See What It‘s Like to Ride on North America’s Fastest Motorcycle
- Posted on August 25, 2011 at 11:25am by
Liz Klimas
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Lightning Motorcycle SuperBike recently broke the record for fastest motorcycle for sale in North America. The bike averaged 215 miles per hour and topped out at 218 MPH when it was tested at the Bonneville Salt Flats Speed Week last week. Oh, and it’s electric.
The fastest motorcycle sold in North America is electric. (Photo: Lightning Motorcycles)
According to a release (via Gizmodo), the bike beat the previous record of an electric Lightning Motorcycle by more than 40 MPH.
See what it’s like to go that fast:
According to Ubergizmo, the bike has a Remy HVH250 electric propulsion motor and an Ener1 battery pack, which gives it a combined city/highway range of 150 miles.Though the bike is the fastest sold in North America, it is not the fastest elsewhere. The Suzuki Hayabusa is the world’s fastest motorcycle with a top speed of 248MPH, according to Gizmodo.
The Lightning Motorcycle costs about $40,000. Let us know if you get one.
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Comments (83)
ss1129
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 2:59pmAlso since its a 0 cc bike would you need to register it and need a motorcycle license to buy it. I know laws obviously havent caught up with electric motorcycles yet.
Report Post »conservativechik
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 3:22pmSince when do you need to register and have a license to buy a bike? I got my permit after buying my first one in 2001.
Report Post »RebelSon
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 9:50amTechnically a moped,right?
Report Post »ss1129
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 2:57pmIt may be the fastest American made bike, but the Erik Buell Racing 1190rs is still the best and second fastest made American bike. Though at $40k for either, I would rock either if given to me.
Report Post »Applehead
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 8:40pmI love motorcycles and grew u on them and currently have 3! I have have a Honda CRF450R, Ducati Hypermotard 1100 and a vintage Honda Cr250 Elsinore! Cool the Beckster had a motorcycle article!
Report Post »macpappy
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 2:38pmA fast motorcycle….now there is a novel idea. I noticed he coasted to a stop, I wonder how well the brakes work. Big deal those brakes.
Report Post »Also, since motorcycles get such great mileage, why even bother. Getting a guy to give up his Harley for an electric bike that goes insainely fast but has to be charged up and only goes to the beer joint 2 times before said charge; well good luck with that.
ChiefGeorge
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 1:55pmMy fastest top speed was 124mph on my 2004 Honda Interceptor with much more power to spare but rider was somewhat reluctant to push any further, plus no more room.
Report Post »Yeah_Buddy
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 1:23pmI hope it comes with sound because that helps motorist ‘see’ ya on the road. maybe someday the pricepoint will compete with gas burners. Until then my Kawasaki Concors is my daily commuter of choice at $7k, 80k miles, 10 years old, 40 mpg, low maint $.
Report Post »RebelSon
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 9:54amIt should be MP3 compatible, right? That way you can record your friend’s Harley and just play it loud.
Report Post »Michael600r
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 11:16amI’ll stick with my 600 Ninja for now, but the best hope for electric transportation is motorcycles.
Report Post »jColes
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 12:27pmI have both the original Connie (a blue ‘01) with 128K miles — head never off and only minor work done; and new (2010) Concours 1400 ABS…the 1400 is smoother, has no buzz in the grips; and is a lot faster…but my Old Girl is still my favorite…She was $7,400 out the door including tax, title & license and will run until I’m too old to get my leg over the saddle…I doubt the same can be said for any electric bike…I wonder what the recharge time on this ‘150-mile’ range bike is? The 1400 was about $15K out the door.
Report Post »I refill the Old Girl at about 260 miles when out on the road…takes five minutes per pit stop…the 1400′s range is a little less but I rode it from South Alabama to Kansas City, MO earlier this summer in 16 hours of total riding time for about $50 in gas…
An electric anything could never match the combination of comfort, riding/driving range, economy and most important — time of travel.
