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[Crissa]

Lightning is still designing stuff...



https://electrek.co/2020/06/04/exclusive-first-look-lightning-motorcycles-enclosed-electric-motorcycle/

[NEW2elec]

Reminds me of this one from 2010.

[Crissa]

Yeah, leaning enclosed vehicles get shown periodically, but no one ever seems to be able to make a stable product of them.

-Crissa

[princec]

Wonder what happened to the Lit Motors C1? That idea seemed vaguely credible.

Cas

[ESokoloff]

Maybe they should name it The Piccalo Pete

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

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.

[ultrarnr]

It's great that Lightning is designing new bikes. But it also pulls resources from their other bikes. It seems the Strike is dead in the water right now. A check of their web site shows you still have to reserve a Strike over a year after production started. And there is nothing on the web site about the basic Strike.

[Crissa]

The resources for design are completely different than for production.  Different hires, engineers, sourcing of parts... Different skill sets. It's both money, sure, but different people.

-Crissa

[Gains]

The monotracer goes a long way back. It started with a BMW boxer engine somewhere around 1980 ,and has evolved ever since . Back than it was called ecomobile ,but the name was changed when it became electric. The reason why it never became popular is probably the price.
I had a project with a fully enclosed motorcycle (125cc) but I didn t finish it because I bought my first zero.
To start and stop ,there is an open bottom so I can put my feet on the ground, not ideaal but it is easy and cheap.
An other option is ,use two frontwheels like on some scooters,at low speeds you can block the system to stay upright.