by Zhaki Abdullah from https://www.channelnewsasia.com SINGAPORE: Although the COVID-19 pandemic had affected their initial plans, two Singapore-based start-ups are still set on revving up efforts to produce their own electric motorbikes. This comes as Singapore relaxed its rules on electric motorcycles in April, allowing high-powered motorbikes with power ratings of more than 10kW to be on the roads as part of efforts to encourage the adoption of cleaner vehicles. The coronavirus outbreak has caused “little hiccups” in its supply chain, said Scorpio Electric’s acting head of operations Muhammad Taureza. But the brand remains on track to roll out its zero-emission, fully electric smart motorcycles, with no “appreciable delay”, he said, adding that it aims to do so by the middle of this year, or as soon as the COVID-19 situation stabilises. Scorpio Electric is a brand under Singapore-based EuroSports Technologies, which is backed by SGX-listed EuroSports Global. Since March, Scorpio Electric has expanded its premises at Teban Gardens to 7,000 sq m. The space includes offices and showrooms, as well as 4,000 sq m dedicated to a factory and warehouse. This facility is expected to produce about 8,000 electric motorcycles a year, said Dr Taureza. Although the components will be manufactured elsewhere, Scorpio Electric’s bikes will be assembled at its Singapore location, he added. Scorpio Electric chief technology officer Tham Kwang Sheun noted that making its motorcycles “smart”, with the use of artificial intelligence and data analytics, will allow them to be even more energy efficient. “That means that when you get on, the bike will actually have the intelligence to tell you how can you better plan your trips, and how much fuel consumption you’re going to use, accounting for operating conditions,” he explained. The aim is also for Scorpio Electric to extend this environmental sustainability to its production line, said Mr Tham, noting some of the materials used in the making of motorcycles can be substituted by “bio-derived” materials with “some recyclability”. The switch to electric motorcycles is “very promising” in terms of reducing carbon emissions in the region, said Mr Tham, who was previously with the Land Transport Authority as the head of its autonomous vehicle programme office. Motorcycles in Southeast Asia are “typically lagging behind the curve in emissions standards”, said James Chan, co-founder and chief executive of Ion Mobility, which is headquartered in Singapore. The firm’s other co-founder, Joel Chang, was previously with Scorpio Electric as its chief operating officer before he formed Ion Mobility last year. “In Singapore, ICE (internal combustion engine) motorcycles are on Euro 4 standards, while Indonesia is still on Euro 3,” noted Mr Chan, referring to the emissions standard introduced by the European Union. The latest standard for motorcycles in Europe is Euro 5, which came into effect this year. Motorcycles may seem to have better fuel efficiency, but on average, they produce twice as much carbon dioxide per passenger-kilometre over their life cycles when compared to cars, said Mr Chan. In addition, particulate matter (PM2.5) from motorcycle emissions is taken into consideration due to the sheer number of motorcycles on the roads in the region, he explained, noting that PM2.5 is one of the largest “air pollution culprits” to health costs and premature deaths in Southeast Asia. Ion Mobility’s electric motorcycles would produce zero tailpipe emissions and play “a big part” in reducing PM2.5 and greenhouse gas emissions produced, added Mr Chan. Southeast Asia is the world’s third largest market for motorcycles after India and China, he noted, adding that there are currently more than 200 million ICE motorcycles across Southeast Asia. The company had originally aimed to offer test rides and launch pre-orders for its Model 1 electric motorcycles in Jakarta by the third quarter of 2020, although it had to go back to the drawing board because of COVID-19. “We aim to launch our Model 1 in Indonesia by early 2021 or sooner, COVID-19 permitting,” said Mr Chan. Apart from its headquarters here – which will serve as a regional centre for design as well as research and development – Ion Mobility also has offices in Jakarta and Guangzhou. Mr Chan said the company is focused on becoming the top electric motorcycle company in Southeast Asia. It aims to begin with Indonesia, where 6.5 million new ICE motorcycles were sold in 2019, aiming to claim 1 per cent of the Indonesian market within its first two years of sales. Scorpio Electric, meanwhile, aims to be a “global brand”, said Dr Taureza. “We want to be in the same ranks as Apple and Tesla,” he said, although he noted that this needs to be done one step at a time. As a “homegrown Singapore brand”, Scorpio Electric’s first priority is the Southeast Asian market, primarily Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore, he said. Although sales of electric vehicles (EVs) have been increasing in recent years, they are still in the minority, making up just 2 per cent of the total vehicle population worldwide. “The reason why the uptake of EVs generally, whether cars or motorcycles, is low is because the price is expensive, let’s not beat around the bush,” said Dr Taureza, noting that the main reason for this has been battery prices. However, with battery prices declining in recent years, it is only a matter of time before price parity is reached, he added. To attract consumers, Mr Chan said the onus is on companies like Ion Mobility to “up our game and offer a compelling product that provides price- and performance-superiority over ICE equivalents without relying on subsidies”. While both firms welcomed Singapore’s recent measures to accept electric motorcycles here, Mr Chan believes more can be done. “Certain categories of electric motorcycles should be permitted to charge from normal wall sockets provided they are UL2272-certified,” he said, referring to the fire-safety standard used in Singapore for personal mobility devices such as e-scooters. “Singapore’s touted network of EV charging stations are also all zoned for EV cars, not EV motorcycles. There is a need to consider the zoning and charging sockets for EV motorcycles too,” he added. More refinement is also needed in the categorising of electric motorcycles, which do not neatly fit in with existing categories of conventional motorbikes, he said. “Horsepower and kilowatt power output is not a one-is-to-one relationship,” he explained, adding a more “engineer-centric approach” is needed. In 2018, Scorpio Electric secured S$2 million from its parent firm EuroSports Global, which promised another S$3 million if certain milestones were met. Mr Tham said the firm aims to close another round of funding in the coming months, although he declined to provide figures. “We started our fund-raise in January this year, and in spite of COVID-19, have been able to secure healthy investor demand amidst these tumultuous times,” said Ion Mobility’s Mr Chan. He declined to provide figures at this time, but Mr Chan noted that it would be able to launch its motorcycle without raising more funds. When asked how Ion Mobility would fare against other players in the electric motorcycle market, he said such discussions were “premature”. “There is plenty of room for all of us to coexist, with each player going after different market segments,” he said. “The real competition, the elephant in the room if you must, is consumer preferences, which have been honed by what Japanese incumbents have offered to them in terms of design, price and performance over the years,” he added. Scorpio Electric welcomed competition, said Dr Taureza, adding that competition helps the company to “grow and continue to improve”. He noted that apart from the two new players, established traditional motorcycle manufacturers have also entered the market. “I think there will be tremendous growth in the EV motorcycle segment next year,” he said.

