FIM e-Power race

Third place for the 8-bike field was taken without contest by Thijs De Ridder of Belgium, while a battle for fourth through sixth places ensued among Thomas Betti (Italy), Matthias Himmelmann (Germany), and Luciano Betti (Italy). Seventh and eighth were taken by American Mike Hannas, and Christian Amendt of Germany.

A total of 12 teams had come hoping to compete, but some failed under FIM guidelines to qualify on Saturday, and a couple could not start due to equipment failure. The Proto Moto team (U.S.) had qualified, but its motor broke. And the much-anticipated Empulse RR, from U.S.-based Brammo, never made it onto the track, having suffered an undisclosed component failure in prior testing.

As implied in the opening paragraph, electric motorcycle racing is still experimental. It was only a year and one month ago when the first Isle of Man TTXGP ran, and Sunday’s race of single-speed e-bikes was the inaugural FIM-sanctioned event at Laguna Seca.

The sport is still finding its legs; proving what works and what doesn’t, while fans decide whether they’re interested, or not.

Accordingly, the crowd of 51,000 – most of whom had come to watch MotoGP and AMA Pro races – witnessed an exceptionally broad variety of competitiveness in this, the only electric motorcycle race of the weekend.

Top speeds recorded for Sunday’s e-bike race ranged from 116.6 mph down to 75.7 mph, and best lap times on the 11-turn, 2.238-mile circuit varied from 1:44:496 to 2:04.837.

This performance was quite the contrast to MotoGP bikes streaking past at over 155 mph, and lapping from high 1:20s-1:24s. It was slower also than the AMA pro bikes, but not so far off the pace set by backmarkers in the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, which loped along in the mid-to upper 1:30s to low 1:40s.

The e-bike disparity would have been even greater if qualification was not required by the FIM, as is the case in the free-for-all TTXGP series.

While in a sense it’s true also for petrol-powered teams, the e-bike race was particularly a match between enterprises attempting to harness emerging technology, and doing so with widely varying budgets, levels of engineering proficiency and expertise.

At this week’s shake-out session, the favorites for first place among the international field were two American teams – two others, that is, than the still-enigmatic Brammo team.

Trap speeds recorded by the MotoCzysz and Lighting machines were competitive with each other, and they blazed 20-25 mph faster and lapped several seconds quicker than the Belgian who took the third step on the podium.

Nor had the Americans’ winning odds been lost on the announcers, who all weekend had been talking most favorably about the polished-looking MotoCzysz machine which was fresh from victory at this year’s Isle of Man TT-Zero event. An announcer and photographer were even dispatched on Saturday to the grand MotoCzysz motor coach, to interview Czysz live over the PA system about the gleaming, futuristic e-bike parked alongside.

The resplendent white saddle of the seemingly advanced e-bike even matched the white leather captain’s chairs inside the RV, and together with uniformed workers and a red-rubber floor on which to work under a black canopy, the entire ensemble was quite dashing.

In contrast, Richard Hatfield’s unpresumptuous Lightning team worked unceremoniously out of the back of a van on what looked to be a much less refined machine.

This “yellow banana,” as the announcer began calling it on Saturday, has nevertheless been consistently asserting itself with a second place and a pair of first place finishes in the TTXGP series.

Until Laguna Seca, Barnes had never faced Czysz, but whether or not the Lightning team spent as much money to create a glossy impression, Barnes didn’t do very badly at all.

In fact, while Czysz is believed to have had more reserve battery capacity – thus potentially more performance left unseen – and his machine is infinitely more wow-inducing to behold, this race arguably belonged to Barnes.

This was true despite the fact that both had to contend with problems unique to e-bikes – one at the beginning of the race, the other at the end.

In the case of Czysz, although he’d qualified closely behind Barnes, a malfunction off the line Sunday immediately cost him five seconds. In Barnes’ case, control algorithms designed to protect his 11.0 kWh battery from deep discharge cost him even more.

While there’s been some ambiguity surrounding Czysz’ slow start, a tale of the tape helps shed some light on which machine was the top performer.

It is true that the MotoCzysz malfunction essentially control-alt-deleted 5 seconds from his game plan. But by lap 2, he was ahead of De Ridder, and with a clear path in front of him. Even so, Czysz did nothing to prevent the veteran AMA pro from running away from him the old fashioned way – by being faster.

With a 5.068-second lead gifted to him on lap one, Barnes earned 1.5 seconds more on lap two, 0.7 on lap three, and 2.5 seconds on lap four.

Going into lap five, Barnes was ahead by nearly 10 seconds, and with four laps to go, he kept cruising but with less urgency, needing only to maintain his pace.

He and Czysz remained within a second per lap through laps five, six and seven, but somewhere along the line his bike’s computer started to reduce the power to its otherwise class-leading General Motors EV-1 motor.

