Roehr Motorcycles releases the eSuperBike, the fastest electric motorcycle money can buy
By Tim Stevens 
posted July 17th 2010 12:02PM
posted July 17th 2010 12:02PM
There are three models here, like with the Empulse, but unlike Brammo's offerings these three differ in a lot more than range. The eSuperSport is the lowest-spec, with a 48hp motor, 395lb weight, dual 300mm brake discs up front, 41mm inverted forks, and 5.8Kw/h worth of batteries good for 80 miles of range and 100mph top speed. Step it up to the eSuperBike and you get two of the same motors for a combined power of 96hp but a total weight of 500lbs. Also, the rear shock gets boosted to an Ohlins unit (surely to handle that extra girth) and 7.7Kw/h worth of batteries good for 100 miles of range and 135mph top speed. Finally there's the RR model, which moves up to Ohlins suspension on the front as well plus lovely, lightweight wheels.
All are cloaked in the same slippery bodywork that certainly looks distinctive and efficient. With no ICE pumping out heat the vents are minimized and everything looks smooth as can be. That Modena-red paint doesn't hurt, either.
The cost? $16,995 to start, with the eSuperBike costing $27,595 and the RR model going way up to $34,495. Yes, mighty costly, but these bikes are all about performance, with the upper two intended for entry in the fledgling TTXGP racing series. For a turnkey race bike, that's not a bad price. For a street bike? Yeah, very spendy, but these aren't mass-produced machines. Place your order now (with a $2,000 deposit) and one will be custom-built for you with your choice of colors. We'd go for blue... naturally.
@drummr160 The problem is that the TT bike has a range of 14 miles, ie the length of the TT circuit.
@Bakes 37 miles even
Nah, for this price everyone can purchase a Ducati.
@magallanes Or a Triumph, or an Aprilia, or a ...
Not exactly a "looker" is it?! Still cool though.
@Dakine99 Agreed. I guess there is a line between functional asthetics and design. I think they should remove most of the fairings and showcase the electric tech, like the Brammo Impulse.
Superbike? Hardly. Maybe in spirit but at 500 lbs it's 100 lbs too heavy. Battery tech is where it is though, and efforts seem to be in the right direction.
man, so many ignorant whiners in every electric bike post. wah wah wah, you hate progress and change, we get it.
@Psyclotr0n
p.s. keep posing on your gaudy, blinged-out, impractical, tire-shredding yet chicken-stripped gixxers at starbucks. we'll see you in the twisties (not).
remember, loud pipes cause hives =D
@Psyclotr0n Holy crap, truer words have never been spoken! People are always talking crap about range and speed of electric bikes... speed, are you kidding me? Most of you have never seen close to 135 on a motorcycle. Range, how far away is that Starbucks you go to? 99% of sport bike riders cant even wring out the full potential of a 600... Myself included. 200lb of torque at 0 rpm, that's insane! This thing will smoke your 600 to 50 maybe 60mph. Unless your last name is Rossi, stop talking crap.
Top speed of 135 and only 100 mi range? I'll stick with my 165mph and 135 mi range motorcycle, thanks. $18k less than the mid-level version and imo much better looking.
@Brianbrain
But this one can be charged anywhere :)
@uckApple
haha. There are more gas stations than charging stations as of yet and filling with gas takes ~5 min. How long does this take to charge?
@Brianbrain
There are more unlocked public outlets on the outsides of buildings and at the bases of streetlights than gas stations, and you don't have to pay to use them. ;)
There exist lithium batteries used in production EVs like the Phoenix Motors SUV that charge in ten minutes. I don't see much difference between five and ten minutes when wherever I park, I'm likely to be inside for at least 15.
@Zamboro
Well, I guess there might be, but that's technically stealing. And it differs significantly depending on where you live. Where I live, there are no plugs on streetlamps or anywhere publicly available. I'd have to run an extension cord from inside...
@Brianbrain I'll stick to my 60mpg 225 mile range 100-something mph top speed Ninja 250.
@quillaja
Awwww, a baby ninja ^.^
that should be kWh
not
kW / h
As a owner of 3 very different styles of motorcycles, avid cyclist and purveyor of all things two-wheeled I have to say that that bike is the ugliest motorcycle design I've ever seen!
Something way too 'midget-y' about that rear end with the no butthole...cough...I mean exhaust pipe. And don't get me started on that buttah faced fairing...oh man.
How are you gonna soup that thing up? With "Lithion" batteries?
@Son1ze
You can freely modify the performance of any electric motorcycle by changing the digital controller's settings. This is why many have a USB port on the controller. It lets you adjust the ratio between top speed and range however you like.
Article forgot to mention it is also the faster way to 6 foot deep.
@cdf74dc9
Aw, don't be a puss. Motorcycling doesn't even rank up with those extreme sports like rock climbing, hang gliding, parachuting, etc.
I want to grow old too, but you don't want to be gray with a pile of regrets having avoided everything even slightly dangerous. =)
@Ducman69
I like to go with my body parts intact ty. Even if you're careful, other driver on the road can be a jerk sometime.
@cdf74dc9 You better stay hidden safely under your bed.
The effort is being made but electric cars will never be the majority unless there are efforts to ban fuel power vehicles. Bio Fuels will come online and still have most of the range of gas powered vehicles and its still much cheaper build fuel powered vehicles period, end of story. Only mass adoption (which won't happen without regulation) would push battery technology forward. You have to both increase run-time and decrease charge time for it to even make sense and there is no incentive to do this.
