of the two versions the public prefer: the ‘regular’ race version or the ‘naked’ one (with the main difference between the two being the extra add-on piece of fairing at the front). Check them both out in our photo gallery.

via | MotorPasionMoto

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During the unveiling at the Suzuka circuit of the all-original Mugen Shinden - the brand new electric racer that will take part in the next TT Zero under the flag of the famous Honda tuner - it has been officially announced that the rider that will try to take it to victory on the Isle of Man will be no-less than 17 times TT winner John McGuinness, making it clear - if there were any doubts left - that Honda is indeed involved in the project.

McGuinness has shown some interest in participating to the TT Zero since Micheal Rutter and Mark Miller got really close to the 100 mph (160 km/h) average last year on the MotoCzysz, proving that this kind of bike can actually deliver some serious performance. The announcement will obviously bring more visibility to the TT Zero and to the electric motorcycle business as a whole, paving the way for the other important manufacturers that sooner or later will have to get involved with it.

After the jump you can see a recent interview with McGuinness during which the man admits his commitment to the project (which was shot a few days ago when the legendary rider went to visit his local football team, Morecambe FC) as well as the first official specs of the Mugen Shinden , which means ‘electricity of God’ in Japanese. Since the final goal is to become the first electric vehicle to get around the TT track with an average speed of more than 100 mph, there’s no doubt that Mugen has secured itself the right man for the job, but will the machine be able to live up to the expectations? Given that Honda is definitely well into it, we would say a straight ‘yes, definitely’.

View Mugen Shinden photo gallery

Continue reading: John McGuinness to race at the TT Zero with the Mugen Shinden

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American company BRD Redshift presents a video starring their new electric supermoto SM, the road legal version of the prototype they had introduced last summer. The model will be their very first production motorcycle and is expected to make its debut on the market by the end of the current year, with the company saying they have received quite a few orders already.

This professionally made footage features stuntman Ryan Moore having fun with the BRD RedShift SM up and down the roads of San Francisco, and we have to say that the model looks pretty fun and versatile.

Lights and plate holder aside, it looks almost identical to the prototype it is based upon. The prototype had a 5,1 kWh li-ion battery which allowed it to perform like a 250 cc bike with a range of about 50 miles (80 km), but it seems likely that the road version will have an increased autonomy. As for the price, BRD said in August that it was going to be somewhere in the 15.000$ area. We did not get any further update about that.

via | Asphalt&Rubber

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Brutus Electric Motorcycle presents the Brutus 2.0, an all-electric cruiser that is likely to become one of the most significant electric bikes in history. As the name suggests, this is the second version of the Brutus: the first one got unveiled last October and is set to debut on the market by the end of this year, while this 2.0 is still well into its testing stage and not yet homologated for road use.

The Brutus 2.0 uses some elements of its slightly older sister like the exposed trellis frame, the old-school mudguards and the DC engine coupled to a 5-speed transmission, but also comes with some interesting aesthetic and technical feature of its own, such as the chrome cover of its primary chain-set, the see-through pipe that encapsulates the Hairball interface for the liquid-cooled Zilla controller on its right side and a little but nice aerodynamic protection on the head light.

In terms of sheer performance - and considering that the Brutus 2.0 weighs in at 243 kg - the data available so far are pretty impressive. As we said the model is still being developed, but Brutus Electric Motorcycle’s main man, Mr. Chris Bell, says that the model can easily hit the 60 mph mark (96 km/h) in just 4.7 seconds, while top speed should be more than 100 mph (160 km/h), a figure which has already been touched during testing. As for braking, the model uses a couple of discs at the front mated to 6-piston calipers whereas at the back we have one single rotor with a pair of clamps that are individually controlled by a handlebar-mounted lever and a traditional foot pedal.