By the end of the last lap, the Lightning was limping so slowly, Czysz easily closed a several-second gap in the final few hundred yards, beating Barnes by 1.238 seconds. Barnes ran out of juice entirely on the cool-down lap.

According to Jeff Major, the electrical engineer working on the Lightning race bike, the team was given only 30 minutes notice of two sighting/warm-up laps that had to be run in addition to the 9-lap race itself.

He said they’d budgeted just enough power for nine, and had not accounted for the extra demand. What they could have done about it even if they’d been told sooner, he said, is unknown.

Power-to-weight ratio

Czysz would not comment on how much his bike weighs, how much battery power he has, or what kind of motor he runs.

We do know it weighs more than 515 lbs and uses some form of lithium-ion batteries driving some form of liquid-cooled AC motor. Knowledgeable competitors speculate he has at least 12 kWh, if not more.

Czysz, with a lean, athletic build is about 6-feet tall, and maybe 20-40 lbs heavier than the several-inch-shorter, lightly-built Barnes.

Barnes, however, must contend with a bike that weighs in excess of 600 lbs, which more than makes up the difference in rider/bike weight packages. Further, his bike lacked cornering clearance at the beginning of the season, so the Lightning team worked with Race Tech suspension services to raise the bike as high as possible.

Barnes said he has to be creative in line selection, such as a rider would on a 125cc 2-stroke – albeit without the extreme lean angles – and would not want more weight added to the “heavy” machine, such as more batteries would give.

More remains to be seen from both of these bikes. For his part, Czysz said at the end of the race he had “quite a bit” more battery power left that could have been used in his energy budget to net more speed.

“But we’re scared to move up too fast untested. You know on race day you don’t take big bites,” Czysz said, “So we looked at what they had, and we looked at what we’re doing, and we made a calculated decision. And, you know, obviously we cut it very close.”

These statements practically confirm Barnes’ post-race feeling that Czysz was playing a cool hand that nearly bit him, but was ultimately counting on Barnes running out of power.

“He had his own strategy. My strategy was to take off and try to build a lead,” Barnes said. “His strategy was most likely to conserve and get me at the end.”

But, we replied, he couldn’t have caught you if you didn’t run out of juice.

“He kinda knew I was going to run out of juice,” Barnes stated.

How did he know that?

“I don’t know,” Barnes replied.

You think he knew that?

“I think he knew that,” Barnes said.

That’s speculation. But that’s your gut, we said rhetorically.

“That’s my gut,” Barnes confirmed.

Wild card

As mentioned, the other U.S. team expected to do something significant at Laguna – Brammo – did not get to run due to a proprietary part failure while testing at Thunderhill Raceway Park. But don’t dismiss the Empulse RR just yet, say Brammo’s people. Brammo’s lead designer, Brian Wissman says his 472-lb machine has a water-cooled brushless AC motor, and 12.5 kWh in power from batteries which Brammo says are possibly the best available. According to Brammo’s Lead Engineer, Aaron Bland, the motor has been dyno’d at over 80 hp (over 60 kW) at the rear wheel. It was geared to hit the 120-mph range the MotoCzysz and Lightning bikes were doing, and Bland said the bike has cornering clearance equal to a CBR1000RR. But bench racing will only get you so far, he added. “This would have been a good track for us,” Bland said, while conceding, “It’s too close to call just by observation of the specs.” Even so, we would have liked to have seen that bike piloted by 150-or-so pound, former AMA national champion Aaron Gobert. Our bet is that Brammo would have taken second place, if not first. Bland said they have plans to cut another 10-20 lbs, and we’ll be looking forward to more news on this machine. According to Adrian Stewart, Brammo’s director of sales and marketing, the bike is tentatively scheduled to show how competitive it can be in the FIM e-Power series Aug. 11, at Magny-Cours in France, or Aug 26, at Imola in Italy, or possibly in both races. “Gobert may well be our rider,” Stewart said, “Nothing confirmed at this time.” SOURCE: http://www.motorcycle.com

2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200 vs. BMW R1200GS

As some evidence of this, for the first half of 2010, BMW reports the GS outsold all other motorcycles worldwide in the 500cc or larger category. Furthermore, for the same period, the mighty GS led the charge in a 23.2% gain in bike sales volume for BMW.

Within BMW the GS also dominates. According to Pieter de Waal, vice president of BMW Motorrad USA, the GS accounts for upwards of 30% of total BMW bike sales around the Big Blue Marble.

The king is still on his global throne.

But in recent years other brands have made attempts to loosen the GS’ stranglehold over the on/off-road sector of motorcycling – KTM’s dirt bike-inspired 990 Adventure leaps to mind. However, not until this year has any brand attempted to match the German giant’s ever-growing array of electronic rider aids available on the GS.