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com/

Try as you might, you will not find many high-quality customized Suzukis out there. But when luck strikes, something like the GS650GL in the gallery below might pop up.

The GS series was born as the bike maker’s first proper range of 4-stroke engined motorcycles in the late 1970s. In this series, the GL represented cruisers, backed by a larger engines and several unique technical and visual features.

The bike displayed here is a GS650 GL from early on, in 1981, taken to a whole new level by a garage called Upcycle. Work on it ended last year, and the bike just popped up on a specialized auction website, with the current bid standing at just $7,500.

The bike modified this way was named by its builder the Beach Cruiser, and sports enough changes to make it stand out in a crowd of other GS series.

First, the body, or at least the lack of. The GS is barely dressed in any body parts, which are limited to the fuel tank and the tiny little rear fender. The frame, which includes a custom subframe holding a one-rider saddle, houses a 673cc engine, linked to a five speed manual transmission and good for 73 horsepower.

There have been other modifications made to the stock Suzuki to transform it into the Beach Cruiser. There’s a reworked swingarm, the fork has been lowered, and a stainless exhaust system was added. At the rear, the motorcycle uses a 2003 Yamaha R6 shock and linkage.

As a touch of class, Upcycle relocated the position of the speedometer alongside the fuel tank, and clip-on handlebars with push-button were used to replace the stock ones.

The bike has barely been used. Since new, the odometer moved to just 1,400 miles (2,250 km), and only 400 miles of that (643 km) were used up since the rebuild of the bike took place.

 

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

When it first used the Softail frame for one of its bikes decades ago, Harley-Davidson had no way of knowing what it would begin to stand for, and what an influence this type of bike would have on the motorcycle world.

In its own backyard, Harley’s Softails, described in Milwaukee as a crossbreed between heritage and custom builds with a pinch of technology, have become the backbone of the business, with no less than 12 models lined up and ready to roam the roads.

Among them is the Heritage, a model that has been around since the 1980s, and now only sells as the Classic 114. However, this official bike is accompanied by a great number of custom builds based on it and previous Heritage models, builds that are at times much more appealing than the original.

The motorcycle in the gallery above is a Heritage as well, but one that has long lost its original looks. Handled by a German custom garage that goes by the name Thunderbike, it turned into a low rider that goes that has been baptised El Dorado.

The build (shown at the end of 2019) is part of the Chicano series sold by the Germans in Europe, and it features a series of brand new and specially developed hardware that makes the bike look apart from the rest.

Fitted with new and modified triple trees and rear swing arm, the bike rides close to the ground, an image that is enhanced by the large fenders that wrap extensively around the wheels.

