Dawn of the Electric Drag Bikes

Although most Electric Motorcycles are some what limited in their top speed, things are changing.Keep watching folks, it's about to get interesting, as a quantum leap is going to take place.

In 1973, Mike Corbin sets the 1st Electric Motorcycle Land Speed Record. Speed, a very hot 101 mph. He was definitely jazzed,
because the next year, 1974, the company he founded, Corbin-Gentry Inc. begins selling a street legal Electric Motorcycle. Gentry wasn't interested in drag racing, just in selling bikes. He did several runs for the Land Speed Record though, which he achieved. A Corbin Gentry entry held the Land Speed Record for Electric Motorcycles at 171 MPH, set in 1974 for quite some time.

Starting with Mr Rannberg's Kawashoki, we go thru Kawashoki 2, Kawashoki 3, to end with Kawashoki 2000. We see the Kawashoki 430 and the ReVolt 430, which is a step from 300+ volt battery packs to 430 volt battery packs. Getting faster ET's and hitting higher top speeds. All these bikes are purpose built racing bikes, not street able. However as engineering testbeds they point to way to the future. Several people started racing electrics, each pushing the performance envelope.


May 27,2000

Bruce Meland turns a 12.661 ET @ 112.94 MPH with Kawashocki III. Now we're talking! Hold on to your hats,folks, because here comes,

KILLACYCLE

Now we're talking a serious bullet here! This thing hit 152.07 mph with an ET of 9.45 seconds on August 26, 2000. It uses dual Advanced DC 6.7" motors, modified for racing, running 312 volts, supplied by Boulder Technologies 624 thin-film lead-acid cells, with a Zilla 1400 amp controller. It has since been upgraded to use 880 A123 Lithium-Ion batteries, supplying 900 pack amps at 374 volts. With this setup this BAD-BOY ran a 8.760 @ 145.44 at Las Vegas in 2006. You have got to take a look at the video on their website, truly AWESOME!

http://www.killacycle.com/

Man, I want one!

History of the Electric Motorcycle Part 2

An Electric Motorcycle,powered by a hydrazine-air fuel cell system, was built under the direction of Union Carbide's Dr. Karl Kordesch, a pioneer in fuel cell development. Dr. Kordesch put over 300 miles on the motorbike which could do 25 miles an hour and could travel 200 miles on a gallon of hydrazine. The bike was not built for anything other than a test-bed vehicle for the fuel cell. It wasn't practical for public use, as hydrazine is a rocket propellant, and not something that most people would want to mess with.

However it is the first recorded use of a fuel cell for a Electric Motorcycle.

Also in 1967, the Indian Motorcycle Company displayed a one-of-a-kind prototype of a 1967 Indian "Papoose" Electric Motorcycle. This is on display at the Starklite Museum in Perris, California.

In the early 70's, Auranthetic, another US company, produced an Electric Motorcycle. Known as the Aurenthetic Charger, it was a moped sized scooter. It used a 1HP, 24 volt motor, with 2 12V 90AH deep cycle batteries.
It had a top speed of 25 mph and a range of 50 miles. The wheelbase was 45 inches, with a weight, with batteries of 210 lbs. This one was also produced in California.

Seems the Left Coast is a real hot-bed of Electric Motorcycle innovation.

In 1973, Mike Corbin set the 1st Electric Motorcycle Land Speed Record. Speed, a hot 101 mph. He was definitely jazzed, because the next year, 1974, the company he founded, Corbin-Gentry Inc. began selling a street legal Electric Motorcycle.
No information about the bikes, but that same year Professor Charles E. MacArthur made the first electric vehicle ascent on Mt. Washington, in New Hampshire, using a Corbin Electric motorcycle. The event evolved into an annual rally, called the "Mt Washington Alternative Vehicle Regatta". By the way, a Corbin Gentry entry held the Land Speed Record for Electric Motorcycles at 171 MPH, set in 1974 for quite some time.

From 1978, we find an electric motorcycle created by Transitron out of Honolulu, Hawaii. Manufactured from a Harley Davidson frame, it was the 5th in the MK2 series model. Powered by four 12V deep cycle batteries wired in 24V series-parallel pairs and a Baldor electric motor operating at 24V 95A and 2500 RPM to turn a belt-driven 4-speed transmission. It had a pseudo gas tank with Harley Davidson logo to protect the control system for the motor. The cycle weighed approximately 628 lbs. (285 kg). The max speed and distance are not available, but it was capable of reaching 0-30 mph in 5-6 seconds. S--L--O--W !!! Well no wonder, after all, 628 lbs. Hey, a chopper for the Over-The-Hill crowd. Strip it down, juice it up, drop a couple of seconds off that 0-30mph time.

In the late 90's, the EMB Lectra VR24 Electric Motorcycle was created by Scott Cronk and EMB. It pioneered the use of variable reluctance motors (hence the VR) and marketed as street legal. This had a lot of potential, but from reading the info,
they spent quite a bit of time re-inventing the wheel, so to speak. These were produced from 1996 until 1999. 4 to 6 prototypes, and then 12 engineering build models were part of an extensive engineering and consumer test program that EMB undertook to finalize the Lectra prior to regular production. The total production run was about 100 units. The performance specifications on this one are great. Top speed was 45 to 50mph. Range was up to 35 miles. It used 4 12V Optima batteries, which are maintenance free, giving 300-350 deep discharge cycles. It had a on-board charger that was fully automatic. The VR24 drive system included a regenerative braking mode. The motor was rated at about 8HP peak, with a 3HP continuous rating. It also included a over-heat protection system, as high speed lead to overheat problems in the power train.