@dj4monie
Never? Oil isn't an infinite resource. The more scarce it becomes, the higher the price goes up providing more and more incentive for alternatives (including cheap electricity), and the pace of battery and electric motor development dwarfs ICE advances.
@dj4monie the problem is that current biofuels systems are shite. I'll give you an example. When you buy a gallon of ethanol, the US government pays the grower $2.25, no matter how much you paid for the ethanol. Corn is a crap growing product, so it needs lots of fertilisers, which can cause eutrophication when they run off into rivers.
Growing corn for biofuels causes the price of corn to rise massively - the tortilla riots in mexico were due to the price of corn.
There are so many reasons to avoid biofuels at the moment, at least until more efficient forms of biofuels come onstream (such as algae biofuels).
@atebit
If someone in an insulated car with the radio on (99% of drivers) can hear a bike behind or headed towards them, then have fun dealing with LEO and middle-fingers every time you ride into a residential area.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKMLZXA8LJY
Roehr? More like "Rar"
IT'S kWh NOT kW/h
kilowatt is a power unit. Power x time = energy.
Power/time = nonsense.
For christ sake you're suppose to be a tech blog.
If your incompetent just hire someone who can actually read tech specs !!
@ FlixC: at first I tried to imagine a late night twitching pinky. Then I wrought my noggin 'round maximum discharge rates (which makes no sense with the given figures). But hell, he did it TWICE. Breaks my heart to see physics kicked like that.
On the bike: I appreciate the evolution takin place in ebiking, butI'd take the Brammo. Riding this thing up Denmark would get you blown into the baltic. And for the safety-minded: you could easily imitate the sound of a Ducati Monster's crank by draggin' a line with tinkling cans behind you :)
This is an absolute JOKE!
A Ducati 1198 is cheaper and my ZX12R does 100mph in 2nd gear. LOL
This is probably the most expensive SLOW motorcycle on the planet.
Thumbs all the way down!
@TheTemplarKnight It's not about the size of your engine, it's how you use it. ;)
@quillaja Your girl is lying to you buddy...LOL
@TheTemplarKnight This does 135 in first gear... and has twice the torque of your Kawasaki. Anyone could drive a bike fast in a straight line, even you. The reality is, on the track, this bike would be too much for you. Dont get mad, just come to peace with that simple fact.
@Spiffster Dude you should change your name to Sliffster and go smoke a fatty, the pile 'o' shat's Top Speed is only 100mph. A ZX12R is one of the fastest land based vehicles ever made.
Go blow a cone and your boyfriend and get a clue.
@TheTemplarKnight Spoken like a true squid. You may want to read the article again, "good for 100 miles of range and 135mph top speed." Range means distance. MPH means Miles Per Hour. MPH and range are 2 different measurements. Hope that clears things up for you genius.
"A ZX12R is one of the fastest land based vehicles ever made." ZX12Rs are fast, I dont doubt that. Still, that statement was good for a laugh. Are you even old enough to have a drivers license?
@Spiffster 135mph is for the higher spec model, whether 135 or 100, it is a pile, I'm shifting into 4th at 135 LOL. If this is your idea of a Fast Motorcycle, you should give your 600 to you Mom or Aunt get yourself an R1 and try a track day don't waste you time lauding the attributes of this electric bollocks.
@TheTemplarKnight And the ZX12R "You" comparing it to is not the higher end model? Stop grasping at straws to prove a moot point, chump. You obviously dont know what the hell you are talking about. PS: I only continue to respond because your douchbaggery keeps me amused.
@Spiffster If you really think that this Pile 'o' Shat has any merit as a high performance motorcycle, you are lost. Go put on your Joe Rocket nonsense and your running shoes and go out for a spin on your 600 with your slip-on (LOL) and pretend your FAST, even your pedestrian ride would be faster than one on this tree-huggin' two wheeled Prius. LOL
@TheTemplarKnight First off, who the hell said I ride a 600? Just another one of your un-educated assumptions? I currently ride and GSXR750. Its full stock other than gp shift, but it has seen plenty of track days. "LOL" If you are amusing yourself as much as you are amusing me then lets keep this win win situation going. Making you look stupid requires no effort on my part, and your grammar is laughable. Lets talk apples to apples now though, how about we compare your discontinued ZX12R to the Roehr 1250c's 180hp and 115lb/ft.
@Spiffster Gixxer 750, great ride in track form, Mladin knows how to ride the bike! As for the street and keeping it stock, that's beyond SOFT, unless your a tiny guy? Maybe that's enough power for you? Anyway, I don't have much in common with riders that ride small displacement motorcycles, so carry on.
@TheTemplarKnight And I dont have much in common with squids that have a small displacement between the ears. Im betting me and most of the guys I ride with could blow the proverbial doors off that Kawasaki on the track. Your hilarious man... have fun tooling out on your ZX12r, douche. :)
how they get two motor work together?
One in front wheel another in the rear?
Or they find some way to put it together and release the power on the same chain?
and how many time will it cost to fully charge the battery ?
@policeman0077
That's the only question I have myself, policeman!!
How many time WILL IT cost?!?
:]
How they turn the Battery power into AC?
I think batteries can not provide AC, they just can provide DC.
Is there a device to change DC to AC?It is cool, I just know I need an ACDC adapter to charger my laptop's battery.
And I am sure they use AC motor because they are easy to adjust the speed.
@policeman0077
It's called an inverter. Google it.
... Looks like a Ducati with downs syndrome. Terribly ugly.