The new Multistrada 1200, now powered by a retuned version of the liquid-cooled 1199cc L-Twin sourced from Ducati’s 1198 superbike, has not only gained heaps more power over the previous 1078cc air-cooled Multi, it brings a multitude of e-gizmos.

Although Ducati doesn’t tout the new ‘Strada as a conqueror of unforgiving backcountry, its MSRP(s), engine performance and rider-manageable electronics package are thinly veiled advances against the GS’s profound share of the A-T market.

A duel between the updated-for-2010 GS and new Multistrada seemed inevitable, so, that’s just what we did.

A battle of upscale gadgetry

We procured a GS ($14,950 base) with the optional Premium Package.

This top-shelf trim level includes extras such as heated grips, saddlebag mounts and BMW’s Integral ABS – which make up the Standard Package $16,400 – as well as Enduro ESA push-button suspension, on-board computer and hand guards. The Premium trim level pushes the GS’s price to $17,695.

BMW’s Enduro ESA adds six rider-selectable damping settings (tailored for off-road use) to the existing nine on-road damping settings from ESA found on BMW’s road-going bikes. Suspension preload settings (rider, rider/gear, rider/passenger for street, Minimum/Maximum Reserves for off-road) combine with damping settings to create a grand total of 15 possible suspension settings.

It bears noting that only the damping selections are switchable on the fly. Additionally, in order to toggle between on-road and off-road damping choices, as well as for preload choices, the GS must be at a complete stop with the engine running.

BMW’s ABS also requires the bike be at standstill before the rider disables or enables the system.

BMW has its own traction control system called ASC (also disabled by the push of a button), but none of the test units available to the press at the time we requested a GS had the system installed.

Our GS also came equipped with optional spoke wheels ($950) and centerstand ($240). To highlight the GS’s touring capabilities we opted for a set of BMW-branded Vario sidecases ringing in at $466.95 per side.

All totaled, with BMW’s $495 destination charge factored in, the GS retails for $20,313.90.

That’s a steep entry fee by most standards, but when compared to the Multistrada S models, the Beemer comes in as the less expensive bike. Wow. How often does that happen?

Although ABS is a $1500 option on the$14,495 base Multistrada, Ducati’s traction control system with eight levels of intervention, as well as four fuel mapping selections (Sport, Touring, Urban, Enduro), are part and parcel on the entry level Multi.

Sport mode unleashes the full potency of the 1199cc Twin, which churned out 128.7 peak hp at 9250 rpm and 78.6 ft-lbs at 7500 rpm when we ran it on dyno at Gene Thomason Racing (310-704-4544) in Torrance, Calif. Touring mode allows the same peak power, but with a softer delivery. Urban and Enduro modes clip power significantly by limiting throttle openings to 60%.

No big shocker here, but the BMW’s peak ponies fall a fair bit short of the Duc’s.

Still, the GS’s 88.2 hp at 7500rpm provides plenty of poke to get the big traillie down the road briskly. And it’ll cruise the interstate all day long at an indicated 90 mph. The GS’s 68.6 ft-lbs at 6750 rpm torque reading isn’t exactly on par with Multi, but the Beemer produces the lion’s share of its torque early in the rpm range (48.0 ft-lbs by 2000 rpm). And it’s able to keep within a couple ft-lbs of the Duc’s torque output until 5K-ish rpm where the Ducati starts to edge away.

SOURCE: http://www.motorcycle.com

The 2010 MotoGP German Grand Prix, hosted by the venerable Sachsenring, was toddling along about as expected until Lap 9. While Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner were battling for the lead, back at Turn 4 LCR Honda’s hard luck Randy de Puniet crashed in front of Pramac Racing’s Aleix Espargaro and Rizla Suzuki’s Alvaro Bautista.

In the ensuing confusion, it appeared that Bautista hit de Puniet’s machine, which burst into flames, while Espargaro hit de Puniet’s leg, breaking two bones, sending the Frenchman to the hospital and bringing out the red flag. Once the cement dust settled, a determined Pedrosa passed Lorenzo on Lap 10 of the second race and won going away. And although it’s not raining on Lorenzo’s victory parade, a few storm clouds are now visible on the distant horizon.

These storm clouds currently take on three separate forms. The first is Dani Pedrosa, who showed me a lot today and who clearly hasn’t quit on his 2010 championship quest. The second is the inimitable Valentino Rossi, who came back several weeks before he should have and just missed out on a podium by a few tenths to a gritty Casey Stoner. Lorenzo is simply not as dominant when Rossi’s on the track as he is when The Doctor is outta town. The third, and potentially most intriguing, is Lorenzo’s sudden concern over the six engine rule. He blew his second engine of the season on Saturday, and, as my friend David Emmett points out on his webside, may find himself in a trick bag at season’s end.