The El Dorado is just one of the many Harley-Davidson custom motorcycles the Germans have cooked up since it started business in this field back in the early 2000s. We’ve already talked about some of them, and we’ve also talked about some of the Harley-powered custom frames they’ve made over the years.

 

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

In the world of custom motorcycles, there are more Harley-Davidsons and custom frames than anything else. Yet there are some builds, based on other motorcycles, that sure deserve their time under the spotlight.

Among them is this BMW R80 RT from 1984. Part of the range that was built by the Bavarians for 13 years from 1982 to 1995, it started life as toned down version of the R 100 RT, but was turned into something spectacular at the end of 2019.

Responsible for the conversion is a group that goes by the name Blitz Motorcycles. Based in Paris, the garage is just ten years old, but doesn’t shy away from taking on big projects.

The Black Dot One, as the finished product is called, was reworked on behalf of a customer. The transformation included everything from an engine rebuild to new looks, all with the goal of giving a retro-modern twist to the aging two-wheeler.

“We had one single request from the owner of this machine: he wanted it to make an extra sound, on top of the one made by the engine, and directly connected to the engine rev,” the builders say about the project.

“This only one request, which we respected, gave us the Artistic Direction for the whole project : create a futuristic machine, as if we were living in the ’80s.”

Riding on CNC machined wheels, it plays around with just three colors: black, LED green, and LED orange.

Black is used all around the body, from the parts of the chassis to the rear wheel. The non-color is offset by green LED lights above and below the engine, and as rear and brake light. Orange, also coming from LEDs, is used for the turn signals.

Sporting a Honda fuel tank instead of the original one, the Black Dot is also the owner of a distinct sound which can be experienced for a bit in the short video attached below this text.

Video https://vimeo.com/366520506

 

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

Despite the increasing interest of the customers in electric motorcycles, established bike makers are still reluctant to jump on this new mobility train. Only one of them, arguably the world’s most famous, announced a mass-production electric motorcycle.

That’s the LiveWire, shown by Harley-Davidson in 2019, should have been a game changer for this segment, but various issues and then a global health crisis have kind of put a dent into Harley’s plans.

While the behemoth is still wrapping its head around how to move forward, start-ups are wasting no time in coming up with increasingly appealing designs.

As one of the leaders when it comes to electric mobility in general, Finland is the perfect place to be for up and coming talents in the industry these days. And from Finland comes this bike here, called TS, and manufactured by a start-up called Verge.

Shown for the first time last year, the TS comes to the world as a hubless rear-wheel electric bike with capabilities that should dwarf those of the LiveWire.

Whereas the American machine is good for 98 miles city (158 km), the TS brings a range close to double that: 186 miles (300 km).

The Finnish-build offers a 0-60 mph (97 kph) acceleration time of under four seconds (LiveWire does it in 3.5), 107 hp of power and 1,000 Nm of torque. The top speed is limited to 180 kph (112 mph).

The Verge TS has a starting price of €24,990, which is the equivalent today of close to $27,000. That’s a tad cheaper than the LiveWire, which Harley sells for $29,799.

For a number of reasons, the comparison between the TS and the LiveWire may not be fair game, but it goes to show that established bike makers are not really making an effort in this segment, at least not yet.

Sadly, some start-ups don’t seem to have the power to stay afloat for long enough to see their designs go into production.

 

JUNE 5-7, 2020 RODEO AT BLOOMSBURG FAIRGROUNDS IN BLOOMSBURG, PA. Easyriders Rodeos held in Fowlerville, Michigan, on Aug. 21–23, & Chillicothe, Ohio, on Sept. 3–7, 2020 have NOT been affected

May 8, 2020 (Los Angeles, CA.) — At the direction of local health officials, we must regretfully confirm the cancellation of our June 2020 event, the Easyriders Rodeo in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania , sponsored by Old Milwaukee, Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys, Bill’s Old Bike Barn, and The Purrfect Angelz. This cancellation includes the organized motorcycle ride with Bill’s Custom Cycles and the Easyriders Hooligan Race Series at Bloomsburg. At this time, the Easyriders Rodeos held in Fowlerville, Michigan, on Aug. 21–23, and Chillicothe, Ohio, on Sept. 3–7, have not been affected, and we look forward to seeing you there. Easyriders will continue to monitor the guidelines set forth by the CDC and local officials in these areas to determine whether changes will be required. During these trying and uncertain times, our thoughts go out to all those who have been or may be affected by COVID-19. We find inspiration in the outpouring of community support seen around the world, in the heroes who have stepped up to serve on the front line and those who have vowed to stay home to flatten the curve. As we press pause and adjust to this new reality, we’re reminded of the reason we love riding: Traveling on two wheels allows the mind to slow, to take in the sights, to savor the elements, to reconnect with the self. This time of quarantine gives us the space to slow down and savor the moment, too. This is not a time to panic but rather to be precautionary to continue to prevent the spread. We’re all in this together. Soon, we’ll find ourselves on the other side. And the road will be waiting. Easyriders Rodeos were launched in 1987 in Ventura, California. Last year was the first iteration of the Easyriders Rodeo in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. For more information, visit easyriders..com and follow the brand on Instagram @easyriders. #WeAreEasyriders

