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[Richard230]

Terra Motors has announced their new Kiwami electric motorcycle.  You can read about it here: 

http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/terra-motors-kiwami---the-japanese-electric-motorcycle.htm

I am not sure if a 10 kW motor is going to get the bike up to 160 kph, though. 

[protomech]

Uh.

That's pretty clearly a 2013-14 Zero S ZF11.4 with some extra plastic and a different headlight.

[protomech]

"Our powerful original power train"

"Hand Made in Japan"

Hmmmm...

[WindRider]

It has the 2013 Golden forks.

[protomech]

Good call. 2013 then.

[Doctorbass]

I wonder what Zero think about that?.. maybe there is some business between them?

Doc

[protomech]

I'm sure Zero is happy to wholesale bikes to Terra. Though I'm a little surprised they have any 2013 bikes left - maybe that's why the 2013 supply seemed to dry up?

I know Zero does final assembly in California, as well as much of the electronics design. But most of the assemblies - frame, motor, battery modules, etc are produced in China to the best of my knowledge. I wonder if there is a risk that Zero could find Chinese manufacturers producing duplicates on the side, as GM and other automotive manufacturers have found in certain of their Chinese joint ventures.

[protomech]

I assume the 10 kW motor is a typo, and instead it means Zero's 2013 40 kW motor. Zero has at various times claimed superior motor torque to liter-bikes - which is true as far as that goes, and an excellent illustration of why motor torque is a near-useless metric on its own.

[WindRider]

"I wonder if there is a risk that Zero could find Chinese manufacturers producing duplicates on the side, as GM and other automotive manufacturers have found in certain of their Chinese joint ventures."

Absolutely, there is.

[Electric Cowboy]

So... I might have a bike to ride in japan next visit?!

[NoiseBoy]

So... I might have a bike to ride in japan next visit?!

Sure, If you can afford it!

[Justin Andrews]

Look at the first and second picture, you can see the BMS led window in the same position as it is on the Zero bikes. So the battery compartment is the same design.

I'll wager that the electronics are the same too.

This really looks like a rebadged Zero S, maybe Zero did offloaded it's surplus 2013 stock to Terra motors...

[NoiseBoy]

I imagine the Japanese like to buy domestic vehicles so Terra may just be tarting up and rebadging Zero's to give the impression they are buying local.

[Richard230]

The Kiwami is mentioned at the end of this article discussing Indian motorcycles by Ride Apart.  In this article they say the bike has a range of 200 miles  :O and costs $18,000.  :confused:

http://rideapart.com/2014/01/why-your-next-bike-may-come-from-india/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HellForLeather+%28Hell+For+Leather%29

If the Kiwami is using Zero's new Z-force motor than I could really believe that it is a re-badged Zero, otherwise it might be just a collection of Zero parts bought off-the-shelf from their Asian manufacturers.   

[Justin Andrews]

Having given it some thought, I'd say the most likely possibility is that Zero does'nt feel it has the experience needed to enter the Asian market, and has licenced their bike to a Japanese company who does have the necessary experience.