The distinction between the riders and the rock stars of MotoGP was never clearer than it was today. Jorge Lorenzo had a bad day, for him, finished second and earned another 20 championship points. Randy de Puniet had a bad day, ended up in the hospital and faces several months of painful rehabilitation. Lorenzo stretched his lead over everyone but Pedrosa, while de Puniet lost two slots in the world championship standings and saw his chance to be 2010’s top privateer go up in smoke. In MotoGP, as in the U.S. Declaration of Independence, all men are created equal; some are just more equal than others. [Saving grace for de Puniet – he won’t have to listen to me yammer on for the next two months about how he qualifies better than he races.]

Some Days Chicken …

Several riders had productive days today and benefitted from the re-start. Rossi, whom one had expected might fade due to fatigue in a full 30-lap race, was able to rest and gather himself for what became an epic duel with Stoner in the shortened 21 lap finale. Their battle reminded me of a similar one-on-one contest at Laguna Seca in 2008, except that Rossi won that one, while Stoner won today.

Pedrosa, it could be argued, received a jolt of confidence in the warm-up race that carried over, and ultimately carried him, in the main event. The main beneficiary, however, from the re-start had to be Nicky Hayden. The DUCATI Marlboro rider who couldn’t get out of his own way on Saturday and qualified 15th, was flying in sixth place when the red flag came out. Although he ultimately finished seventh, he must feel fortunate to have ended up the top ten after Saturday’s qualifying debacle. Finally, San Carlo HONDA’s Marco Simoncelli continued his season-long improvement with a sixth place finish, his best result so far this season.

… and Some Days Feathers

Colin Edwards, this year’s version of last year’s horrendous Nicky Hayden, continued his steady march to oblivion with an unforced crash on Lap 7 of the first race. Monster Yamahe Tech 3 may in the market for two new riders next season, if Ben Spies graduates to the factory team, as expected, and Edwards goes the way of all things.

Pramac Ducati’s Aleix Espargaro, a victim of plain bad luck today, appeared to have injured his left wrist in the crash and may have issues next week in Monterey. Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso made it three rounds in a row without a podium appearance. He started out like a house on fire in the first race but appeared to have grip issues throughout the second, ending up 12 seconds behind Rossi and just ahead of rookie Simoncelli.

Hector Barbera, looking determined to prove that his second row qualifying run the yellow Aspar Ducati on Saturday was, in fact, a fluke, ended up ninth, and could have easily been 11th in a full grid.

The 2010 World Championship After Eight Rounds

Jorge Lorenzo continues to enjoy a 47-point margin over Dani Pedrosa, while Pedrosa, in turn, leads teammate Dovizioso by 36 points; these three riders are the only ones with more than 100 points.

Casey Stoner now sits in fourth place with 83 points, five ahead of Nicky Hayden, who leads the resurgent Rossi by a mere four.

Randy de Puniet, currently seventh with 69 points, will be riding the down elevator for the next few months while his leg heals. In the meantime, Roger Lee Hayden has been annouced as de Puniet’s replacement for the Laguna Seca round. Nicky’s little brother normally races World Superbike on a KAWASAKI, but Honda already had him on speed dial giving him a Moto2 wildcard spot for Indy.

Ben Spies, who was practically invisible today on yet another unfamiliar track, has earned 67 points this year. Marco Simoncelli and San Carlo Honda Gresini teammate Marco Melandri round out the top ten with 49 and 45 points, respectively. Last and least, my boy Alex de Angelis, he of the rainbow helmet, owns the distinction of being the only rider on the planet to have scored points in both Moto2 (11) and MotoGP (4) this season. He therefore gets my vote for the “Taller Than Mickey Rooney” Award.

Meanwhile, Over at Moto2

Toni Elias, de Angelis’ teammate last season at San Carlo Gresini Honda, won his third race of the season at the Sachsenring on Sunday, finally overtaking then-leader Andrea Iannone with six laps to go after a slow start. In so doing, he opened up a 42 points advantage for the season over second place Thomas Luthi, who recorded a DNF today after an early crash. Iannone’s second-place finish today put him into third place for the season.

Spain made it a hat trick on Sunday as Marc Marquez coasted to an easy win in the 125cc race early in the day.

California or Bust

MotoGP’s premier class heads to the United States for next week’s Round 9, while Moto2 and the 125 class get an early start on their summer vacations. All three grids will be back in action again in mid-August at Brno.

SOURCE: http://www.motorcycle.com

The 2011 Kawasaki ninja ZX10R

If you’ve been paying attention lately, you’ll have seen evidence of a new teaser marketing campaign in advance of Kawasaki’s upcoming 2011 ZX-10R literbike. A trickling of info, photos and an all-too-brief video have been served up at Kawasaki-Challenge.com since the site launched on June 21.

