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[HoodRichOG]

Recent article: https://electrek.co/2019/12/19/lightning-strike-electric-motorcycle-deliveries-secret-project/

"While Lightning originally expected deliveries of the Carbon Edition Strike to begin in July, they were only slightly delayed with the first deliveries beginning in September. Since then, Richard tells us that the company has continued making deliveries of more Carbon Edition bikes to early reservation holders."

Has anyone seen or heard of a delivery of a carbon edition strike?

[SBK74]

You were quicker than I in the other thread  

[MVetter]

Neither seen nor heard anything.

[Doug S]

Lying...or just taking liberties with the language? "Deliveries" is plural, of course, but could mean as few as two. "...has continued making deliveries of more Carbon Edition bikes to early reservation holders." is also very ambiguous. Again, the "deliveries" only means at least two, and "continued" doesn't have any timeframe at all associated with it. "Continuous" means "a delivery every six months" for some boutique companies. The one thing for sure is that he's outright saying nothing but Carbon Edition bikes have been delivered, at all.

"...continued producing and delivering its first production electric motorcycle, the LS-218." Well, it's just semantics at this point.

You're not impressing anybody, Richard. We want to love your bikes, we really do. We just haven't seen anything to love yet.

[MVetter]

The one Strike that was confirmed as leaving the factory was not a Carbon Edition, as it had a 10kWh battery, no CCS, and no ABS.

[NEW2elec]

Doug S quote: You're not impressing anybody, Richard. We want to love your bikes, we really do. We just haven't seen anything to love yet.

That's 100% my feelings.

How in the world does someone who seems smart enough to do this and has an overall win at Pike's Peak, act so shady with this bike?
If he got screwed over with his China connections say that.  The Carbon bike always had too good to be true specs and I can't imagine why someone would make those claims without having at least one to show off.

[DonTom]

That's 100% my feelings.

Lightning seems to give more false hopes than does religion. They are the vaporware king of electric motorcycles. 

-Don-  OPCNM, AZ

[dittoalex]

In the Bay Area, "fake it till you make it" is taken to extremes and accepted because there is so much wealth and this is an innovative hardware startup.

[wavelet]

Doug S quote: You're not impressing anybody, Richard. We want to love your bikes, we really do. We just haven't seen anything to love yet.

That's 100% my feelings.

How in the world does someone who seems smart enough to do this and has an overall win at Pike's Peak, act so shady with this bike?
If he got screwed over with his China connections say that.  The Carbon bike always had too good to be true specs and I can't imagine why someone would make those claims without having at least one to show off.

It's not just the Strike. There's zero evidence any "production" LS-218 every got delivered to an actual customer either, ever. There was a claim that there was a delivery in 2014, however photos of a bike that looks identical showed up in a couple of "factory tours", and no person ever owned up to owning it, riding it, or ven just knowing who owns it. People in the field aren't that shy (-:
Another 1-off customized LS-218 (non-stock motor & partia lfairing) was delivered to a person who posted here, for drag racing.
A South African dealership claims to have paid fully for an LS-218, but never received one.
That's it. No other owner's postings, forum discussions of actual bikes, motojournalists test rides during the past few years etc.

[nevetsyad]

https://lightningmotorcycle.com/pdf/Bike_SA_Lightning%20Strike_2020.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3uiXEke8aLWtqAuYxANVfrK7eE58AXdNu4t6odYIbpyVF2ZRP1UKkwRy4

They've delivered 17 carbon editions! (Link from the CEO on the Facebook owners forum)

[Doug S]

Delivered to whom? I can't believe 17 people have received their bikes and not one of them has said one word here on this forum. Then again, he didn't say 17 people had bikes, he just said they've delivered 17 bikes.

I'm not believing a word of it until somebody, just a single OTC customer, says they've received a bike.

[DonTom]

Delivered to whom? I can't believe 17 people have received their bikes and not one of them has said one word here on this forum. Then again, he didn't say 17 people had bikes, he just said they've delivered 17 bikes.

I'm not believing a word of it until somebody, just a single OTC customer, says they've received a bike.

I wonder what percentage of electric bike owners even know about this forum, or know, but have found no reason to join it.

Nevertheless, I think of lightning as the vaporware king of electric motorcycles. IMO, they make more false promises than does religion.

-Don-  Yuma, AZ (RV)

[wavelet]

https://lightningmotorcycle.com/pdf/Bike_SA_Lightning%20Strike_2020.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3uiXEke8aLWtqAuYxANVfrK7eE58AXdNu4t6odYIbpyVF2ZRP1UKkwRy4

They've delivered 17 carbon editions! (Link from the CEO on the Facebook owners forum)

No, not what the article says; it says that Hatfield says they did. Not the same thing.
Notice that article was authored by Alan Cathcart, who also authored the only road test review(s) of Lightning bikes. While he was certainly a very respected motojournalist, he's in his late 70s or early 80s by now (his exact bio details are never published, and published ones conflict) and mostly retired. He's the only motojournalist to publish any actual experiences with Lightning bikes -- odd both in ltself, and also because he lives in the UK and travels  little anymore.
The only source for that article is Lightning itself, so not taking it at face value. At least several of the people who've supposedly received Strikes would have made it known on public media and/or told fellow riders about it. E-motorcyclists are a small community, and it wouldn't have remained a secret (and there wouldn't be any reason for it -- Lightning needs the credibility, badly).

[Crissa]

Seventeen bikes is like what?  That's like nearly no bikes.  I'd believe him if he said 17.

Like, that's such a small number as to be invisible.

-Crissa

[nevetsyad]

Lightning is a genius company. They got Electrek and motor journalists to post whatever they say, over and over again. It's mind boggling. No one asks hard hitting questions? Interviews "customers" (that no one's seen, besides a guy with a prototype LS?). It's like we live in Bizarro World.

Even in the last week they're still regurgitating what Lightning says. https://ww.electrek.co/2019/12/19/lightning-strike-electric-motorcycle-deliveries-secret-project/