When Germany's PG-Bikes sets out to build a cruiser, it doesn't mess around -- the contraption above may look like an
electric bike, but when it goes on sale in the US this year, you may have to register it as a motorcycle. Constructed of lightweight carbon fiber, aerospace aluminum, titanium and magnesium, the BlackTrail BT-01 travels up to 65MPH with a 1.2 kilowatt motor embedded in its 44 pound frame, and can carry you across 120 miles on a single 2.5-hour charge of the leather-clad 17Ah Li-ion battery pack. Of course, those sorts of numbers don't come cheap -- the company's marketing it to the likes of West Coast Customs, The Sharper Image and a vehicle enthusiast named Jay Leno -- and each of the 667 limited pieces will cost $80,000, the better part of a
Tesla Roadster and far beyond a
Brammo. Still, if anyone has an offshore bank account they care to donate, we call dibs on 666 -- the number of the beast. Video after the break.
posted August 4th 2010 1:58AM
The number of the beast is 616.
The design looks very inspired by very early motorcycles, which is kind of cool. At first glance, I actually thought it was a bike from around 1900. Actually if I had to choose, I would rather get a nice historical antique bike for 80.000, than this thing. :)
I see a few problems with this bike. It does 104km/h and it has NO suspension. Yesterday, I did 60km/h on my mountain bike going down hill, and at that speed a normal bike begins to feel quite unsafe, even with front suspension. I imagine driving that bike at 100km/h or more would be quite dangerous. It's not designed like normal motor bike, with wide tires and proper suspension.
Then again, most of these will probably just wind up as showpieces along with some rich guys collection of cars, and won't actually get much use.
80 grands for that piece of sh!t? It should be as cheap as POSSIBLE to make electric bicycles more popular in masses!
OK, I'll make same bike for 2 grands, with blackjack and hookers!
80K and no chain guard?
1.2KW is not new on bicycles and can be built fairly easily with kits costing under $1K
Over-priced, over-hyped, b*llocks
I like how he tries to sell it with the pro-environmental angle, only to give it up quickly and use the exclusivity (you can brag like a douche) route.
I agree with many posts... 80k is just ridiculous
It will definitely fail if really comes to light one day... So many people needs attention these days...
WOW!!! is cool but with 80k you could buy a house in FLORIDA,ATL and more i saw a house last week for $75K selling by owner nice house too so this bike is only for people with lots of money
@ZIXTO Well, if you get that house, you still have $5K left to spend on a nice bike and a used car. :)
Is there an $80k lock and chain for it? Better carry that in buildings with you or It will make some whino's day a little better ;-)
you could always by three 2010 toyota prius's or one 2010 lexus LS460, or a Porshe Boxster, or go out with 80 chicks for a $1000, rather than buy a bike that ridiculously cost that much.
Nice...but the price tag's gonna cause replicas to be made.
i wanna give kudos to the inventor. Now people too lazy and fat to peddle will be even more lazier and fat. Yay! NOT!!!!\
what the hell kinda video was that? i wanna see that thing go 65mph on a street, not some knucklehead salesman justifying the price to a bystander.
fail.
In my dreams electric bike are free, not $80,000.
No suspension on that bike. Can you imagine hitting a highway crack at 65mph with no suspension.
Is this a joke? This has "Me and Igor just put together this prototype in the garage; it's got great specs but doesn't look like much; yeah, I haven't even gotten around to fixing the wires hanging out that go to the headlight yet" written all over it! Aren't there much cooler looking 10k$ electric motorcycles?
Pretty sure you could buy an electric motorcycle, a good carbon race bike AND a Nissan Leaf for $80K. So like, who are they kidding?
i'd rather have that heineken truck in the background at 0:28
I taped a 9V battery to my 20-year-old Trek and am selling it for $81,000. Now I am selling the "most expensive electric bike on the planet." BTW, the 9V is attached with part of my LEATHER belt, which is a bonus. I also shipped a version to Jay Leno.
lol, good luck selling 667 of them at that ridiculous price :D
also it's ugly
This thing really makes me want to start my own company which would make $500 electric bikes and get a profit from them
Leno is a loathsome human toad... he's tainting bikes everywhere with his name being tossed around while showing this bike. I wish he'd just stick to his ridiculous car fetish.
I am still trying to figure out more about this bike.
I love the looks at it, but there are so many things wrong as everyoen says the price... 80K isnt overpriced its insane... I've ridden a 30k Tandem and that was a nice bike.
2 Assomeone else mentioned there is no suspension... the carbon will flex but how much... and at 65 how loosey goosey is that going to be or is all the touted alloys built as a subframe in the carbon...
3 I really want to see the internals how the cranks work if they help charge when peddling and I want to see it work....
and leather grips would suck going 10mph on anything not smooth as glass....
Fuck leather, I'm out.
a fool and his money....
I'd rather buy a Nissan GT-R!