The site’s latest dollop of 10R news came last week when a race version of the 2011 ZX-10R took part in track testing at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan on July 7 and 8. The non-stock Ninja was ridden on the first day by test rider Hidemichi Takahashi, followed up on day two by Kawasaki’s former World Superbike star rider, Akira Yanagawa.

Precious little details about the bike have been officially released, but based on information we’ve recently gleaned, we’re able to shed some light on what we will see from Kawasaki this fall when the production bike is officially unveiled.

This is a race-prepped 2011 ZX-10R, but the general shape and silhouette is what we’ll see from Team Green’s literbike this fall.

First off, let’s dispel two wild rumors. The new 10R has neither a big-bang firing order nor a horizontal placement of its cylinders, despite fanciful speculation in lesser publications. Rumors of variable valve timing are also likely unfounded. Instead, we find an evolutionary literbike design of a traditional inline-Four engine wrapped in a perimeter-beam aluminum frame.

And yet, despite the apparent lack of visible innovation, we’re told to expect a seriously competitive liter-sized sportbike. It’s a total ground-up redesign. Rumors suggest a production version of the new 10R can lap Kawi’s Autopolis test track seconds quicker than the 2010 model.

This design concept sketch shows the general styling theme of the 2011 ZX-10R, but the race version (based upon the production bike) seen at Suzuka deviates significantly from the sketch, especially the shape and design of the side fairing panels.

Perhaps the headlining news is that Kawi’s lawyers have allowed engineers to develop what might turn out to be a class-leading electronic rider-aid package, including multi-adjustable traction control. We’re told to expect a TC system that is better than the BMW package on the S1000RR, able to be toggled through more customizable settings. A performance-based anti-lock braking system will be optional, but a BMW-like quick-shifter won’t be part of the package. The new Ninja will have comprehensive instrumentation, including the ability to switch between street and track displays.

Speaking of the S1000RR, that’s the stunning new target Kawasaki has to aim for in this revitalized market segment. The current ZX-10R is the lowest-revving literbike (aside from the Aprilia RSV4), so we’re expecting a modest increase in max revs from 13,000 to maybe 13,500 rpm. That’s still short of the S1000’s lofty 14K rev limit, suggesting the Ninja engine’s bore is less than the massive 81mm slugs in the BMW.

From what we’ve been able to gather, the newest Ninja is expected to produce peak horsepower numbers near or in excess of 170 ponies at the rear tire. The S1000 pumps out a minimum of 170 hp.

Oncoming air will be crammed into a pressurized airbox via this massive nose intake.

In terms of styling, it seems like the 2011 ZX-10 has the design bones that should produce the most attractive 10R yet. The shape of its bodywork is chiseled yet sleek, wrapping tightly around the mechanical bits. Large side cut-outs in the fairing add to the perception of lightness and expose the engine. A diminutive tailsection helps aid the impression of lightness.

Speaking of weight, it will be interesting to see how many ounces can be whittled away. The current 10R weighs in at 458 pounds with its tank filled, and that’s 5 more than the S1000RR and a whopping 21 pounds heavier than Honda’s CBR1000RR. The 2011 ZX will surely be lighter than the BMW, and it might even approach the CBR’s astonishingly low (437-lb) weight. Keep in mind that 20-some pounds were shed from the ZX-6R in its last redesign.

The 10R’s nose is particularly interesting. A huge centrally located ram-air duct is impossible to ignore, and it funnels cool air into a pressurized airbox via channels in the aluminum frame’s steering head. Expect some form of cat-eye headlights on either side of that gaping maw. Its sloped nose implies slippery aerodynamics, underlined by its beak that extends many inches past the front axle. A faired front fender includes leading-edge extensions for smoother flow through 180-plus mph winds.

The aluminum-beam perimeter frame appears to have abandoned Kawasaki’s over-the-engine design, looking quite conventional. This change seems to have had the side benefit of a lower fuel tank, perhaps augmented by a sub-tank partially located under the seat.

A race-spec version of the 2011 ZX-10R was tested last week at Suzuka.

As has become typical for modern sportbikes, the ZX-10’s exhaust system will be another variation of an under-engine collector box and a stylized side-mount shorty muffler.

Also of note is the Ninja’s braced aluminum swingarm. It looks like Kawi has tightened up the dimensions of the main frame to allow for a longer swingarm inside of a similar wheelbase, which is known to aid traction. The suspension is also all new, with the front end using a Showa Big Piston fork like that first seen on the 2009 ZX-6R.

The left-side profile shows a longer swingarm that has a beefy-looking brace. Note how the nose fairing stretches forward to punch a cleaner hole in the wind.

