Is the future electric? In most countries, electric bikes haven’t made the same impact as their four-wheeled counterparts. But despite the odd hiccup—such as the closure of Alta Motorcycles in 2018—the electric motorcycle is here to stay.
It’s likely to be the preserve of city slickers, due to battery pack range limitations when compared to the internal combustion engine. But the average price tag is likely to come down, and the local charging station will become a more common sight.
Custom builders are already looking at battery-powered motorcycles, with Zero models likely to be the most common platforms until the Harley-Davidson LiveWire builds up sales. And Honda Cub conversions are making waves in the East.
Here’s an up-to-date selection of the best custom electric bikes so far.
While we’ve been focussed on Royal Enfield’s steady expansion of their 650 range, the Indian motorcycle marque has quietly been cooking up an intriguing new platform. Get a load of Flying Flea—Royal Enfield’s new electric motorcycle brand within a brand. Taking a page out of the Harley-Davidson/LiveWire playbook, Royal Enfield has launched Flying Flea as…
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Long relegated to youth and playbike riders, the heyday for electric dirt bikes has somewhat lagged behind the catapulting popularity of other e-bike segments; I guess many of us just aren’t ready to give up our clutch levers. Expect that to change in coming years though, as today’s electric bikes are coming closer to meeting…
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Building a café racer with an older motorcycle usually involves two phases; getting the bike running, and customizing it. And if the bike is really beaten up, the first phase can be the hardest—especially if the engine is too far gone. Marshall Hewitt had a novel approach to this particular challenge. This ex-police 1991 BMW…
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If there’s one custom shop that deserves a gold medal for tenacity, it’s ChillFab. The crew behind the Chiller motorized BMX developed their first prototype four years ago, while they were still based in Russia. Since then they’ve refined the Chiller to create production-ready electric- and petrol-powered versions, pushed the design further with a springer…
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In the world of electric motorcycles, the upstart is king. A small company with big ideas can grab an off-the-shelf electric drivetrain,…
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The electric motorcycle debate has raged for as long as Bike EXIF has been around. The most common criticisms come from framing…
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Can-Am’s hotly anticipated electric motorcycles—the Can-Am Origin and Pulse—finally broke cover this week. Meanwhile, WalzWerk’s ‘Schizzo’ series of BMW boxers continues to…
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Despite what the futurists say, an all-electric motorcycle future is still far off. For motorcyclists to adopt electric mobility en masse, battery-powered…
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If it’s small and it comes from Honda, you can bet your bottom Dollar Steady Garage will be all over it. The…
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The rise of DAB Motors has been nothing short of meteoric. Simon Dabadie founded the boutique French motorcycle manufacturer in 2018, released…
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Even though it was born from the world’s most prolific cruiser company, the all-electric LiveWire brand’s catalog has been curiously devoid of…
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We’re purveyors of the finer elements of internal combustion, and as such, we treasure things like the symphony of mechanical parts at…
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Jens vom Brauck has a knack for building custom motorcycles that just look right. His signature aesthetic is modern and unfussy; his…
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The Zero FX dual-sport is the lightest, most dirt-friendly model in the Californian company’s range of electric motorcycles. Its 289-pound weight isn’t…
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Zero Motorcycles is on a roll. The Californian electric motorcycle company has been in business for seventeen years and has grown its…
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