After the jump you can find a couple of interesting official videos: there’s a one-minute long one that shows the bike in action and another very short one that gives us the chance to appreciate the sound of the Brutal 2.0: check them out, you might be in for a surprise.

via | AutoBlogGreen

Continue reading: Brutus 2.0: an all-electric cruiser made in the USA

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The Bonneville Speedway is an area of the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, which is famous the world over for being the location where most land speed records on two and for wheels have been set. It is also the home of the notorious Speed Week, an event that every year attracts pure-speed maniacs from every corner of the world, but there is one specific reason that will make the last edition one that will really go down on history books: among all the cars and bikes that were there hitting speeds of over 200 mph (320 km/h) in an attempt to beat any sort of record, one vehicle did actually manage to set a new a new speed high for its own category. The only thing is: it was nowhere near that kind of speed.

Setting the new world’s land speed record for mass-produced all-electric motorcycles was the diminutive moped e-Solex, produced by long-running French manufacturer Solex, which recorder an outstanding top speed of about 32 km/h (more precisely, 19.893 mph). If you are wondering how this little thing got a certified speed world record, the answer is actully the most obvious there can be: the previous record was 0 km/h. In other words, the e-Solex is the first motorcycle ever that made an attempt to the record, and by doing so it has secured its own special place in motorcycle history.

We cannot help but congratulate the brave and cunning team (Gilles Pujol, Franck Figuls, Yann Bruneau and Jean Caillou) that carried out the whole operation. Besides, we think they are well in for yet another new record: the most short-lived world’s speed record ever.

via | Le Repaire des Motards

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American company Brutus Electric Motorcycle presents the Brutus 2.0, an all electric cruiser that - as the name suggests - follows a first ‘Brutus’, which was introduced last October. The Brutus 2.0 shares quite some feature with its slightly younger sister - like the exposed trellis frame, the DC engine, those old-school mudguards and a 5-speed gearbox - but boasts some pretty distinctive trait of its own, such as the chrome cover for the primary transmission chain on its right side, a transparent box hosting the Hairball interface for the liquid-cooled Zilla controller on the left side, and also a little piece of fairing for the head lamp, providing some aerodynamic protection.

In light of the fact that the Brutus 2.0 weighs 243 kg (over 500 lbs), the performance available at the moment are not bad at all. The Brutus 2.0 is still undergoing its texting stage, but Brutus Electric Motorcycle’s main man, Mr. Chris Bell, said that the model can easily hit the 60 mph mark (96 km/h) in 4.7 seconds, while top speed should be well over 100 mph (160 km/h), a speed that has already been approached during testing. It can only get better. As for the breaking system, the model uses two discs with 6-piston calipers at the front and a single ring at the back, with a pair of clamps individually controlled by a handlebar-mounted lever and a more traditional foot pedal.

After the jump you will find a couple of interesting official videos released by the manufacturer, a one-minute long clip showing us the bike in action and a very short one giving us the chance to listen to the actual sound of the Brutus 2.0. While it has been announced that the first Brutus will become available on the market by the end of the current year, the 2.0 version will have to carry on with its development program for a while.

View the full Brutus 2.0 photo gallery

via | Brutus Electric Motorcycle and AutoBlogGreen

Continue reading: Brutus 2.0: a new all-electric cruiser made in U.S.A. (videos)

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French urban trial and freestyle legend Julien Dupont has been showing us many jaw-dropping stunts throughout the years, and he is quite a popular character among extreme motorsports enthusiast around the world. This time time around he decided to give the brand new all-electric KTM Freeride E a go, and here is a bunch of pictures showing us what he has been capable of doing on this ambitious motocross bike in Barcelona’s surroundings.

KTM Freeride E is powered by a brushless synchronous motor with 300V of batteries, produceing 30bhp (22kW) at 6,000 rpm and 42 hp (31 ft-lb) of torque at just 500rpm. We just hope that some video evidence of the Dupont/Freeride E odd couple will surface soon as well.

View the full Julien Dupont and KTM Freeride E photo gallery

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