Unlike the race-prepped ZX-10R seen testing at Suzuka, Brembo brakes are doubtful to make it to the production version of the new ZX. The streetbike will be blessed with adjustable footpegs to better accommodate riders of different sizes.

Although many details remain unknown or in sketch form, a new sportbike like the 10R must already be in its near-final status, with final development currently ironing out any last-minute wrinkles. Complete information will be available when Kawasaki makes its official announcement in early October.

SOURSE: http://www.motorcycle.com

Australia-host motorcycle race

Australia state Victoria on Sunday secured the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix to remain at Phillip Island until at least 2016.

The Victorian government used a statement announcing the contract extension to attack its northern rival, New South Wales (NSW).

"The latest contract extension is a humiliating blow for the New South Wales Major Events Minister Ian Macdonald who said NSW would steal Victoria’s major events including the Formula One Grand Prix, Superbikes World Championships and the MotoGP - all now signed to long-term contracts in Victoria," Victorian Tourism and Major Events Minister Tim Holding said.

"I think the big difference is that you go to Sydney once and you have seen it all, but you can come to Melbourne four times each year and get a totally different experience which is why people keep coming back."

Last year’s event, won by Australian Casey Stoner, was watched by about 105,000 people.

The Motorcycle Grand Prix will mark its 22nd year in Victoria in 2016.

Phillip Island is an Australian island located about 140km away from Melbourne, Victoria.

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia.

2010 Native S Review (Continue...)

A turnkey bike

A bikini fairing and stacked lights accent well against the anodized inverted fork.

Although the 60 mph Native S we tested costs $7,500 when equipped with Thundersky lithium ion (li-ion) batteries, similar performance can be had for $4,500 when spec’d with Absorbed Glass Mat lead-acid batteries. These batteries are heavier, however, and may only accept 400-500 recharge cycles, compared to the 2,000 possible for li-ion.

The Native S came about as a result of Electric Motorsport’s constant experimentation on countless projects using every kind of motor, battery and chassis – and demand by do-it-yourself customers for project bikes.

A few years back, Electric Motorsport was producing forerunners to its present offering from modified rolling chassis purchased from Derbi, which makes a “GPR” line – and from which the GPR-S bikes were named.

Electric Motorsport produced these to various performance levels, but when Piaggio bought Derbi and made the chassis unavailable, it forced Kollin and company to look for a new platform to electrify.

They wound up contracting with Thailand-based Tiger motorcycles to import unfinished bikes modified to Native’s specs, ready-made for EV purposes. These are based on a Cagiva F4, Kollin says, and now produced under Tiger’s name in a former Kawasaki plant. Kollin says it was once also the basis for an internal combustion engine-powered police bike in Asia, and is yet sold as a petrol recreational version to the Asian market.

Electric bikes make particular sense for campus cops and other fleet duties. Here’s a Native ready to sneak up on unwary perpetrators. (Photo courtesy of Native Cycles.)

Electric Motorsport’s graduation from merely converting existing DOT-legal bikes to becoming an actual OEM came in August, 2008, when it secured its manufacturing license for the state of California.

Note the exhaust hanger that Tiger left in place to turn these into petrol bikes in Asia. You won’t likely attract a butterfly in this spot on a hot-running petrol bike.

Its modular platform ranges from the GPR-S rolling chassis kit sold under the Electric Motorsport name for $2,500, and an almost ready-to-ride GPR-S lacking only batteries for $3,500, to the finished Native S bike for $4,500 already mentioned, and the $7,500 Native S in this review. This said, build levels can far exceed even the primo model to satisfy paying customers.

For example, instead of a standard-issue 72-volt, 19 hp-rated, EMC-RT brushless DC motor, an AC induction motor can easily be swapped in for those wanting more than what the “stock” version can offer.

“They’re not happy with 19 hp, they want to put a 47 hp motor in there,” Kollin says.

"Upgraded examples of this bike have hit 120 mph...it has no problem handling the extra power."

Upgraded examples of this bike have hit 120 mph – a speed Brammo and Zero have yet to see – and Kollin says it has no problem handling the extra power.

What it is and what it can do

A wider than usual fairing integrates pretty well to make this look much like a traditional gasoline-powered machine.

Our test bike came courtesy of Harlan Flagg, a partner at one of Native’s dealers, Hollywood Electrics, an e-bike-only seller in West Hollywood, Calif. It is a regularly used demo built in 2008 that Flagg said is basically spec’d as a 2010 but still labeled as an Electric Motorsport GPR-S instead of the current Native S logo.

Aside from a somewhat wider fairing to conceal its motor and battery, and lack of an exhaust system, this rectangular-steel-framed bike, along with its braced box-section alloy swingarm, offers no visual clues to suggest it isn’t engine-driven.

