Victory brings an e-bike to the world's best-known motorcycle race
Victory Motorcycles is better known for its burly cruiser bikes than racing, but it's about to challenge that reputation in a big, big way. The company has revealed that it will run a prototype electric motorcycle at the Isle of Man TT, arguably the world's most famous two-wheeled race. The machine will compete in 'just' a one-lap electric class competition on June 10th, but that still amounts to jumping in with both feet. The Isle of Man's 37.7-mile circuit is one of the most dangerous and grueling you can race -- there are many moments where you're seemingly a hair's breadth away from colliding with someone's house.
The entry isn't just about burnishing the company's image. Victory sees this as a way to create a "strong future" for itself in e-bikes. In other words, it wants to know how to build electric transportation that's both powerful and holds up under harsh conditions. It'll probably be a while before you can buy an electric Victory bike at the local dealer, but it's hard to imagine the company taking too long to develop a consumer-friendly EV when it knows that Harley-Davidson is already moving in that direction.
