Lightning Motorcycle

src: lightningmotorcycle.com

Lightning Motorcycle Corp. is an American manufacturer of electric motorcycles. CEO and Founder Richard Hatfield started the company in 2006 in San Carlos, California.

Founder Hatfield looked to convert a motorbike to electric with lithium batteries after participating in an electric Porsche race team. Lightning Motorcycle then converted a former Yamaha R1 race bike to electric in 2006. The bike featured over 60 horsepower, about 70 foot pounds of torque and a top speed of 100 mph.

In 2008, Lightning developed a lithium battery induction motor ATV to be used for military, border control, law enforcement, and search and rescue.

The Lightning Bike set a new land speed record with an average of 173.388 mph at the BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials on the Bonneville Salt Flats. It later set a new record in 2012 with a 2 way average of 215.96 mph and a top speed of 218.96 mph in Bonneville. In 2012, the solar-powered Barracuda Lightning Bike won the joint eGrandPrix TTXGP and FIM ePower electric motorcycle racing series at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca with rider Michael Barnes.

Rider Carlin Dunne and Lightning's LS-218 Superbike won the motorcycle field at Pikes Peak in 2013, making it the first electric bike to beat out all its gas-powered counterparts. Richard Hatfield said about the Pikes Peak win, "It was great. The Lightning team and its sponsors did an incredible job bringing is all to its culmination of a goal we set ourselves fours years ago, to compete head to toe against the best gasoline powered vehicles in the world." With a top speed of 218 mph, the LS-218 has been named one of the fastest motorcycles in production.

While the website and all of the marketing efforts imply that these bikes are being currently produced, especially since they had a ceremony to honor the delivery of the first bike, these bikes are still far from production. This is evident by there only being places on the website to "Reserve" a bike, as opposed to any information on how to actually purchase one.

Lightning Motorcycle

Thursday, May 24, 2018