The Wheels Through Time amazing motorcycle museum is now Dale’s Wheels Through Time Museum. It’s actually sorta old news from the AMCA last year. If you’re not a member consider joining. They produce the best, highest quality, most informative magazine in our industry currently.

Back to the old news. As of last fall the motorcycle museum in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, will be known as Dale’s Wheels Through Time. I suspect that the original name was too generic, so he added his name for clarification.

Beginning over 50 years ago, Dale, who has ben recognized as an AMCA Honorary Member, made it his mission to preserve the history of American transportation. After 24 years as a successful Harley-Davidson dealer in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, Dale moved to Maggie Valley, where he spent the last 17 years shaping his museum into a world-class institution. The Collection includes 375 of the country’s rarest and most-historic vehicles, spanning 115 years of motorcycles history.

The last time I had the pleasure of touring Dale’s he told amazing histories about each bike, and he could start and ride each one.

More that 1.5 million people, representing almost every country on the glove have visited Dale’s. Dale has also shared his passion through TV shows, including “What’s in the Barn” and “American Restoration.” He’s also helped Bikernet and 5-Ball racing with some of our projects.

–Bandit

This is some leather work one of my students Tony Roland created. Great job Tony.

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

Back in 2014, a German motorcycle racing team known back then as Kodewa introduced the Lotus C-01 concept, a “menacingly retro-futuristic” two-wheeler with 200 hp coming from the engine of a KTM Superbike. Some time later, the concept inspired a custom build in the most unlikely of places.

Penned by Daniel Simon, the man behind vehicular designs in movies like Tron: Legacy, Oblivion or Captain America, and more recently the autonomous racing car that goes by the name Robocar, the C-01 was supposed to sell for around for €100,000 (roughly $110,000), but never managed to get into a serious production run.

It did inspire others into coming up with their own versions of the C-01. Somewhere in the Indonesian city of Bali there’s a custom bike garage that goes by the name of Smoked. The Lotus concept served as inspiration for one of the group’s builds, one they call Bronco Racer.

The starting point for the new machine was a naked 2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650R, more precisely the ER-6n variety. Around its frame, Smoked designed a new body and several other custom elements that make the Bronco the finished product you can see in the gallery above.

The metal shell of the build was constructed in such a way as to mimic that of the 2014 Lotus concept. It includes elements like fenders, panels, headlight housing and even the fuel tank.

The Ninja was perched on top of custom wheels, a new saddle has been fitted on it, and the paint choice was made in such a way as to mimic that of the inspiration bike. Some work had to be done to the rear frame, which has been cut and rebuilt as well.

No change was made to the engine, though. The motorcycle is powered by the stock 649cc (39.6ci) liquid-cooled engine that develops a little over 70 hp and 48.7 lb-ft of torque.

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

So, you own a Lamborghini Aventador, and that in itself is reason enough to be proud. But often times supercar owners find themselves in need of some other motorized sidekick contraption for their cars.

So did a German Aventador owner, who must have thought there’s something missing from his garage, something that should not only keep the car company, but also match it in design. So he turned to custom German bike builder Thunderbike for help.

The German shop started out in the 1980s as a repair place for Japanese motorcycles, but a few decades later found themselves to be quite good at either customizing Harleys, or building their own custom frames with Harley engineering inside. The Black Star 110 and the RS Lambo are perfect examples of their prowess in both fields.

For the Aventador owner we mentioned above, they came up with a design called Outerlimit. Finished in 2016, it was specced as “super sporty appearance, neat pressure in the engine, big wheels and powerful brakes.”

The custom frame of the bike was gifted with a Harley-Davidson twin cam 120R engine linked to a 6-speed manual transmission, which gives the bike a power output of 140 ps and 190 Nm of torque. Not quite Aventador levels, but for a motorcycle it’s not half bad.

The performance of the bike was not necessarily the main goal of the build, but the appearance of it was. As per customer specification, the Outerlimit had to exactly match the colors of the supercar, and that task seems to have been met nicely: both the design and the paint job that cover the various portions of the motorcycles body replicate the black and white panels seen on the Aventador body and roof.

We’re not being told how much the Outerlimit cost to make, but the result must have definitely pleased the man who commissioned it.