With a wheelbase of just 51.75 inches, and seat height of 29.5 inches, the 285-lb two-seater – the only passenger-capable e-bike we know of – rolls on 100/80-17 rear, and 90/80-17 front tires, and bears close resemblance to the diminutive Italian bike it’s loosely derived from.

The Native’s preload-adjustable twin shocks look old school compared to its inverted non-adjustable 35mm fork, but their travel of 110mm front and 115mm rear are about what you’d expect for its present urban/suburban domain.

Braking is handled by twin-piston, Tiger-branded front and rear calipers, clamping a 290mm front rotor and a 200mm rear.

Six-spoke alloy wheels and a bikini fairing with twin pseudo projector lights add to the sportiness of the little machine. Switchgear is functional and basic, although the headlight’s hi/lo switch on our demo was notchy, and the blue hi-beam indicator was frozen on.

Twin-pot front calipers work with a 290mm rotor for decent whoa-power. Note speedo-sensor pickup on rotor in line with mounting bolts.

On top of the tank is a lockable trap door. Out of it comes a short three-prong cord just like an electric drill would have to facilitate charging.

Unlike some other e-bikes, no special procedures are needed. Just park, make sure the key is turned off, and plug in. Its computer will top off the battery, monitor its level, and prevent overcharge.

Basic but functional instruments are spec’d with the Native S. Our demo came with an optional "Cycle Analyst" (upper digital instrument unit), but current models now integrate electrical system data readout, as well as speed, trip, distance, etc., in the main (lower) instrument cluster.

Recharging is pretty simple – just plug-n-play. A red LED inside indicates the battery management system is doing its job.

Depending on how much it’s depleted, the battery can take under one hour to as many as four to recharge. As is true for many modern battery-powered devices, the battery management system will not allow a deep discharge, as that could damage the battery. As set-up by Native, the bike’s 72 volt, 2.88 kilowatt-hour, 24-cell battery pack can be drained to about 20% of capacity before going into a current-limiting “limp mode.” At this point, a rider may have 5 miles at half the normal power to get to a charging outlet.

To be continued...

SOURCE: http://www.motorcycle.com

Luxury vehicals

According to the General Statistics Office (GSO), the actual import turnover of cars imported in March under the form of complete built unit (CBU) was higher than the forecast figure by 1000 cars. In fact, 4000 cars were imported in March, worth $62 million, an increase of 1000 cars valued at $17 million.

GSO does not think that April will see the increases again. It has estimated that that only 3000 cars will be imported in April, a decrease of 1000 cars from the previous month

Despite witnessing the considerable decrease in terms of quantity in comparison with March, the import turnover of cars in April may increase slightly from $62 million to $65 million.

The figures have led to the belief that Vietnamese people will purchase more and more valuable vehicles in the time to come. Insisting that they will not favour smaller and cheaper cars any longer.

From late April, the import tariff on some kinds of cars with nine seats with the cylinder capacity of 2.9L and higher, and some kinds of 4WD vehicles will decrease by 3-6 percent. These are mostly big size and valuable vehicles. The tax reduction, thus leading to lower sale prices, is believed to help increase sales.

Meanwhile, the motorbike imports in April are estimated to decrease by 14 percent, and the import turnover will be the same.

GSO has estimated that some 6000 motorbike will be imported in April, a decrease of 1000 motorbikes from March 2010. Meanwhile, the import turnover would remain the same at seven million dollars.

Excluding January because sales significantly increased during the pre-Tet month, the number of motorbikes imported in the last five months just hovered around 6000-7000 motorbikes a month.

The figures, according to analysts, show that the Vietnam motorbike market has become saturated.

According to the Vietnam Registration Administration, by the end of the year, Vietnam would have 24 million motorbikes, that’s one motorbike for every three people.

Though the demand for motorbikes has not increased, the demand for larger luxury models keeps rising.

According to GSO, by the end of April 2010, the total number of import motorbikes will reach 30,000, while the import turnover will reach $35 million. This represents the decrease of 29 percent in quantity and 39 percent in value in comparison with the same period of 2009.

Source: Thoi bao Kinh te Vietnam

2010 Native S Review (Continue...)

...While Native is its own brand, it is only one element in its parent company’s overarching mission to make e-bikes viable. To get as many creative and visionary people involved as possible, Electric Motorsport functions as an “open source” company, selling parts and sharing knowledge. It's "GPR-S" chassis, from which the Native S is based, is available for anyone – be they professional builders creating their own e-bikes for sale, or private individuals.

As for Native Cycles, thus far it operates with only four western dealers (that can ship anywhere in the country but usually sell locally), and have sold only about 250 motorcycles and scooters.

