Curtiss Motorcycles have started taking orders for their first electric bike, which is called the One. The Curtiss brand was born back in 2015 as an electric venture for the very much petrol-driven Confederate Motorcycles.
There have been several concepts between then and now, including the 'electric V8-powered' Zeus 8 and the Hades, which took design inspiration from a handgun. But the One is the first model you can actually buy, if you’ve got a spare $115,000 (around £87,000).
The bike has a similar silhouette to previous concepts, all of which take inspiration from Glenn Curtiss’ V8-powered land-speed bikes from the early 1900s. The frame is long and low with an adjustable headstock that allows for a rake angle that can be adjusted between 27 and 31 degrees.
Adjustability is the word of the day, as the One also has 19 footpeg positions for the rider and 8 for the passenger.
So, what about performance? Well Curtiss claim the finished bike will weigh just shy of 193kg and have a power output equivalent to around 108bhp with 147.5lb.ft of torque. But with a future software update, they reckon that power figure will be boosted to around 214bhp – more than most superbikes can manage.
To add credence to these performance claims, Curtiss have also disclosed where the powertrain technology has come from. The bike’s axial-flux motor, for example, comes from British firm Yasa, who have supplied tech to lots of manufacturers and are a subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz.