Shame they went out of business in 1999.

History of the Electric Motorcycle: Part 1

The earliest records of Electric Motorcycles are found in patent documents from the late 1800's. Even at the earliest beginnings of the Electric Age, inventors were trying to come up with ways to harness electric power for individual transportation systems.

A electric motorcycle was available for sale to the public, according to an early Popular Mechanics article, around 1911. The headline read, “Simplicity, Ease of starting and Noiselessness in Operation are the Features of This Electric Motorcycle”. Sounds good to me!

A look at the article is informative. Although it looked like the typical motorcycle of it's time, it was rather advanced.The motor was located under the seat, transmitting power to the rear wheel via chain and sprokets. Instead of a transmission, it used a 3 speed controller, which gave speeds of 4, 15, and 35 miles per hour. The battery pack was a 6 cell, 12 volt model which
used any of the standard types of batteries of the day. A claim of 75 to 100 miles for a charge seems somewhat outrageous though. With a 51 inch wheel base and a weight of around 200lbs., it was competive with the gas powered models of it's day. No further mention of them, but I bet Jay Leno has one, or is looking for one for his collection.

From 1920 to 1924, a British company, Ransomes Products, a company that now produces electric forklifts, produced an Electric Motorcycle. This work, led the company into the developement of various electric powered vehicles for industrial use such as electric mining cars, lorreys, and forklifts. It looked like a sidecar rig, and was sold to the public. No more information available, only a picture.

No futher mention of electric motorcycles are found until World War II. The cause, "Fuel Rationing". Hmmm................seems like we're completing a circle here, doesn't it. As Yogi Berra said, "It's like Deja Vu, all over again !"

Seems that due to fuel rationing in Occupied Europe , an Belgian company, Socovel, developed a small electric motorcycle. Approximately 400 were manufactured. The Limelette brothers decided to get around gas rationing by building an electric motorcycle at the Socovel factory. The first prototype ran in January 1941. Three 6V 45AH batteries carried in a roomy central
trunk gave the Socovel a range of around 30 miles at a speed of 15 to 20 mph. The motor was rated at 1HP, with a total machine weight of 165 lbs. Recharging time was around 10 hours.

Must have been a pretty good machine. Seems the Germans wanted to use them for ferrying vehicles on their airfields, but Socovel's reluctance to supply the army of occupation was so strong that the order was never fulfilled. Hey, those Germans know good engineering when they see it.

Another Electric Motorcycle was born around the same time, for the same reasons. This one was located in the United States however. Seems that a Mr. M. Williams, motivated by a lack of readily available gasoline, developed his first electric vehicle; a two-wheeled electric motorcycle which pulled a single-wheeled trailer. It was used by his wife Peggy for trips to and from the market, Merle’s innovation soon grew in popularity and he began producing vehicles in his garage for sale to neighboring residents in Long Beach, California. This effort grew into the Legend Electric Vehicle company.Another company that built itself upon it's expertise gained from manufacturing electric motorcycles. Deja Vu all over again, as the Legend company is known for it's aircraft tow motors. Exactly what the Germans wanted the Socovel's for.

Electrifying Rides: The coming revolution

Hello everyone.

Just starting this blog out. Took awhile to get a topic that interested me, but now I'm ready. Hope that you find something of interest here as well.

Electrifying Rides is going to cover, if possible, everything about, for, and with electric personal transports.

Bikes [what hooked me], Cars, Scooters, Skateboards, Planes, and any other electrical powered personal transport I come across. The technology is getting ready to push this to the forefront, and the ecological necessity is becoming very real.

So grab a seat, and get ready for the ride of your life,.............ELECTRIFIED !
======================================================
Check out this Electric Motocross Bike...........Way Cool !!!!!
I really want one of these !!!!!

DRIFT Electricross Motocross Bike

http://www.greenspeed.us/motorcycle_electric_electricross.htm

A little expensive, definitely not a toy. It's a real, working MX bike. Similar to a Honda CRF150, but with 3X more power and 100lbs less weight. The Drift is an intermediate sized bike for young adult and adult riders that is small enough to be carried in a SUV or on a hitch rack.This thing is being used RIGHT NOW on motocross tracks in California. Silent........but deadly.

The Electricross Drift's neck-snapping torque and air-catching speed is courtesy of a 19+ horsepower (14,400 watt) and a programmable controller. A quick-change power pack that delivers up to 600 amps and an ultra-light handcrafted aluminum frame complete a motocross package that is going to change the face of dirt racing forever.

Top speed: 44 mph [as geared]
Power: 14.4 kw [19+ hp]
Weight: 80lbs + 60/30lbs batt pack [Standard/Lithium]
Range: 15-40 miles [battery choices] '' ''
Charge Time: 40-150 minutes

This thing ROCKS !!!!

Now, I know what your thinking, an ELECTRIC Motorcycle !! W. T. F. ????

Cutting -edge technology, most of it getting ready to see the light of day in the next couple of years, will increase power and endurance by several orders of magnitude. Remember, when they first started building gas power bikes, well, let's just say things were pretty comical. They were really ordinary bicycles with engines attached. Took a while to get to the SuperBike stage.

And while I think it will be a little bit of a wait for a"Real" Electric Motorcycle, Honda has a electric car that circled the track at 100mph for 24 hrs. Fuel cell powered of course, but portable fuel cells are already available on the market. You won't have to wait that long.

eBikeNut: a known technoholic, with a penchant for the weird, wacky, and totally off the wall
uses and applications of NEWTECH.