I wonder how long it will take to repair the damage the Leftist loons have done to the country…
SkunkWorks
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 1:18pmtwo words: organ donor
Report Post »Therightsofbilly
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 1:29pmThere would not be anything left worth donating
Report Post »walkwithme1966
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 2:17pmWow – that was awesome – but I don’t think I would want to be going that fast – road rash!!!
Report Post »http://wp.me/pYLB7-1d4
Fantastic Four
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 12:50pmWhere is the ROAR and THUNDER? electric can not replace that
Report Post »DrEvo82
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 12:41pmDid I miss something? Since when is the Hayabusa not sold in North America? I think what they must mean is “Fastest Electric Motorcycle In North America”. Either way for 40K they can keep it.
Report Post »db321
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 12:50pmYeah – but can it jump a bunch of Buses.
Report Post »SgtB
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 2:47pmThe article is right. Even though the Hayabusa is sold in the US, the manufacturers from Japan all decided that they should stop competing to be the US speed king and they put a factory limited spec. of about 180 on all of their bikes. Whether or not they actually changed the bikes , they list top speed around 180. I think it is mainly for insurance purposes. Also, most of the physical changes were merely changing sprocket sizes or adding a timing ****** device to cut down on the bikes power on the top end. That being said, a hayabusa with very little work will break 200 everyday. Hell, my 550 lb DL 1000 with a huge windscreen and ~10 inch suspension travel will break 140, and that is with it being geared lower.
Report Post »karzee
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 4:45pm180? 250? you wreck on anything going that fast and, well, dead is dead!
Report Post »libh8er
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 12:39pmI don’t need to get anywhere that fast.
Report Post »Scottscat
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 12:38pmOk, LaGrave, now I gotta sing it…everybody now! “I want to ride my bicycle! I want to ride my bike…”
Report Post »supertas
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 12:37pmYea, Obama here. I’ve got eight of them, one for each day of the week. I plan on riding them through each of these 57 great United States. Oh, did I forget to read “let me be clear” off the teleprompter? Shoot…uhh…crap….let me start over.
Report Post »Hillbillybone
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 12:35pmBut that Bike is Cool as Heck for a 150 Mile range an capable of 218 MPH!!!!
Report Post »Hillbillybone
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 12:34pmTo Troll trainer, I see where you are going, if you do not like it don’t buy it. But I have not read one post who said Green is bad, it is just Green is not cheap and affordable as all would want us to believe….
I to agree it would not fit my practicality because of Limited range, and of course the price! You would have to own it for A LONG TIME to pay for itself over a gas M/C because the gasser gets 40 MPG’s and you do not have to stop every 150 miles for a Couple of Hours for a recharge, just gas and go.
I own Gas M/C’s, and DIESEL TRUCKS, Electric may be green, but diesel is a cheaper more viable source, heck remeber the VW Rabbits of the late 70‘s were diesel and got 40 Plus MPG’s BACK THEN!
My 2500 HD Diesel gets over 20 MPG’s and can go 435 Miles without stopping for fuel,
Report Post »SgtB
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 2:56pmMy old 92′ eldorado with the transversely mounted V-8 got almost 30mpg highway and had 300ft/lb of torque and it was gas! Why is it such a big deal for a car with a v-6 to now get 28 mpg highway? Take the PT cruiser for example, it has an inline 4 and is about 2 liters. It is also a small lightweight car. BUT… It gets the same mileage as my 07 sierra w/ a v-6, about 19mpg. The truck has 2 times the engine displacement, it is heavier, and it has a larger cross section meaning more drag, yet the Pt get the same mpg’s? I think that the EPA has screwed us all over with their regulations on what comes out of the tailpipe. All cars should be getting 40-50 mpg on the highway by now, not just the diesels and the “hybrids”. BTW, does it make sense to anyone else how the energy from gas gets a person farther in a prius when that energy is converted more times than in a regular IC engine car? I was under the impression that you always have losses converting chemical to mechanical to electrical and back to mechanical.
