The MonoTracer is still available, and its 2012 Automotive X-Prize win is what got me to pay attention to electric motorcycles.
- It has a considerable operator load demand (you need training to operate it well, and it requires additional attention at low speeds).
- Import to the US has only been attempted once to unfortunately detrimental outcome. The battery was ruined and the owner was severely financially burdened over a vehicle stuck in impound.
Lit Motors' C-1 also interested me, and they have a deposit from me, but they're interminably stuck in R&D and the CEO got involved in some legal hassle with a track operator after an accident, thus losing a lot of goodwill with the motorcycle community.
Lightning, if they're to deliver this, need to do a better job with rollout and delivery than the LS-218 or the Strike, and I say that as a proponent of the general idea of streamlined motorcycles.
But here's the thing: that vehicle with its wind tunnel testing probably would get 250 miles of highway range without breaking a sweat, and I'd bet that the sidewind testing has been better than most would guess. (I think the slender nose and tail might be about that.)
What would make it stand out for me is some design features that make it much easier to handle in "parking lot" situations, very low speed with tight maneuvering, as well as roadside handling on gravel. I don't see outrigger wheels like on the MonoTracer, but there's something under the bodywork below the rider that seems like it'd be a centerstand or ... something.
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Topic: Lightning shows off enclosed bike concept protortype (Read 766 times)