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 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.
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.
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