Report Post »MrKnowItAll
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 12:26pmStimulated. Don’t be fooled. Ain’t one Bike I have ever been on that does not shake after 130mph.
Report Post »Bullcop34
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 3:00pmI got a Katana up to 142 and it didn’t shake. Check your tire pressure before you ride, it makes a difference.
Report Post »dont_drive_slow_in_the_left_lane_obliviot
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 3:13pmYou need to try something besides a Harley. Or maybe stick with the Buick.
Report Post »hightide
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 12:16pmCan you pull a boat or camper with it?
Report Post »sofaking obvious
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 12:43pmHAHAHAHA!!! Where do I put my kids child seats?
Report Post »SamIamTwo
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 12:09pmHey Beck Mods why can’t you filter this spam?
Report Post »SamIamTwo
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 2:44pmSpam gone and my post is left in place. LOL
Mod should have removed my post also…as it was under the spammer.
Please give us an edit button…
Report Post »SamIamTwo
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 12:07pmOh and if you need the sound of big loud V8 under the hood they have a CD for ya. lol
Report Post »SamIamTwo
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 2:42pmWhat too many links to the sweet electric tesla motor company built in the US? They will have out a 4 door for about 49k next year…and this is not spam. Google it up and check out the video on the car I want, Ultima GRT 0 to 100 to 0 in 9.4 seconds.
I also said electric vehicles and bikes are ALL torque…torque moves the vehicle…this is some serious engineering and it is all done in the US…
Thanks mod for deleting my post…much appreciated…I guess too many links????
A serious big thanks for removing the real spammer. That guy is a repeat offender. You filter should have caught that one.
Report Post »SamIamTwo
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 2:52pmurmm gtr is from uk
Report Post »coffeeking425
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 12:07pmMeh, would never buy one. Can get a new rocket for $11,000, does 72 in 1st gear in about 3 seconds. 95 in 2nd in about 3 more…. takes your breath away every time :D
Report Post »Helmet and leathers though!! I’ve lost 2 friends and 1 close call (cracked skull at 30mph) cause they were to cool for helmets.
SIG40ONDAHIP
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 12:06pmThanks but I’ll just stick with my Road King
Report Post »ScooterTrash
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 11:50amHere is the perfect example for why going green is going into the red. I have a fully loaded BMW R1200RT touring sport bike for half the price of this bike. I only drive 40 miles a day for work on a major interstate highway. This bike would be perfect if my daily drives, but only if my name was Buffett or Gates. They are just too expensive for common folks to afford.
Report Post »Patrick in AZ
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 12:26pm$40,000 and a 150 mile range does not seem very practical – wonder how far it would go if it wasn’t designed to go so fast.
Report Post »JLGunner
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 12:48pmHow many common folk commute to work at a cool 215 mph? The green movement is a bust because its bogus. Everyone wants to knock my Catholic religion because we have confession but then tells me that if I buy carbon points all my filthy living will be forgiven. How the hell does this work? Which one of Al Gore’s mansions is totally green? How does he erase his carbon footprint when he flies his private jet to these seminars to scold me for not living in a cave and eating weeds.
Report Post »mohavegreen
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 11:49amDoes it only run on stormy days? Does is have solar cells for sunny days? A cord to a coal fired plant? There seems to be an abundance of all three in Utah. This must be the light of progression.
Report Post »itsmyfirstday
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 11:41amCool!
Report Post »Too Treaded Upon
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 11:57amI agree, its a cool bike and idea but I’ll stick with my Harley, it still out classes all the rest. {since class warfare is #1 :) }
Report Post »MontanaRob
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 11:36amNo thanks!
Report Post »trolltrainer
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 11:34amBonneville? Wonder what she would do at Daytona International Speedway?
Report Post »theamericanvision
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 12:03pmWe know it didn‘t get to Bonneville under it’s own power!