But while you may not have heard much about Native, Electric Motorsport is anything but unknown in Electric Vehicle (EV) enthusiast circles. As a resource to the entire small world of the EV industry, it is called on for all sorts of projects, including electric motorcycle conversions and electric go-carts, while also filling orders from $400 to $10,000 for an elite list of buyers.

Its customers include MIT, Stanford, Brigham Young, Purdue, and other equally well-regarded universities from a total of about 200. Likewise, it has sold to Honda, Ford, Subaru, and other OEMs for their small behind-the-scenes projects.

Electric Motorsport even sold Zero Motorcycles its first 30 motors and allowed Zero to take its own name. Electric Motorsport once went by the moniker of “Zero,” and ran a website called TheZero.net. The company decided to let it go when founder and CEO Todd Kollin realized that the term “zero” is considered derogatory in Europe.

Electric Motorsport also routinely ships to Europe, Asia, Russia, Australia, Dubai, and more places worldwide. Additional domestic customers have included the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, NASA, and several more U.S. agencies.

The funny thing is, we had to drag all this info out of Kollin, who probably plays it down more than he should.

“It’s a fancy clientele list is what we have,” he admits, speaking of orders Electric Motorsport has filled. “It’s not always piecemeal, but they know where to get the stuff, so they call us up. Our motors and drive systems wind up in the craziest places I could never imagine.”

One of these crazy places have been electric-powered water pipe inspection equipment, life-size dinosaurs, irrigation equipment for the driest parts of Australia, barstool racers¬ – you name it.

At its core, Native is driven by motorcycle and bicycle riders still active in R&D and racing. This year, they’re fielding a converted Yamaha R6 in the TTXGP electric motorcycle racing series as they continue developing environmentally friendly ways to let people get where they want to go.

“We were never trying to be supersport. We were just trying to be transportation,” Kollin says, “We’re trying to push the smaller, lighter vehicles, and efficiency.”

To be continued...

SOURCE: http://motorcycle.com

2010 Native S Review

The Native S is a deceptively ordinary looking electric motorcycle considering that it and the company that manufactures it can claim a number of singular distinctions.

Having been produced since September 2008 by Electric Motorsport of Oakland, Calif., a company that’s been turning out e-bikes since the early years of this millennium, it is arguably a grandfather among the new crop of U.S.–made electric street motorcycles.

And unlike most companies in the fledgling industry, Electric Motorsport is operating profitably and developing its Native line of motorcycles and scooters with its own money, while others seek government grants and venture capital.

Working under a modest budget, Native has no PR agency representing it, doesn’t chase motorcycle events around the country with a demo fleet, and has only a basic website.

However, nothing has stopped it from making motorcycle history.

Last year, using a hotrod version of the Native S, Electric Motorsport won the Open class in the world’s firstTTXGP electronic motorcycle race at the Isle of Man. In doing so, Native also became the first American motorcycle manufacturer to win a race there since the Indian Motocycle Company did in 1911. (Team Agni took victory in the TTXGP’s more prestigious Pro Class.)

Native’s name was selected to acknowledge its American grassroots heritage. Having one Native American partner in the company, plus enthusiasts for vintage Indian motorcycles, its name was also chosen out of respect for the American company that came before it.

To be continued...

source: http://motorcycle.com

Motorbike, car imports unexpectedly decline in June

According to the General Statistics Office (GSO), in June 2010 an estimated 6000 motorbikes were imported to Vietnam, worth seven million dollars. Thus, the upward trend seen in May has ended as the import volume unexpectedly decreased by 2800 motorbikes (five million dollars in import value).

The total import revenue of motorbikes in the first six months of 2010 has reached $55 million (44,900 motorbikes). If compared with the same period of 2009, the import revenue of those imported under the mode of complete built units (CBU) decreased by 25.1 percent, while the number of imported motorbikes overall decreased by 23.1 percent.

An analysis of monthly import revenues in the first half of 2010 averaged around $7-8 million, while the number of imported motorbikes hovered around 6000-7000, much lower than the averages for the first six months of 2009.

Economists find it difficult to understand why May revenues increased so sharply over April. They pointed out that there was no change in tax policies or in market conditions that were powerful enough to cause the sharp increases.

In January, import revenues also rose sharply (10,000 motorbikes imported worth $12 million), but most explained this as a result of the Tet holiday, when importers tried to export as many products as they could.

Similarly, car import revenues paralleled this trend, witnessing a serious decrease in June after increasing sharply in May.

GSO reported that June car import revenues reached $81 million, with 4500 cars imported. In May 2010, 5339 CBU cars were imported, worth $88.5 million.

In the first half of the year, GSO revealed, the number of CBU cars imported to Vietnam reached 23,000, with import revenues of $394 million

As such, if comparing with the same period of 2009, car import revenues in the first half of 2010 decreased by 4.2 percent, while the number of imports decreased by 3.9 percent.