Report Post »Gary Fishaholic
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 2:36pmI don’t think it would be that fast there accelerated to slow to me. I raced a 750 GPZ at Daytona in 82 won first place in the AMA sprint races there that bike only topped out at 152 mph on the track. A few years ago I got a deal on a ZX 1200 and scared my self pushed it close to 195 way to fast for the street and most people. Sold it a couple months later too fast. I don’t bounce like I use to. Bought a Gold Wing now that’s more like it just cruise and listen to the radio.
Report Post »I.Gaspar
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 11:32amI think I’ll buy two.
Report Post »One for the road and the other as a backup when the first one runs out of juice.
And maybe I’ll hire someone to follow me around with the fully charged bike on a trailer.
Yeah…very practical.
trolltrainer
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 11:38amWhy does it have to be practical? I know…if it is electric the tea party conservative handbook says we must hate it…
Whatever…Like you would go over 175 on the highway anyway…
Report Post »nappy
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 11:50amTrolltrainer for sure! What on earth has this got to do with the Tea Party. Take a vacation.
Report Post »Enuff Zenuff
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 11:56am@TrollTrainer
Report Post »Pull your head out of your exhaust pipe…
“Practical” means you might want to travel more than 150 miles in a day… not just per hour. The limited range severly curbs any road trips without a long wait to recharge. Like a rail dragster, it might be cool for a quarter mile, or at Bonneville, but it’s not practical for normal use.
trolltrainer
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 12:03pmNappy,
Continue to read the comments as they come in. Conservatives have this tunnel vision that everything electric or everything “clean” must feed into the green agenda…Why cant someone just build an electric bike just for fun? Just to see what it will do? Just to run it at a track?
Granted this one is being offered for public consumption…Great…If you do not want one then do not buy it, simple! But someone with money may wish to buy one to play with. Is that wrong? My wife drives a prius, do you know how many negative comments I get because of that? The car gets 50MPG, we bought it simply because of this. I dont care green from red…Dont tell me that it takes more energy to charge…BS…whatever…It is a great car, I would buy another one. Is it a new Mustang or Dodge charger? No, it does not pretend to be. It gets from point A to point B cheaply and in relative comfort.
I am just saying, why cant people just enjoy this for what it is? Why is it that anything powered by a battery comes along we all have to jump on this stupid bandwagon? No one is trying to replace your internal combustion engine with this bike, no one is forcing you to buy one. I do not think the creator of the bike has any agenda other than to see what an electric powered bike can do. Maybe sell a few and make some money to build the next project…That’s it…
Report Post »I.Gaspar
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 12:03pm@tooltrainer
Report Post »You just can’t help yoursel, can you?
trolltrainer
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 12:08pmENUFF,
You wouldn’t pull a boat with it either…What’s your point? If it does not fit your life…Don’t buy it!
But why offer up negative comments? A Ford Super Duty Dually would also not be “practical” but if there was an article on one I would not offer a negative comment on it, I would either keep my thoughts to myself or I would post that it is a bad ass truck for those that need something like it.
We both know this is going to turn into a “green is bad, green is destroying the world” deal and there is no reason for it. That is my point. Electric does not have to equal bad. Just appreciate it for what it is.
Report Post »trolltrainer
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 12:12pmI Gaspar:
“@tooltrainer
You just can’t help yoursel, can you?”
No, I guess you are right…This just bothers me. It just saddens me to see the comments in here sometimes.
Report Post »anOpinion
Posted on August 25, 2011 at 12:18pm@Trolltrainer
I don’t understand either, a lot of people will hate anything electric now whether its good or not. Most electric cars are not practical because they are expensive and they can’t run continuously (have to wait hours charging instead of just filling the tank). They are now hated by many because the government is subsidizing this industry instead of letting the free market decide it.
A 215-mph bike is not intended as a practical vehicle, just like the Ferrari’s, Lambourghini’s, highend Porches etc.. They are toys for the well to do, a category this bike easily falls into. As you’ve noticed, some people need to take off the blinders and see things case by case, and not dismiss an entire technology.
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